Nokia is helping Africa also by other activities than only mobile...

This Press Release went out today, so I like to share it with
W3C MW4D Group as well. Br. Lauri

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NOKIA PRESS RELEASE December 4, 2008

Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks and Save the Children Finland in
Partnership to provide water, sanitation and health education to Alaba
Special Woreda


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

Received on Thursday, 4 December 2008 10:00:18 UTC