Vodafone and Zoomlion emboldens lives through SONSOL project

The Head of the Vodafone Ghana Foundation, Rev Amaris Nana Agyei Pebi and the Cooperate Affairs and Communications manager for Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Ema Achia Boakye says their inclusion in the “Support One Needy Student with One Laptop (SONSOL)” project is to embolden the lives of students to be up with the virtual method of education.

The project initiated by the Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson to support a needy student with a laptop to pursue their University education happened on Friday, February 26, 2021, and laptops valued at ¢2.96 million were donated to 593 brilliant but needy students.

Corporate organisations such as Vodafone Ghana, ABSA Bank, Stanbic Bank, SIC, Zoomlion (Jospong Group), Tobinco Group of Companies and CBG plus other stakeholders and philanthropists played a role in acquiring the computers.

Speaking to Rev Amaris Nana Agyei Pebi, he outlined that Vodafone Ghana Limited is always willing to serve communities especially in the area of education to transform lives. He expressed that the call by the Vice-Chancellor "fell within the company’s pillars" hence their decision to provide 200 laptops to support the course.

“At Vodafone Ghana Foundation and Vodafone Ghana, we hold high esteem, education, health and having digital inclusion in our societies. So during the call by the Vice-Chancellor, we deemed it necessary that it is very crucial for us to come to aid this call.

"We are here today, again, at KNUST to make this donation of these 200 laptops to ensure that we have included for all that says the priority and also the premise for which we exist.

"We expect the beneficiaries to take very good care of these materials or these items. We want to ensure that each and every one of them who have not been able to join the class as the vice-chancellor expressed will be able to also join online or virtually also experience the class that is going on.

“We expect them to take very good care of their laptops and also ensure that as we've been embossed it not for sale they wouldn't go to trade them and that it will go a long way to make that necessary impacts that Vodafone Ghana foundation expects of it to make.”

The Cooperate Affairs and Communications manager for Zoomlion Ghana, Ema Achia Boakye outlined that Zoomlion Ghana Limited is about improving the lives of people in the environment and education is a key contributor hence their interest in donating 50 laptops.

“The mission of the group, the bigger group that is Jospong group is improving lives.

“So we realize that by doing this, we'll be improving the lives of the beneficiaries of the social project. Having heard the stories you realize that receiving a laptop for free, is a whole change world for each of them.

“And we know that by getting these laptops, and they put in the effort to study hard, will change their environment, and the environment of the people that relate around their circle of influence in the very near future. That is the main reason why we are here. We gave 50, and we have promised to continue going forward.

She advised beneficiaries to make good use of the machines for a better result in the future.

“I expect that every beneficiary of this project will learn hard because when listening to their stories you realize that they have the edge to do great things. But they had constraints. So if someone has sacrificed to provide for you, all you can do is to learn hard.”

The beneficiaries acknowledged the good done to them.