In a quarter of a century, $1 billion invested in communities around the world
The Vodafone Foundation today celebrates 25 years of implementing digital technology which has enhanced people’s lives in areas of health, education and disaster relief in the UK and worldwide.
Over that time, Vodafone’s local foundations operating in 27 countries have invested a combined $1 billion in their communities and supported more than 2,500 organisations.
In the UK, the Foundation has supported thousands of Vodafone UK employees to raise millions of pounds for UK charities, via a company matched funding scheme, as well as investing almost £30 million in a range of innovative programmes and partnerships. These include the long term partnership with The Scout Association, launched in January 2016, providing a Digital Manifesto which will help empower hundreds of thousands of young people to make more of the opportunities to explore their digital potential.
Also, the Digital Parenting magazine, which is developed in partnership with parenting NGO Parent Zone, offers advice on how to help young people stay connected safely and manage their screen time constructively. Available to anyone, the fourth edition, published in September 2015, saw one million copies being distributed to schools, NGO’s, government bodies, children’s charities and other outlets. We have now distributed more than 3 million copies since 2009.
Meanwhile the My Tech Family initiative, which was devised and developed with Parent Zone, provides resources for UK primary schools to educate families about the digital world we live in and how they can explore the online world safely. More than 5,200 UK schools have registered for the programme since it was launched in 2014.
Also, JustTextGiving, launched in May 2011, is a partnership between the Vodafone Foundation, Vodafone UK and JustGiving to allow people to make free donations through their mobile phones. It has helped raise more than £37 million for thousands of UK charities, both large and small, with nearly 250,000 people having set up their own unique text codes to boost their fundraising efforts since launch.
TecSOS, an exclusive mobile technology launched by Vodafone in the UK in 2010 to provide victims of domestic violence with immediate connection to the Police, at the touch of a button, at all times of the day and night. More than 70% of UK Police forces have now implemented TecSOS.
Plus the World of Difference programme, which ran from 2009 to 2012, funded 1000 people from across the UK, including some Vodafone employees, to spend two months working for a charity of their choice.
Helen Lamprell, UK Trustee of the Vodafone Foundation, said: “The Vodafone Foundation has helped us and our employees to make a massive difference to the communities in which we live and work. Technology is playing an increasingly vital role in bringing communities together and we are thankful that the Foundation’s commitment to using technology for good remains as strong as ever. We look forward to building on our existing programmes and partnerships to deliver even greater benefits over the next 25 years.”
