'21 Days of Yello Care' Starts With Donation to School of Blind

'21 Days of Yello Care'
Starts With Donation to School of Blind

MTN has donated a water tank and special paper for Braille typewriters to HVP Gatagara, a school for the blind in Rwamagana. The total value of the donation is Frw 3 million.

The activity on Monday kicked off MTN's annual social corporate responsibility period called '21 Days of Yello Care,' which will this year focus on education.

"Students of this school have the ability to achieve many things if they are helped in their study," said MTN human resources manager Mary Asiimwe, who also urged the pupils to study hard and strive for their wellbeing in the future.

Rwamagana vice-mayor of in charge of finance, Francisca Mutiganda commended MTN for its charity in helping the school and reminded that students with disabilities need extra care. She said that while the government does what it can to facilitate the school, individual citizens too can contribute to help special-needs students.

Mutiganda pointed out that the government gives equal chance to all people regardless their physical abilities and therefore urged students to focus on their studies in order to be better adapted to the labor market. "People are put on the same level, with employment chances only determined by their competencies. You need to make an extra effort to remain competitive," she said.

Jean Pierre Nteziryayo, the director of HVP Gatagara, said that the MTN donation will goa long way in improving the education and, in the case of the water tank, sanitation in the school and resource management.

He also called on relatives of children with disabilities not to deny them access to education. "Educating them is a way of valuing them," he commented.

MTN staff later joined pupils in a game of goal-ball, a sport for the blind.

HVP Gatagara of Rwamagana hosts 212 students from primary level to senior five (S5) with a single orientation of English, Kiswahili and Kinyarwanda (EKK). Director Nteziryayo explained lack of adapted equipment required by other sections like sciences prevents them from offering those studies, but that they will schedule them whenever possible.