Thursday 13 December 2018
C002D5556
Corporate Social Impact
The new Miss World is a volunteer!
V
anessa Ponce de Leon is a 26-yearold graduate of International Relations. On Saturday 8th December, in Hainan, China, she was crowned the new Miss World. What stands her out though is that she is not just talking about what good she’ll do as Miss World; she’s already fully
involved, volunteering for a rehab centre for girls in her native country, while also sitting on the Board of Directors of ‘Migrantes en el Camino’, a migrant shelter. The beautiful woman obviously has her heart in the right place. May her reign stay scandal-free and may she remain a positive role model for women and men everywhere.
Schneider gives girls Stem Boost
The Winning Team with Christophe Begat, Managing Director, Schneider Electric Anglophone West Africa
R
emember your wideeyed self at that secondary school excursion? Everything was outside of your familiar zone. And you soaked it all in. Well, Schneider Electric, in partnership with Visiola Foundation, has been working at giving girls a brand new experience in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as part of its commitment to developing local content as well as widening the pool of young women involved in these professions. The company did it not merely with an excursion but a one-week rigorous boot camp in Abuja as part of the STEM Girls 2018 Competition that took place in August. This year’s edition was fashioned to develop the girls’ technical skills in Solar Energy, IT and Robotics. Trust our brilliant girls to prove their mettle. Of the groups, the one comprising Aisha, Blessing, Memunat, Farida and Grace came up tops with their design and creation of a robot prototype able to collect and sort waste. When further developed, this will help improve the recycling
process and help enhance our environment. The winner girls were then given a 2-day tour of Schneider Electric in Lagos where they had interactive sessions with management and staff, a good number of whom were quality role models (female engineers, managers, etc.), to help boost the young ladies’ ambitions and blow the lid off any mental ceiling they might harbour. This was consonant with the statement by the company’s Marketing and Communication Manager, Vivian Mike-Eze: “At Schneider Electric, we see it as a responsibility to expose them to other women who are thriving in these areas, for them to know how limitless the possibilities are”. Great proposition! The partnership with Visiola Foundation is commendable as it delivers a world of good for the future of Nigeria’s young women. More Nigerian corporates need develop such partnerships with organisations that have the right impact skills they desire. We pray it’s sustained. Way to go!
BUSINESS DAY
43
Onuwa Lucky Joseph (08023314782) Editor.
Branson leads other philanthropists to launch $105M fund to eliminate Trachoma
A
frica is the continent most affected by Trachoma which according to the World Health Organisation is ‘responsible for the blindness or visual impairment of 1.9million people worldwide’. Its swathe of induced darkness cuts across Central and South America, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and of course Africa. And although it’s a bacterial disease which can be easily treated, blindness resulting from trachoma is irreversible. As you would imagine, the economic impact of trachoma is enormous, estimated at $2.9billion annually. It was at the Global Citizen Concert in Johannesburg on December 2, an event that celebrated the life and legacy of the great Nelson Mandela that the announcement was made by Sir Richard Branson. The concert which featured stars like Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran also had Nigerian music stars like Whizkid, Tiwa Savage and D’Banj wowing the crowd. However, Branson’s announcement via recorded video link really shined the light for many despairing folks in different parts of the world. According to Sightsavers, (a
The Late Sen. Ahmed Aruwa
group that’s working its vision of a world where no one is blind from avoidable causes), “Branson represents a collaboration of funders who are launching the Accelerate Trachoma Elimination Programme, which is led by Sightsavers and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), the ELMA Foundation UK, and Virgin Unite”. Sightsavers CEO, Caroline Harper said “It is now within our grasp to be part of history and stop trachoma in its tracks”. So may it be!
Femi Otedola lends a hand for Olaotan’s legs
F
emi Otedola needs no introduction, really. He is not just a billionaire, he’s also regularly seen with Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa. Deep calls unto deep, isn’t that what the scriptures say? Femi also happens to be the Chairman of Forte Oil (formerly African Petroleum, AP), and with a redoubtable presence in corporate corridors as well as corridors of power. The other actor in this storied story is Victor Olaotan, highly regarded for his acting craftsmanship. He’s done it all, on stage as well as on screen. He’s the lead actor (as Fred Ade Williams) in Tinsel, the popular Nigerian soap opera. On screen, he is dapper, suave, articulate and the spitting image of effortless old money. But reality is quite different. So when he was involved in an accident two years ago, he managed on his own strength for a period of time to take care of things, pay the hospital bills and other allied costs. But the accident left him crippled financially, and was threatening to leave him without his legs. A few of his colleagues had pitched in, as well as other public spirited folks. But his condition was not improving.
The Winning Team being given a tour of the workshop
Just when he was close to giving up hope, Mr Otedola shows up with this grand gesture of taking care of the bill (estimated at $50,000, but likely to be higher). Richard Mofe Damijo tweeted the heartening news: “So, a few days ago, I reached out to my friend @femiotedola asking for help for my friend and brother, Victor and just this morning, Femi calls to tell me that he would take care of ALL of Victor’s bills”. “He told me that he’s already on it and that his people are talking to Victor’s wife. Is God not awesome??
I can’t even contain my joy and gratitude”. We at CSI really like the concluding part of the Instagram message: “Thank you, Femi @femiotedola you’re a man and half, and thank you to my young friend, @gbenroajibade for championing this cause”. Clearly, Otedola has a lot of money, but he still he could have looked the other way and left his long suffering colleagues to scrounge forever for the hospital bills. The prayer is that Mr Olaotan makes full recovery and comes back intact, legs and all.