Lilongwe, 10 April 2018 – Leading children’s organization UNICEF and mobile service provider TNM have signed a new partnership designed to harness the power of technology and innovation to advance children’s rights in Malawi. This includes collaboration on U-Report Malawi, a youth engagement tool launched in Lilongwe last week.

“At UNICEF, we believe in the power of technology and innovation to shape and change children’s lives for the better,” UNICEF Malawi Representative Johannes Wedenig said. “We have already pioneered the use of drones for humanitarian purposes. Now, working with TNM, we hope to use mobile technology for education and youth empowerment.”

Speaking on behalf of TNM, Acting Chief Executive Officer Eric Valentine said “TNM is happy to partner with UNICEF on this project which aims at enriching and changing the lives of Malawian youth. The youth are the future of this country and that is why TNM being a truly Malawian company is proud to use technology to advance the agenda for the rights of the youth in the quest to build the great nation Malawi”.

“TNM will support this campaign by providing connectivity that will allow the youth to raise issues that affect them in their daily lives by interacting with the U-Report platform”, he said.

U-Report Malawi is a free mobile-based tool for community participation, designed to address issues that young people care about. It includes regular opinion polls sent by SMS. Anyone can join U-Report by texting JOIN to 1177. Since the launch on 28 March, more than 1,000 people have already registered as U-Reporters.

TNM’s support for U-Report includes marketing and promotion through mass SMS broadcasts, events and social media. TNM will also promote U-Report during the TNM Super League. Spectators will be encouraged to join the platform, and well-known TNM football players will endorse U-Report.

The partnership will also include the forthcoming Internet of Good Things (IoGT), a set of tools and information made available to mobile phone users free of charge. IoGT helps to bridge the digital divide and connects the unconnected to information and tools that improve their lives. Topics include preventing diseases like cholera, HIV and malaria, sexual health advice for adolescents, Internet safety and positive parenting techniques.

Moving forward, UNICEF and TNM will also explore other areas of collaboration, such as bringing schools online through the use of 4.5 G technology. "This partnership enables UNICEF to expand our capacity to reach more young people in Malawi – especially in hard-to-reach areas and widen the window of opportunity for youth participation,” Johannes Wedenig added.  “We commend TNM for their support in improving the lives of Malawians across the country.”

About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org/malawi
Follow UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook

About TNM
Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) Company number 4029 was the pioneer mobile network in Malawi. Listed on the Malawi stock exchange, it was established in 1995 as a joint venture between Telekom Malaysia and the then government owned Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL), In April 2007 Telekom Malaysia sold its 60% majority stake in TNM. TNM is now wholly Malawian owned. Geographically TNM network covers over 74% of Malawi.

For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.tnm.co.mw/about
Follow UNICEF on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google Plus

Download a copy of this joint press release, audios for the quotes in the press release and pictures from the launch here: http://bit.ly/TNMUNICEF

For more information, please contact:

UNICEF
Charlie Hartono, U-Report Manager, UNICEF Malawi
Tel:  088 700 1177
Email: clie@unicef.org

TNM
Limbani Nsapato, Senior Manager (Public Relations)
Tel: 0888 8934 83
Email: limbani.nsapato@tnm.co.mw