Airtel Touching Lives….Changing the fortune of Nigerians in Need

Nigeria’s telecom giant, Airtel, in its current revolutionary CSR TV series that is focused on empowering underprivileged individuals, communities and groups in the society, Airtel Touching lives, has further empowered hapless Nigerians in the country, this time, in the Eastern part of Nigeria.

This good gesture is in line with the telcos’ aim of celebrating individuals and projects that are making a change in the lives of people around them.

Miss Dorathy Onyemillmma and the Living Hope Organisation in Imo state were the beneficiaries in episode 11 of Airtel Touching lives.

Dorathy Onyemillmma in 2011 was so dillussioned and hopeless because she couldn’t get anybody to help her and she had aged parents and siblings to take care.

She left her hometown Awka, Anambra state in search of greener pastures to Imo state.

After searching for several jobs with no success, she took recourse back to what she had initially learnt back home; the art of snack making.

Starting off on this trade was also difficult because of low capital and financial demands from the home front.

As a single lady, Dorothy was also saddled with accommodation problem but eventually found abode in her widowed relative in Imo.

That in itself provided another huge challenge as her sister, with three school age sons, had no means of livelihood Despite her poor living conditions, Dorathy is determined to help send her sister’s children to school with the proceeds she makes from her snacks.

She believes that her nephews are gifted and took it upon herself to educate them from the meager revenue from her petty snack trade.

Dorathy who says she rarely laughs due to her gloomy life, was lucky enough to be nominated in the Airtel Touching Lives project.

For her soul rendering situation, Airtel decided to make her laugh by taking her case up and changed her fortune.

Airtel provided her with one electric frying pan, a medium sized deep freezer, three large cooking pots, a microwave, a gas cooker and a 4.5kva generator set.

Dorathy and her nephew were ecstatic and thanked Airtel for touching their lives.

In that same episode, Airtel Nigeria came to the need of members of the Living Hope Organization, a Non Government organization that propagates safe sex and cares for victims of HIV/Aids in Abia State.

Jude Munaonye, the founder of Living Hope organization tested positive to HIV/AIDS in 1999. Despite the harsh treatment from family and friends, criticisms and stigmatization, Jude cultivated positive attitude to life.

He publicly declared his HIV status and dedicates his life to helping other victims and also educates the society in order to prevent further spread of the dreaded disease, having realized that there were lots of people living with that condition.

So with the help of his blind wife, he set up the Living Hope organization to assist people with HIV and their families with access to information in order to live quality life.

At the Living Hope organization, members engage in experience sharing and provide psycho-social support to each other.

With his foundation, he has inspired the start of 25 other HIV support groups in Abia and other states. However, the organization which is situated in an uncompleted building is faced with financial challenges.

Airtel came to the help of the organization by giving them: 50 plastic chairs, 2 desktop computers, a 32” LED television set and renovated the organization’s building.

Jude and his team of management staff were overwhelmed with joy and thanked Airtel Nigeria profusely for helping them to fulfill their dreams and making a change in their lives.

The program is aired every Sunday on DSTV Channel 154 at 8pm while repeat show airs on Thursday on DSTV Channel 154 at 8.00pm and Saturday, on NTA Network by 8:05pm. Viewers can also watch past episodes on http://www.airteltouchinglives.com/

 
 Alexandra Bazuaye, works with CMC Connect Burson-Marsteller