Foundation sets ambitious goal for year ahead

Caption:   (L) Foundation CEO Beatrice Mahuru and Chairman Richard Kassman.

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, September 28, 2014 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

UPON completing their goal of projects in all 89 districts in the country, Digicel PNG Foundation is now undertaking a new mammoth task of leaving a footprint in all 313 LLGs (Local Level Government) areas in the country.

The plans were revealed at the launch of the foundation’s annual report, where the foundation Chairman Richard Kassman said that they were trying to change some perception held by some that they were focus on areas they had towers in.

“The second part of our strategy which I think is very ambitious as the chairman- you know how we have 22 provinces, 89 districts, and 313 LLGs so that is the next part of our strategy to build in Health and education in the country in the all the LLGs we have not covered apart from our completed project areas,” Kassman said.

“We are not starting from zero as we have already got a lot of project is the LLGs within the 89 districts.”

“There are some who tend to have a perception that digicel tends to focus on where its towers are and that is not the case- we are focused to cover our country and we have hit 89 districts.”

“I dare say as a Papua New Guinean our government can learn a lot that with a focus strategy we can indeed hit all the areas in the country.”

He said it would be a massive footprint, but they were prepared to make it a more comprehensive outreach to be unprecedented in the country.

“Other agencies or foundations that work like us, particularly in the resource areas just cover the footprint around the project area,” he said.

“Whereas what stands and marks Digicel is the approach of covering the whole country, this is not just talk, we have succeeded that.”

Foundation CEO Beatrice Mahuru raised the bar for the foundation saying that all the LLG targets can be completed in a 10 year period, considering the amount and work in districts already covered.

“When you consider the 89 districts we have completed so far that has taken us 6 years, and in some LLGs we have already got some projects there already,” the CEO said.

“I would envision us covering the 313 districts as we are very ambitious in our program, we’ve said that we can deliver and we have the boards backing and funding behind us, I’d say 10 years to achieve that.”