Caption: Mondana community welcomes Digicel Foundation CEO Beatrice Mahuru and visitors: wife of Digicel Foundation Patron and Digicel Chairman, Denis O'Brien, Catherine O'Brien (in white); Head of DigicelFoundations, Maria Mulcahy (in black) and Digicel Foundation board member, Maria van der Vlies (in red)
By Matthew Vari
November Issue 2014 (CITIZEN PNG Magazine)
THEY came in to de-monopolize the mobile communication
industry at a time when only the Big Shots, politicians, and the well to do
were able to afford mobile communication services. Many were crying for a
change, and also there were those critics who were speaking of the direct
foreign investment as a loss of income out of the country.
Little did everyone know that the Digicel Group were committed
to planting roots deep within the country in terms of not only developing the
mobile communications sector, but also contributing to the development of the
people. That contributing social development push has been achieved through the
establishment of the Digicel PNG Foundation in 2008, 15 months after the mobile
company’s launche in PNG.
K42.5 million later over the six years since its inception
(K9.7 million in 2013-2014 year alone), the foundation has left a legacy of
supporting and empowering communities in the country, and also has left a trail
of classrooms, health set-ups and championed the promotion of gender equality
and support for disadvantaged groups in the country.
During the launch of their 2013 – 2014 Annual Report, the
foundation through its Board Chairman Richard Kassman and its CEO Beatrice
Mahuru, announced that the foundation has accomplished its aim for the
2013-2014 year of reaching all 89 districts in the country. The announcement
was also accompanied by setting of a new ambitious goal by the foundation,
which has now set its sights on reaching all 313 Local Level Government areas
in the entire country.
Ambitious as the idea sounds, Digicel Foundation’s has
achieved some of the most difficult of projects in some of the most remote of
places in the country- something both head’s of the foundation are serious and
passionate in doing. It also encourages responsibility and investment on the
part of the impacted communities, which is what Chairman Kassman pointed out, was
the success in building projects that were sustainable.
“Sustainability is a key criteria when we select a project we
make sure that the community supports the school- if the community does not
support the school then we won’t invest in it,” Mr Kassman said.
“In making sure the classrooms we build are made of steel
structures so they are very low in terms of maintenance is the number one
initiative that we make because we understand the issues of maintenance.”
“The ongoing repairs and maintenance and upkeep of the
classrooms remain with the village- we go back periodically annually when we
can and reward the schools if we see that the governance and the upkeep of the
school is in good condition.”
Mr Kassman pinned the success of the organization’s success
to the effective partnerships built over the years with churches, NGOs, and
that with Members of Parliament counter funding projects in their districts and
provinces.
“We wont go anywhere
without a partner, the secret to our success and being able to invest- money is
not the issue. The issue is finding good partners, developing good partners,
and developing the projects,” Kassman said.
“The churches are really key partners to Digicel Foundation
and we find we have more success with the churches than with government.”
“But the churches themselves have relationships with
provincial health departments so we are not working in isolation from the
provincial government.”
He also elaborated on the success if the year with the
success in partnering with Members of Parliament in delivering counter funded
projects, which he said was a milestone for the foundation. Describing the move
as a bold one, but also vital to ensure the foundation’s plans are not to
conflict with that of the MPs.
“We really learnt a lot when we started is our counterpart
funding program for projects with members of parliament,” the Chairman added.
“It was a courageous move on the part of the foundation but a
good and important and significant one where we chose to do counterpart funding
with our members of parliament.”
“We identify the programs under our education and health
programs, and we work with the Member of Parliament in a co-funding
arrangement.”
“Some of them even support us with logistics which is a very
high cost in our country to ensure that we can deliver those projects.”
He encouraged other MPs to get in touch with the successful
program. A program that would ensure that they can deliver and ensure their
projects are delivered with both high quality well within a reasonable and
respectful budget, as well as ensuring the sustainability through our relationship
with the communities where we work in partnership.
When asked how achievable the 313 LLG goal will be for the
foundation moving forward- Foundation CEO, Beatrice Mahuru was optimistic of
reaching the outcome.
“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, I would envision us covering the 313 district 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,” Mahuru said.
“Why I say this is that when we work of projects we work
within a province’s districts before we move to the next province.”
“We have all of them covered now but within them are the LLGs
most of which are so remote so we have to work from one area and move to the
others, rather than stretching ourselves.”
With 74
classrooms, 32 schools, 6 mobile health clinics, graduated 40 Community Based
Teacher, 1800 people from our marginalized communities in its Community
Learning and Skills Program. The other successful program is the Community
Based Rehabilitation Program where they have been able to pilot in three
communities. Collectively all it’s efforts have directly impacted over 300,000
people across PNG through remote communities.
The Digicel PNG foundation has grown with the company in the
country, however the difference with the foundation that stands out is that it
has not only impacted areas where the Digicel’s signal penetrates but has gone
to areas where they company has not yet set foot in, changing the lives and
futures of people all over the country.
Thank you for this piece in your blog. I just came across it. Im no longer with Digicel Foundation, but i just wantes to say thank you 🙏🏽
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