UNICEF and Bharti Airtel have entered into a partnership to empower children and youth across Africa. The partnership aims to impress access to education related information and health. The collaboration will be across 17 countries in Africa.
UNICEF will be able to use Airtel’s mobile services to make education, health, and youth focused content available to Airtel customers. It also benefits the communities as they will have free access to mobile applications and services developed by UNICEF, such as eduTrac, mTrac and U-report.
Christian de Faria, Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Africa “our partnership with UNICEF provides an opportunity to deploy mHealth innovations that can support healthcare systems and provide helpful education-related information.”
The partnership covers 17 countries in Africa – in Eastern and Southern Africa: Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania, Rwanda, Seychelles Uganda Malawi, Madagascar, and Zambia; and in West and Central Africa: Chad, DRC, Congo, Gabon Burkina Faso, Congo, Gabon, Niger, Congo, Gabon Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
“Access to information is a basic human right, and is fundamental to UNICEF’s innovation agenda,” said Sharad Sapara, Director of UNICEF’s Innovation Centre based in Nairobi. “Without access to information children and young people are stifled and cannot make the right decisions on matters concerning them. By improving connectivity, this partnership has the potential to empower millions of African children and youth with information and opportunities to help them become agents of change in their societies.”
