RCS - Vodafone Group Plc - MO SALAH TO BE VODAFONE & UNHCR SCHOOLS AMBASSADOR

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25/02/2020 07:00

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RNS Number : 9629D  Vodafone Group Plc  25 February 2020

25 February 2020

 

MOHAMED SALAH JOINS UP WITH VODAFONE FOUNDATION AND UNHCR AS FIRST INSTANT
NETWORK SCHOOLS AMBASSADOR

·    Footballer becomes Ambassador for school programme that aims to give
a quality education to 500,000 refugee and host country students by 2025.

·    20 new Instant Network Schools will be launched this year as the
programme prepares to enter Egypt for the first time.

 

Mohamed Salah has become the first Ambassador for Instant Network Schools -
which connect refugee and host country students to a quality digital education
- as the programme prepares to expand into his home country of Egypt for the
first time.

 

Instant Network Schools was set up in 2013 by Vodafone Foundation and UNHCR,
the UN Refugee Agency, to give young refugees, host communities and their
teachers access to digital learning content and the internet, improving the
quality of education in some of the most marginalised communities in Africa.

 

To date, the programme has benefited over 86,500 students and 1,000 teachers
ensuring that refugees and children from the communities that host them have
access to accredited, quality, and relevant learning opportunities.

 

There are 36 Instant Network Schools currently operating across eight refugee
camps in Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

 

Vodafone Foundation and UNHCR are jointly investing €26 million to expand
the programme to benefit 500,000 refugee and host community students and
10,000 teachers.

 

By 2025, 255 new Instant Network Schools will be opened, including 20 schools
planned this year.

 

Mr Salah will visit some of the schools supported by the programme and will
help to raise awareness of the need and importance of quality education for
refugee children and for more investment in digital technology that provides a
connection to the outside world and gives students a chance to shape their own
futures.

 

Mohamed Salah said:  "I'm partnering with Vodafone Foundation and UNHCR to
close the gap between the education available to refugees and their peers
living in settled communities. Instant Network Schools is an important
initiative that I am proud to represent which is transforming learning for a
generation of young people across sub-Saharan Africa and soon also in my home
country, Egypt."

 

Andrew Dunnett, Vodafone's Group Director of Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), Sustainable Business and Foundations, said:  "Over 50% of the world's
70.8 million displaced people are children and they can spend their entire
schooling in refugee camps with limited access to a quality education. Mohamed
Salah shares our passion about the importance of education as a pivotal
building block for personal and societal development and will help us to
promote and expand the Instant Network Schools programme."

 

Dominique Hyde, UNHCR's Director of External Relations said: "We are very
proud of our long-term partnership with the Vodafone Foundation, and we are
delighted to welcome Mohamed Salah as Ambassador of UNHCR and Vodafone's
Instant Network Schools programme. On and off the football field, Mohamed is a
positive and inspirational role model for youth all around the world. His
optimism and passion perfectly align with the Instant Network Schools
programme. Connected education brings hope to refugee youth, giving them the
inspiration, motivation and opportunity to achieve a better future."

 

Mr Salah, who was named by Time Magazine in 2019 as one of the 100 most
influential people in the world, is well known for his philanthropy in a range
of areas including education.

 

Mr Salah has been a brand ambassador for Vodafone Egypt since the end of 2017
and has fronted the company's brand advertising campaigns ever since.  In
2018, Vodafone Egypt launched the 'Mo Salah World' promotional price plan
which offered customers 11 free voice minutes every time he scored a goal.

 

Instant Network Schools

An Instant Network School transforms an existing classroom into an online hub
for learning, complete with internet connectivity, sustainable solar power and
a robust teacher training programme.

 

At the heart of an Instant Network School is technology provided by Vodafone
Foundation, the Instant Classroom, a digital 'school in a box' that can be set
up in a matter of minutes. It includes:

 

·    25 tablets for students;

·    1 laptop for the teacher;

·    1 projector;

·    1 speaker;

·    1 4G connectivity/Wi-Fi router to connect to the internet;

·    in built solar charging for the tablets and laptops;

·    cables; and

·    a library of digital educational resources.

 

A recent evaluation of the existing programme over one year showed a positive
impact on learning outcomes, including an increase in informational
communications technology (ICT) literacy of 61% for students and 125% for
teachers, improved confidence, motivation and academic performance by
students. Wider analysis shows higher levels of school attendance, with
examples of young people accessing tertiary education from within refugee
camps for the first time.

 

Vodafone is UNHCR's largest corporate partner for Connected Education,
supporting the delivery of the United Nations SDG number four (ensure
inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all) and 17 (strengthen the means of implementation and
revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development).

 

- ends -

 

For further information:

 

Vodafone Group

 Media Relations                                                         Investor Relations
 www.vodafone.com/media/contact (http://www.vodafone.com/media/contact)  ir@vodafone.co.uk (mailto:ir@vodafone.co.uk)

 

 

About Vodafone Group

Vodafone Group is one of the world's leading telecoms and technology service
providers. We have extensive experience in connectivity, convergence and the
Internet of Things, as well as championing mobile financial services and
digital transformation in emerging markets.

 

Vodafone Group has mobile operations in 24 countries, partners with mobile
networks in 42 more, and fixed broadband operations in 19 markets. As of 31
December 2019, Vodafone Group had approximately 625 million mobile customers,
27 million fixed broadband customers and 22 million TV customers, including
all of the customers in Vodafone's joint ventures and associates. For more
information, please visit: www.vodafone.com (http://www.vodafone.com) .

 

About Vodafone Foundation

Vodafone Foundation is at the centre of a network of global and local social
investment programmes. Vodafone Foundation's Connecting for Good programme
combines charitable giving and technology to make a difference in the world.
Vodafone Foundation is an independent UK registered charity, registered
charity number 1089625.

 

About UNHCR

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organisation dedicated to saving
lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to
flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We deliver life-saving
assistance like shelter, food and water, help safeguard fundamental human
rights, and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call
home. We work in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care
for millions of people.

 

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