Mastercard Celebrates Volunteer Week, Mentors Girls in Nigeria

As part of the Mastercard Global Volunteer week activities, staff in Lagos joined a Youth for Technology training session to help mentor students at the RiverBank School in Victoria Island.

The employees of the Mastercard Lagos office inspired the primary school children through real life recounts of their activities and experiences at work to the appreciation of the budding geeks.

Mastercard, known for its partnership with the Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF) – a nonprofit organization, included the group of girls in order to expose them to the latest trends in the field of technology.

Uche Ajuonuma, Nigerian country manager for YTF, guided the pupils through basic programming, using tools to create technology animations and games, the children were also introduced to 3D printing technology.

The Mastercard staff took turns to explain their job functions and how the company utilizes technology in improving the lives of people and communities. They also demonstrated the potential opportunities in technology and how it can positively impact so many lives.

Omokehinde Adebanjo, Mastercard’s vice president and area business head, West Africa, while demonstrating the importance of technology told the children that they live in a dynamic and fascinating world that is moving towards a future where every chosen career would have to depend on technology.

“When I was your age, I didn’t have access to the tools which you have at your disposal now. I think it’s great that you are being exposed to technology at this early age. Only those that adopt and infuse technology in their processes will remain relevant in the future,” Adebanjo said in order to inspire the girls who attended the day. She went further and told the students to dream big and not be limited by their circumstances.

“An important driver of employee engagement is the organization’s reputation in the community,” said Njideka Harry, YTF president and CEO. “YTF is proud to partner with Mastercard, a company truly committed to making a difference in communities where they do business and beyond.”

It was a session of fun and learning for the children as they asked interesting and illuminating questions and shared previous experiences and learnings. This all culminated with a hands-on session on design thinking, modeling and 3D printing.