Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks and Save the Chil...
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Addis Abeba, Ethiopia - Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks announced
their partnership with Save the Children Finland to help alleviate
the existing water problem made worse by the current drought in Alaba
Special Woreda through collaboration with the Woreda administration
and its relevant offices.
The collaboration between Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks and Save the
Children Finland was initiated as a response to the urgent needs of
children and their families in Alaba Special Woreda, an area which is
severely dependent on rainfall and, where people are forced to travel
every day over 20km to fetch water during dry seasons. Due to
fluctuations in rainfall, the northern part of Alaba Woreda faces
regular shortage of rain which affects the whole community in general
but specifically children, who suffer from improper sanitation, water
borne diseases and early school drop-out as incomes are reduced when
cattle rearing becomes difficult. The impact of the drought has been
made worse by the recent increases in food prices, which have further
increased the hardships experienced by the community.
'This partnership emanates from the belief that the solutions to
emergency situations have to be driven by long-term sustainable
efforts that centre on community uplifment', emphasized Micheline
Ntiru, Head of Community Involvement, Nokia Middle East and Africa.
'Forging partnerships with the local government and community is
paramount to bringing meaningful change in any community'.
'Children form the most vulnerable group that is worst affected by
the current emergency, therefore our partnership strives to
strengthen their right and access to water and sanitation, as well as
enhance the livelihoods of the community, explains Dr. Tibebu Bogale,
Save the Children Finland's Country Director in Ethiopia. 'The
project aims to improve the lives of thousands of children and adults
with sustainable results that will allow new community development
initiatives to be undertaken in the future.'
Through this project six community managed water points will be set
up in Alaba Woreda thus leading to improved sanitation and health.
Together with hygiene education as well as cash-for-work initiatives
for parents, the project will ensure that children are able to stay
in school through the drought. In total five basic education centers
will be equipped not only with books but also with solar panels thus
harnessing the natural resource to provide electricity. 'While we are
focusing on alleviating the community from the prevailing drought and
famine, we also believe that providing the youth with education will
go a long way in opening up opportunities later in life that will
enable them and the next generations to rise out of poverty' said
Micke Maltusch, Ethiopia Country Director for Nokia Siemens Networks.
Furthermore the local community will be trained and equipped with the
knowledge and capacity to properly manage and ensure the
sustainability of water points within the area. Nokia, Nokia Siemens
Networks and Save the Children Finland look forward to seeing the
children in Alaba Woreda having access to clean water and health
education. As a sign of wider partnership, project funding will also
be supplemented with an upcoming grant from the Government of Finland
and additional financial support from the Woreda.
The project in Alaba Woreda is part of Save the Children's
humanitarian programme in Ethiopia related to food insecurity and
drought. International Save the Children Alliance members are
currently working to help nearly 900 000 people in six of the
worst-affected regions. Work includes setting up work schemes to
provide parents with a way to earn food and money, providing clean
water, emergency feeding and healthcare for malnourished children,
delivering veterinary drugs and animal feed to help families keep
their animals alive.
In Africa, Nokia has worked with the Red Cross in Ghana and Kenya,
responding to the devastating floods of 2007 as well as the civil
unrest in early 2008 respectively. In these efforts, Nokia always
emphasizes long-term rehabilitation of devastated communities.
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and
growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We
make a wide range of mobile devices with services and software that
enable people to experience music, navigation, video, television,
imaging, games, business mobility and more. Developing and growing
our offering of consumer Internet services, as well as our enterprise
solutions and software, is a key area of focus. We also provide
equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through
Nokia Siemens Networks.
About Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of communications
services. The company provides a complete, well-balanced product
portfolio of mobile and fixed network infrastructure solutions and
addresses the growing demand for services with 20,000 service
professionals worldwide. Nokia Siemens Networks is one of the largest
telecommunications infrastructure companies with operations in 150
countries. The company is headquartered in Espoo, Finland.
www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
About Save the Children Finland
Save the Children Finland has worked in Ethiopia since 2001, focusing
on children's right for equitable quality basic education. Save the
Children Finland is a member of International Save the Children
Alliance, the world's largest independent organisation for children,
making a difference to children's lives in over 120 countries. Save
the Children fights for children's rights, delivering immediate and
lasting improvements to children's lives worldwide.
www.savethechildren.fi
Media Enquiries:
Nokia Siemens Networks
Communications, Middle East and Africa
Nada Chammas
Mobile: +971 50 450 85 59
Email: nada.chammas@nsn.com
Nokia
Communications, East and Central Africa
Dorothy Ooko
Mobile: +254 720630074
Email: dorothy.ooko@nokia.com
www.nokia.com
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