Nairobi-based employees of Airtel Africa plc and Airtel Networks Kenya Ltd (Airtel Kenya) on Saturday donated a further Sh25.5 million to the COVID-19 Emergency Fund, in support of Kenya’s Government initiatives.
The donation comprises of voluntary employee contributions, which were matched by a Corporate donation by Airtel.
This follows a previous employee-led voluntary donation of Sh12.7 million in April by Airtel Africa and a contribution of Sh30 million from Airtel Kenya towards the Ministry of Health which was used for purchasing Personal Protective Equipment for frontline health workers.
This brings the total amount contributed by the two offices to Kenya’s battle against COVID-19 to 68.2 million shillings. Today’s hand over was made to the COVID-19 Emergency Fund Chairperson, Jane Karuku.
The donation also follows the announcement of Airtel Africa’s ongoing partnership with UNICEF, to support children and families affected by COVID-19 and its mutual involvement with other telcos with the United Nations Economic Commission of Africa (UNECA), to roll-out of a digital platform which provides public health advice to 600 million people across the continent.
In addition to making Corporate donations to various Governments and NGO’s of over US$2.7 million, Airtel employees have voluntarily raised over US$690,000 across our 14 operations in Africa towards the COVID-19 fight to date, which includes matched funds from Airtel Africa.”
Emergency Fund Chairperson, Ms Karuku said that it was a great example of the public and private sector uniting to tackle the impact of COVID-19 and leading with compassion and solidarity Thanking Airtel, she noted that the contribution from Airtel Africa’s employees in Kenya will go a long way towards cushioning the impact of the pandemic.
Airtel reports that it has already taken several steps to help mitigate the impact of social distancing on its customers during the coronavirus outbreak in Kenya through:
- Availing the toll free line 719 which is run together with the Ministry of Health. Airtel subscribers can call in to get prevention tips and information on COVID-19.
- Kenya COVID-19 Fund Board: Airtel has provided the board secretariat with 10 postpaid lines and telephone handsets to facilitate 24 hour calling and data access for the staff.
- Customer Communication: Airtel has been running a digital awareness campaign on its official social media platforms propagating information and prevention tips for COVID-19.
- Airtel Money Charges: Following consultations with key government agencies, Airtel has removed all transaction fees making it possible to send and receive money for free on their Airtel Money platform. Airtel has also revised the transaction limits for mobile money transaction to support the SME and micro business enterprises.
- Free access to Education Sites: Airtel has also responded to the government’s directive to suspend learning in all educational institutions all over the country and has partnered with Longhorn Publishers to offer free internet access to students accessing the Longhorn e-learning Platform.
- Self/Digital Access: Airtel has enabled its customers are able to access purchase and recharge services online during this period. One may also access more information on the service offering via https://www.airtelkenya.com/ or by dialing *544# and follow the menu.
- Products – Airtel has discounted prices on some of the products such as the 4G smart box to allow their subscribers can access internet from wherever they are.
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