Accra, Feb. 28, GNA – The MTN Ghana Foundation has invited the public to nominate individuals who saved or touched lives during the COVID-19 pandemic for the Foundation’s Special Heroes of Change award.
“As we launch the 2022 edition of MTN Heroes of Change, we call on everyone to identify the people who went the extra mile to help their communities during the peak of the pandemic and nominate them for the reward,” Professor Franklyn Manu, the MTN Ghana Foundation Board Chairman said at the launch of the programme in Accra.
Prof. Manu said the 2022 edition would reward individuals and institutions that brightened the lives of people in the three focus areas of the Foundation – Health, Education and Economic Empowerment.
He directed that all nominations to be submitted should be COVID related, explaining that 10 heroes would be selected at the end of the season as winners.
Prof. Manu said in the area of Education, the Foundation would look out for individuals and organisations that showed innovation in educating people about COVID-19 or ensuring that students were kept meaningfully engaged/educated throughout the period of the pandemic.
For the Health category, individuals and organisations that showed leadership in providing for and supporting the effort to rid the country of the pandemic would be recognized, he said.
Economic Empowerment would also focus on individuals and organisations that showed leadership in providing economic support to people who had been negatively impacted by the pandemic.
People who want to nominate a hero can either complete and submit a nomination form, record and send a two-minute video nominating their heroes to WhatsApp number “0549767070” or simply write a letter to MTN Heroes of Change, P. O. Box AT 179, Achimota-Accra or drop it at any MTN Service Centre. Nominations end on April 7, 2022 at 11:59 hours.
The Board Chair noted that COVID-19 had reshaped how MTN Ghana Foundation implemented its activities and said the Foundation purchased personal protective equipment and PCR machines worth five million Cedis to the National COVID Trust Fund.
“We also provided essential equipment to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research to promote rapid testing and data processing and also donated 88,500 masks to 30 hospitals in all 16 regions,” he added.
Having provided varied forms of support to help fight the outbreak, Prof. Manu said the Board of the Foundation still saw the need to commit resources to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in the country, adding: “So, when the proposal for Heroes of Change Special Edition was presented, the Board did not hesitate in approving it.”
Giving highlights on the process, he said the 10 shortlisted projects would be filmed and featured in a 13-week television show and all 10 finalists would receive a cash prize of GHS 20,000, each, a certificate and a citation with visibility on TV and social media channels.
Mr Robert Kuzoe, Sustainability & Social Impact Senior Manager, said due to COVID-19, the MTN Heroes of Change was put on hold, while the Company commenced its 25th anniversary celebrations.
“Although COVID is still here with us, we decided to take the opportunity to reactivate this event before the anniversary is finally closed. We hope to identify some new opportunities and build on the successes of the previous editions,” he said.
GNA