Employees at MTN South Africa will be embarking on a drive to renovate a four-acre park and plant 2 000 trees at Ivory Park informal settlement to mark the start of 21 Days of Y’ello Care, MTN’s flagship staff volunteerism project.

21 Days of Y’ello Care is an annual event that runs from 1 – 21 June that sees MTN employees taking leave of their duties and investing their time and skills in helping those who are less fortunate.

‘Making a Positive Difference to the Environment’ is the campaign’s theme this year, in keeping with the United Nation’s declaration of 2011 as the International Year of Forests.
Says Robert Madzonga, MTN SA Chief Corporate Services Officer: “MTN is passionate about limiting its carbon footprint and where possible, encourages communities to do the same.  We just don’t pay lip service to sustainability, but our commitment to preserving the environment is prevalent in everything we do, from using wind and solar power to run base stations to investing in a methane powered plant to provide power to our head office.”

This year, MTN SA has partnered with Joburg City Parks to develop a much needed multipurpose park in an informal settlement in Ivory Park near Midrand. The park will provide much needed recreational facilities for both children and adults in this community. Children will further have a safe place to play to enhance their holistic development.

Both MTN and City Parks employees will be rolling their sleeves and getting their hands dirty as they undertake the mammoth task of developing a park that will benefit the community of Ivory Park.

MTN employees and executives will be planting trees, weeding, preparing the soil and laying the grass.
•    In Roodeport, MTN employees will be upgrading of facilities, and providing equipment for children and the Centre at Pathways in Roodepoort.

•    In the Western Cape, MTN employees will plant 150 indigenous and fruit trees in schools.

•    In Tableview, MTN Employees -will be taking care of and preserving sea birds on the coastal region by scrubbing pens and keeping centre clean and hygienic and assist in ICU

•    In East London in the Eastern Cape, MTN Employees -will assist with planting of new trees, help clean and upgrade existing areas where tress are planted

•    In Port Elizabeth (Nelson Mandela Metro), MTN staff will recycle all paper that has been collected in designated bins for recycling purposes, installing sensors in the office building to save electricity and reduce carbon footprint

•    In Limpopo, MTN employees will embark on a campaign of raising awareness about malaria, fumigating with insecticide and distribute mosquito nets. At primary school level, MTN Employees will assist with traffic awareness, paint pedestrian crossings and distribute stop signs and bibs for the scholars.

•    In Kwa-Zulu Natal, MTN volunteers will plant 1 000 trees, clean up litter and other waste.

•    In Kwa-Zulu, MTN Employees will pick up litter and other waste in rivers.

21 Days of Y’ello Care was instituted by the MTN Group President and CEO in 2007 to give all MTN employees an opportunity to contribute towards improving the welfare of their communities.

It has now become a prominent feature in MTN’s calendar, and is also one of MTN’s flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes driven by MTN Foundations in the mobile operator’s markets.

“With South Africa hosting the COP17 Climate Change global conference in Durban later this year, MTN’s tree-planting initiative as a theme could not have been more appropriate and relevant. It is through interventions like 21 Days of Y’ello Care that MTN is the most admired brand and leading corporate organization in the vast majority our markets,” says Madzonga.