Emeka Ibemere
Leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel
Nigeria, has flagged off its Airtel
Reading for Leading Campaign, a CSR education programme aimed at helping
underprivileged children in public primary schools and providing them with
access to relevant, high-quality text books.
Renowned Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,
recently flagged off the campaign at the Airtel corporate headquarters in
Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos. The occasion was attended by children of Airtel’s
pilot adopted school, Oremeji Primary School 2, Ajegunle, Lagos. Speaking at
the event, the Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Airtel Nigeria,
Segun Ogunsanya, who was represented by the company’s Human Resources Director,
Gbemiga Owolabi, noted that Airtel is
not just passionate about education, we are also intensely interested in
helping children – especially underprivileged kids – to succeed, actualize
their dreams and become the true leaders of tomorrow.
According to him, “Airtel’s love for and concern for
underprivileged children is unarguably the critical ingredient that has spurred
us to initiate the ‘Reading for Leading’ campaign initiative. With this
project, we intend to provide over three thousand (3,000) relevant books to
children across our six adopted schools. “In implementing this glorious
initiative, my colleagues, across our regional offices in Nigeria, will come
out en masse to purchase and endorse these books, read to the children, teach
and mentor them, and ultimately spend quality time with our adopted pupils.”
At the event, Chimamanda encouraged the children to develop
a love for reading, noting that reading will make them better, more rounded and
improve their vocabulary as well as oratorical skills.
She particularly advised the kids to read story books and
other fictional literature, saying that prose and imaginative narrative play a
pivotal role in building, nurturing and developing young minds.
Chimamanda, author of Americanah, Purple Hibiscus, Half of a
Yellow Sun and the Thing around Your Neck, also commended Airtel for supporting
primary education and for creating solid educational opportunities for
underprivileged children. The Airtel
Reading for Leading” campaign is aimed at promoting good reading culture among
children living in rural communities starting with the 3000 children across
Airtel’s six adopted schools in Nigeria. “Reading as we know awakens the power
of imagination, aids vocabulary, increases knowledge and broadens horizon hence
our desire that the campaign will motivate and inspire the children to learn
leadership through reading,” the CEO noted.
The Airtel Reading for Leading campaign is a partnership
with Longman and Macmillan. Under the initiative, Airtel employees will buy
over 3,000 high quality and relevant textbooks for children of the company’s
six adopted schools.
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