Press Releases

Etisalat Advocates Eradication of Malaria in Nigeria

…flags off The Fight Malaria Initiative

In furtherance of its commitment to corporate social responsibility in the country, Etisalat Nigeria flags off the launch of its CSR-health platform intervention with the Fight Malaria Initiative, solidly establishing its support for the eradication of malaria malaise in Nigeria. The telecommunication company which is fast carving a niche in CSR focuses on a tripod comprising Education, Health and the Environment.

The Fight Malaria Initiative which has two segments: a radio drama series aimed at public enlightenment on malaria, and a state-wide distribution of insecticide treated nets to schools with boarding facilities, commenced on November 9 with the radio drama series tagged “The Will to Win” airing on the Raypower Network at 6.30am – 6.45am every Tuesday.

The initiative which will form the core of etisalat’s CSR intervention in the area of health is launched in partnership with a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) namely: Malaria Foundation International and its Nigerian affiliate the Society for Youth Awareness and Health Development, with the aim of education, prevention and control of malaria.

Emphasizing the reasons for partnering on this platform, Etisalat’s Chief Executive Officer, Steven Evans said “The statistics are alarming, but the reality even more so; in Africa a child dies from malaria every 30 seconds. We cannot continue to mortgage our lives and that of our children. We intend to deploy our resources in partnership with two agencies: Malaria Foundation International and Society for Youth Awareness and Health Development to ensure that malaria becomes a part of our past in this country. We need to let people understand that malaria is not just a disease that destroys the body but also the pulse of the nation because a strong, vibrant society, economically, politically and socially can only be a healthy society.”

The nets distribution will kick-off in Kano state later this year with the distribution of insecticide treated nets to secondary schools with boarding facilities, and spread to the other parts of the country subsequently.

Other critical areas of the initiative which are focused on community engagement include training and development of leadership skills within schools’ communities as well as establishment of Malaria Prevention Clubs within the selected schools.

About Etisalat

Etisalat is the largest provider of telecommunications services in Africa and the Middle East and serves an ever increasing subscriber base of 100 million people across Africa, Middle East and Asia. The innovative GSM provider currently has unique products such as Easy Starter, Easy Cliq, Easy Net and Elite World in the Nigerian market. All offer a wide array of creative and exciting features designed to satisfy all communications needs of its subscribers.

human