ISLAMABAD: Mobilink has launched its flagship Corporate Responsibility initiative – Make Your Mark. The ‘Make Your Mark’ initiative is a key element of VimpelCom’s corporate responsibility strategy, with the objective of ‘Helping young people shape their future’. ‘Make Your Mark’ recognizes the challenges that today’s young people face regarding issues such as poverty, youth unemployment, inadequate healthcare and education, food security, resource scarcity and climate change – reinforced by a rapidly growing population. It aims to provide young people with technology tools, support and mentoring, and in some cases access to basic education, to help them tackle these challenges at an individual, community and national level – to shape their future. Under the Make Your Mark umbrella Mobilink has partnered with LUMS Center of Entrepreneurship, Institute of Social and Policy Sciences, GuarantCo and Pakistan Center for Philanthropy (PCP) and is working on setting up an incubator for budding entrepreneurs, expanding its mLiteracy program to reach out to an additional 3750 rural females and establishing 6 state-of-the-art ICT labs at schools adopted by NGOs.
Anusha Rehman, Minister for IT, speaking at the launch said, “The Government of Pakistan is committed towards implementing the latest technology to enable the youth of Pakistan. Make Your make is an encouraging step from Mobilink and will go a long way in supporting the Government’s strategy of enabling the young generation of Pakistan through technological advancements.”
Minister of IT further added: “The government is confident that together with this interest, investment and support of corporate organization we will be able to capitalized the telecommunications infrastructure for socio-economic development of Pakistan”
Jeffrey Hedberg, President & CEO Mobilink, commenting on the launch of Make Your Mark said, “Make Your Mark is a unique initiative that feeds directly into Mobilink’s corporate responsibility strategy and aims at helping young people in Pakistan through technology, expertise and knowledge. The initiatives planned under the program will offer support to a variety of beneficiaries to tackle the socio-economic challenges in Pakistan. The ultimate aim of MYM is enabling a generation of educated and tech-literate young people. We have partnered with three global organizations LUMS, DFID and GuarantCo for Make Your Mark. I am confident that Make Your Mark will contribute significantly in shaping the future of our youth by equipping them with the latest technology.” He then also thanked the Minister of IT, Anusha Rehman for her valuable time and kind patronage.
Furthermore, Mobilink has also developed Mobilink Guardian; an android based app working with a young startup Virtual Proz. Mobilink Guardian Service notifies your loved ones of your location. Currently being offered on Android Handsets, the service when trigged uses GSM and GPS to transmit prompter’s location to up to 5 user-listed contacts via customizable SMS alerts. This service can be prompted by simply pressing power button thrice.
Twenty organizations to collaborate with NFEH for week-long celebrations of World Environment Day
KARACHI: The National Forum for Environment & Health in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme has announced to hold different activities and functions from 01 June to 07 June, 2015 on the occasion of World Environment Day in coming month.
In this regard, NFEH President Muhammad Naeem Qureshi in a statement said that his forum had constituted a network of over 20 commercial, social, governmental, non-governmental, and municipal organizations for holding functions to mark World Environment Day to be observed on 05 June every year.
The functions being planned for the occasion are aimed at spreading awareness among general public, government authorities, politicians, youth, and children on environmental issues. The functions would be aimed at promoting individual and collective efforts being made for seeking effective solution to environmental issues.
According to NFEH, the first such an event would be an Environment Festival at PAF Museum in Karachi 01 June, 2015 for youth, children, and families who would attend and take part in the healthy competitions and recreational activities promoting the cause of environment.
In this regard, on 04 June, 2015 a seminar would be organized on the issue of wastage of food items and prevention of such an undesirable social trend.
On 05 June, 2015 there would be a campaign in collaboration with District Municipal Corporation South and K-Electric for the cause of plantation, sanitation, and for removal of wall-graffiti in downtown areas of the city.
On 06 June, 2015 there would be fun activities for children in a local shopping mall in Clifton area for drawing, poster-making, singing, and plantation for spreading awareness about environmental issues. On 07 June there would be plantation and delivery of lectures in Patel Hospital and Dream World Resorts.
The NFEH chief Naeem Qureshi said that the forum in collaboration with various media groups would also air programmes to mark the day on issues related to environmental, sanitation, conservation of water and power resources, deforestation and for prevention of wastage of food resources.
The Forum chief was of the view that concerned governmental organizations, political parties, and other relevant organizations were required to launch their own awareness campaigns and efforts for cause of environment. Mr. Qureshi said that every member of the society be it an
individual or an organization had to play its due and vital role in this connection.
In this regard, an organizing committee has been constituted for holding activities and functions related to World Environment Day comprising Ruqiya Naeem, Nadeem Ashraf, Khalid Iqbal, Maryium Fatimah, Mustafa Tahir, Zahid Ali, Shazil Kazmi, Mohsin Muntazir, Rashid Ansari, Ghulam Kabria, and representatives of different bodies.