Millicom Foundation launches to support digital innovators in emerging markets
Trustees include Peter Eigen, Founder of Transparency International and Ory Okolloh, the Kenyan activist and Founder of the Ushahidi platform
Wednesday 29 October 2014 – International telecoms and media company Millicom launches the Millicom Foundation today. The independent foundation will support local digital innovators to build a movement of digital changemakers across Latin America and Africa.
In addition to its annual $10 million budget, the Millicom Foundation will support social innovators with business advice, technological support and mentoring from Millicom’s employees. Led by Executive Director and social entrepreneur Till Behnke, the Foundation will identify innovative ideas and solutions through the Digital Changemakers Award running initially in eleven of its African and Latin American markets.
To mark the launch, new Millicom Foundation Trustees Peter Eigen (Founder of Transparency International) and Ory Okolloh (Founder of Ushahidi and now Director of Investments for Omidyar Network’s Government Transparency initiative in Africa) will participate in a Google Hangout discussion with Paraguay’s on-the-ground project manager, Camila Varela Paciello.
Media are invited to watch the discussion live starting at 13:00 GMT today.
Millicom CEO Hans-Holger Albrecht said: “This independent foundation is a part of our commitment to create a digital lifestyle for everyone. It will do more than just provide cash for ambitious social startups– it will support digital innovators to grow their ideas and scale them across markets.”
Ory Okolloh commented: “What makes this initiative different from other corporate CSR programmes is that there is a genuine desire to move beyond just awarding prizes to start-ups. The Millicom Foundation wants to see the entrepreneurs through to success and allow them to scale their businesses.”
Peter Eigen said: “Technology is critical to the promotion of open societies in Africa and Latin America. The social innovators supported by the Millicom Foundation will empower people on both continents.”
Millicom has an impressive track record of bringing local ideas to life in Latin America and Africa. In Tanzania, Millicom worked alongside UNICEF and the local community to establish a mobile registration system for new born babies. In Paraguay, Millicom rolled out its telecentros scheme to bring digital tools to children in schools.
For further information go to http://millicom-foundation.org/en/ or please contact:
at The Millicom Foundation: Till Behnke on +44 4826 930399 or foundation@millicom.com
at Millicom: Julian Eccles on +44 7720 409374 or press@millicom.com
Notes to Editors
About the Millicom Foundation
The Millicom Foundation is building a movement of digital changemakers by enabling societies with digital tools. Working in Africa and Latin America, its work identifies local ideas to solve local challenges. The Foundation’s programmes work with social innovators to make these ideas become a reality. It will go beyond its annual US $10 million total spend to support social innovators with mentoring, training and continued support from Millicom experts and its partners. The Foundation then scales the best ideas to provide effective solutions across Africa and Latin America.
The Foundation’s Digital Changemakers Award will be run in six African countries (Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal and Tanzania) and seven Latin American countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Paraguay).
The Foundation is a UK registered charity.
About Millicom
Millicom is a leading international telecommunications and media company dedicated to emerging markets in Latin America and Africa. Operating in fourteen countries, primarily using the Tigo brand, Millicom offers innovative and customer-centric products. Millicom employs more than 16,000 people and provides mobile, cable, broadband, TV content, online and financial services to over 50 million customers. Founded in 1990, Millicom is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm under the symbol MIC. In 2013 Millicom generated revenue of $5.16 billion and EBITDA of $1.9 billion.
About the Google Hangout
A Google Hangout panel discussion, “The new breed of social innovators: How can entrepreneurs use digital tools to scale impact?”, including a brief introduction from Millicom CEO Hans-Holger Albrecht will take place from 13:00 – 14:00 GMT on 29 October 2014. Media are invited to submit questions via Google+ and Twitter using the hashtag #MillicomFdn
The panellists will be:
- Ory Okolloh is the Director of Investments for Omidyar Network’s Government Transparency initiative in Africa. She previously worked as Google Policy Manager for Africa and co-founded open-source software company Ushahidi. As a prominent figure on social media, Ory frequently speaks at conferences including TED, World Economic Forum and Mobile Web Africa. She also co-founded Mzalendo, a website that tracks the performance of Kenyan Members of Parliament.
- Peter Eigen is the founder of Transparency International, an NGO founded in 1993 that works to combat corruption by promoting accountability to international companies. Trained as a lawyer, Peter previously worked in economic development for 25 years, mainly with the World Bank in Africa and Latin America. Since 2007, Peter has been a member of the Africa Progress Panel, using his years of experience to advocate for equitable and sustainable development in Africa.
- Camila Varela Paciello is a Manager in the Communication and Corporate Responsibility Department at Tigo Paraguay. She has played a pivotal role in the roll out of 100 pop-up digital classrooms known locally as “telecentros” to enhance access to digital tools for the country’s children.
- Till Behnke is a social entrepreneur and Executive Director of the Millicom Foundation. Prior to his appointment at the Millicom Foundation, Till founded betterplace.org, a German online donation platform working since 2007 with non-profit organisations supporting 10,000 projects in over 145 countries and advising companies on corporate responsibility.
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