What you need to know about the Airtel Uganda 12 Days of Christmas

Airtel Uganda has been celebrating 12 days of Christmas where 12 deserving initiatives across the country have been rewarded.

1. Briefly share with us about the Airtel Uganda 12 Days of Christmas?

The Christmas season is a time for sharing in the remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ. 12 Days of Christmas is a Staff driven initiative that happens every December in which staff members are called upon to nominate category specific programs/initiatives, individuals that are making an outstanding contribution to their community and sometimes with meager resources.

Some nominations are also entirely about supporting those in dire need of help especially because of their poor health or living conditions. The staff members then go ahead to donate to the beneficiaries of the initiatives that are spread across the country.

2. Why 12 days?

The theme 12 Days of Christmas is derived from a popular Christmas song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and English Christmas Carol that enumerates a series of grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas. Also 12 represents the 12 departments that Airtel currently has. The initiatives are executed by 12 departments within 12 days. Each department goes out to give back to a specific/assigned initiative within an allocated budget.

3. Are their key pillars that Airtel bases on to conduct the 12 Days of Christmas? What are these, and how do they align with the overall business objective?Yes.

The pillars are our environment, our community and our business of transforming lives. Within those there are specific SDGs that we seek to address such as; access to quality education, financial inclusion, digital inclusion, reduced inequalities and gender equality.

One of our non-negotiable business objectives is to Transform Lives through creating a sustainable future. We have witnessed that addressing the SDGs helps to develop a sustainable future for individuals, families, communities and businesses of Ugandans.

Sharing in the Airtel Christmas is another of our ways to increase equality through digital and financial inclusion, through ensuring that children have access to vital education materials. We recognize the potential for responsible development and are constantly aware of the challenges that the communities across the country face which makes us more determined to make a positive impact.

4. How are the beneficiary communities identified?

Being a staff driven initiative, the beneficiary communities are identified through the nominations that are made by the staff members from all across Airtel Uganda staff base.

5. Has the initiative registered any milestones, mention at least three of these?

Sure it has. The full recovery of a young girl; Emmanuella Nyaketcho who received a cash donation for a heart surgery in India in 2018. The family invited Airtel to celebrate the girl’s recovery which means she has gone on to thrive.

Installation of a solar power solution at a maternal center on the Kalangala Island. This gave mothers an opportunity to deliver their babies in a decent environment.

Refurbishment of classroom blocks, toilet facilities, libraries and provision of computers and text books at the schools that the staff members volunteered at.

This created digital inclusion as well as ensured that the children are studying in conducive environments.

6. What’s Airtel’s message for the festive season?

Airtel would like to commend highly all the initiatives that are making a difference, creating jobs for the youth and continuing to thrive despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

You are the true heroes and contributors to the growth of the Ugandan economy. We thank our customers and stakeholders that have walked the journey of 2021 with Airtel. Thank you for growing with us through your feedback and trusting us to lead industry with affordable innovative products in voice, data and mobile commerce. Merry Christmas and a truly fruitful 2022.