CAPE TOWN - Global telecommunications group MTN on Tuesday said it has donated equipment to the Life Recovery Youth Centre in Randfontein outside of Johannesburg as part of MTN’s nationwide Mandela Day activation.
The equipment, consisting of a washing machine, a pool and table tennis table, hair clippers and food hampers, was donated to the centre offering treatment for substance abuse by MTN’s finance department, and it comes shortly after the MTN SA Foundation partnered with the Department of Social Development to hand over a 20-seater multimedia centre to the facility earlier this month, according to the group.
This was a flagship project of MTN’s 21 Days of Y’ello Care, the company’s employee volunteerism programme themed: Creating a brighter future for our youth.
“Following the intervention we have made earlier this year to equip this institution with ICT equipment, our colleagues in the Finance Department conducted a needs assessment and pooled resources to assist the organisation with equipment that will assist the institution to become more effective,” said Kusile Mtunzi-Hairwadzi, general manager of MTN SA Foundation.
She added that “this is part of our ongoing quest to brighten the lives of the communities we operate in and use our platforms and brand to make a positive difference in the communities we operate in”.
The multimedia centre includes an interactive white board and free Wi-Fi connectivity for 24 months. This equipment will enable the youth that are seeking treatment from the centre to gain computer skills and access the employment opportunities once they leave the centre.
Life Recovery Youth Centre has offered treatment to approximately 13,000 people since it was established in 2016. The centre accommodates about 350 patients at any given time and offers a combination of private therapy, closed group sessions, meetings, individual coaching sessions and outpatient treatment.