edotco Group SdnBhd (“edotco”), the region’s end-to-end integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company,is improving the lives of over 3,500 people in the rural areas of Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Malaysia through its Tower to Community (T2C) programme. Going beyond its core purpose of enabling connectivity, edotco channels excess electricity from its towersto power up homes and services for communities living in nearby areas. This surplus energy is derived from a combination of renewable energy sources and diesel generators equipped at each site. “edotco believes that it has a purpose beyond being a telecommunications provider. We seek to also improve the lives of communities living close to our towers. We work hand-in-hand with a wide-range of stakeholders as partners in a number of initiatives. The consider ableimpact from our T2C initiatives are a testament of our commitment to deliver excellence even in areas outside our business priorities.Whether it is to power homes, medical facilities, schools or places of worship, we strive to improve the quality of lives for those living nearby our towers,” said edotco Group’s Chief Executive Officer, Suresh Sidhu. Must Read: Realme XT Finally Coming to Pakistan taking camera wars to new heights While access to electricity for the larger population in Bangladesh and Myanmar have been rising with electrification rates at 88% and 70% respectively in 2017[1],there are still pockets of communities that are not connected to the national grid.These segments struggle to meet basic needs and comfort asreliable and affordable access to electricity continues to be a challenge. Against this backdrop, edotco’sT2C programme was launched in 2016 as one of its key initiatives to address the unmet needs of people living nearby its towers. Today, there are a total of 32 sites across Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Malaysia that are bringing a positive impact in communities. Since its inception, this initiative has enhanced the lives at home for school children and their families by generating electricity to power 1,020 houses in over 26 locations in Bangladesh. To improvethe living conditions of these communities, edotco has also extended its initiative by installing solar-powered water pumps to ensure over 30 families in villages located in JadurHaat and Nilphamarihave access to clean and safe drinking water. The initiative also powers up one hospital, 30 mosques and 28 schools in Bangladesh. Addressing a different need in Myanmar, the T2C initiative tends to the limited healthcare access in remote communities bypowering up refrigeration systems to maintain the cold chain to store Hepatitis B, BCG, Measles, and Oral polio vaccination for over 2,000 families in rural hard to reach areas. Similarly, in Malaysia,the T2C project provides a reliable source of energy to power the refrigeration system and bi-monthly operation of an Orang Asli community clinic inthe remote areas of Cameron Highlands. “We place great emphasis on making a positive impact in the communities in which we operate.At edotco,we believe that you are only as good as what you give back to society. That is why we strive to lead by example and ensureour operations are handled responsibly and sustainably,” added Suresh. In addition to its community enrichment projects, edotco also focuses on sustainability – a core principle that guides its overall business operations by ensuring its modern-day telecommunications infrastructure solutions are increasingly environmentally friendly.
Two Pakistanis amongst 16 international young leaders to reduce inequalities in health using digital solutions
Telenor Group today announced the sixteen delegates who have been selected for the 2018-2019 Telenor Youth Forum, in cooperation with the Nobel Peace Center. This year’s delegation will take on a mission to address inequalities in health through the use of digital technology. Human health and related areas, such as access to healthcare and information, and fighting hunger and thirst, continue to top the lists of national and regional development agendas and dialogues. Most recently at the 2018 United Nations General Assembly, non-communicable diseases and universal health care were key topics on the agenda. Health’s omnipresence as a topic and its direct relationship with development, societal empowerment and human equality is why the Telenor Youth Forum has selected it as this year’s theme and focus. The 16 Telenor Youth Forum delegates for the 2018-2019programmeareaccomplished young leaders in the markets where Telenor operates. They were selected from a talent pool of more than 5,000 applicants, coming from Bangladesh, Denmark, Malaysia, Myanmar, Norway, Pakistan, Sweden and Thailand. From December 2018 to May 2019, the delegates will be challenged to develop solutions that combat inequalities in health from all angles. The two delegates selected to represent Pakistan include MaiedaJanjua and AsmaLadak. Maieda, a graduate from Dartmouth College with a degree in Computer Science, has dabbled in digital marketing for a travel-tech startup in Latin America, managed business projects for a global education and travel company, worked in product development at an international telco, and, most recently, recruited for a fin-tech startup in Boston. A strong believer in the role technology can play in transforming lives and reducing inequalities, Maieda hopes to get her MBA and continue working at the intersection of tech and social impact. Asma, on the other hand, has worked for a variety of national and international leadership and innovation programs including Global Entrepreneurs and The Yale Global Scholars program. A medical student from Aga Khan University, Asma is enthusiastic about the important part that technology and innovation can play in changing the landscape of healthcare. Must Read: Jazz offers discounts with Booking.com “Whether it’s being better able to care for our elders or ensuring healthcareaccess and information for low-income and rural citizens, we all have a lot to gain by bridging health with technology. And who better to contribute to this effort than the 16 youth selected for the Telenor Youth Forum this year?” said Sigve Brekke, Telenor Group President and CEO. “Reducing inequalities in health and in access to health services are integral to building a more promising, more peaceful future. Mobile networks and technology can play a vital role,” he added. Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO Telenor Pakistan, further added, “TYF is an amazing opportunity for our youth to collaborate and develop solutions that really impact people’s lives across the globe. We firmly believe that our youth is dedicated, passionate and essential for shaping a better future, and through TYF, we are giving them a platform to join our pursuit of empowering societies. We have high hopes from all the young delegates participating in Telenor Youth Forum and as always, we are expecting to see some really innovative ideas being presented.” The Telenor Youth Forum exists to give a global platform to passionate youth who want to effect change in the world – and to connect them with the resources and expertise needed to develop sustainable, digital solutions to urgent social challenges. In this year’s programme, the delegation will be divided into four teams, each posed a unique health-related challenge to be announced at the Telenor Youth Forum kick-off in December. To guide the teams from challenge assignment to solution proposal, the following experts at Telenor Group will provide each of the teams coaching and mentorship for the extent of the six-month programme: Ieva Martinkenaite, VP of Telenor Research; Member of AI High Level Expert Groupof EU Alanna Solberg, Head of Marketing for e-Health; Telenor Norway Austin Menyasz, Director of Public and Regulatory Affairs; Telenor Group, Region Asia Bjørn Taale Sandberg, SVP and Head of Telenor Research The four teams will be scored throughout the programmebased on concept proposals in Oslo in December, on progress between Oslo and the forum’s finale in Bangkok in May 2019 as well as on their final pitch at the finale. The winning team will be awarded NOK 100,000 to further develop their solutions. The four teams’ challenges, journey and their final concepts are then featured in a digital exhibition, sponsored by Telenor Youth Forum and the programme’s partners at the Nobel Peace Center. “Every year, the Nobel Peace Center is pleased to partner with Telenor on this programme because we share a vision of a more peaceful future. We believe that mobilising bright young minds helps us pave the path toward that future,” said Liv Tørres, Executive Director of the Nobel Peace Center. “The technology and connectivity available to the world today makes it possible for all to contribute, and we think youth have the most at stake in starting this change.” A digital message in a bottle Last year’s winning team, AGNCY, created a whistleblowing platform where workers can file reports to local and international labourorganisations. Their challenge was to develop a digital solution that reduces inequalities in working conditions. Their idea was to secure anonymous and verifiable reports of violations in workers’ rights and safety via smartphone from the workers themselves. The team is now building a prototype for their platform. AGNCY’s idea is presented in a multimedia digital exhibition at www.tyfexhibition.com. Their digital exhibition has also been on display in person at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo. About the Telenor Youth Forum The Telenor Youth Forum is a global platform that is built upon the idea of engaging bright young minds to reduce inequalities. Young leaders from Telenor Group’s eight markets in Scandinavia and Asia are recruited to tackle global, social challenges connected to the Sustainable Development Goals. With physical gatherings in Oslo and in Bangkok, the Telenor Youth Forum is a six-month journey with concrete deliverables such the
Google launches new search experience for job seekers in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
Google has unveiled a new search experience making it easier for job seekers in the region to find employment opportunities from popular job listing websites, online classifieds and companies. The new feature is built directly into Google Search to provide a comprehensive listing of jobs across the web. At launch, job search will have hundreds of thousands of job listings from thousands of sites, including Mustakbil.com, PaperPK.com, Bikroy.com, Ikman.lk and Xpressjobs.lk. Job seekers can now search for “part-time jobs,” “software developer jobs” or similar unique job-seeking queries, to pull out a special module that can be expanded to a more immersive experience. Clicking on any job in this listing opens an at-a-glance view of comprehensive information about the posting such as job title, location, whether it is full-time or part-time, and several other important details – from summaries and links to reviews and ratings of the employer by trusted sources, to the commute between the workplace and home. The feature will then direct people to the job listing page on the respective website to learn more information or submit their application. Must Read: LG Electronics Ai-Enabled ThinQ Devices Take Top Honors Built to work both on mobile and desktop, job search comes equipped with a number of tools, making it easier for job seekers to find opportunities that fit their unique needs. With smart filters for categories such as job type, location, posting date, or company type, people can get customized results with a couple of taps. Job listings can also be saved or shared with friends and colleagues, and people can sign up for alerts to receive notifications when relevant new listings are posted for those searches. To help the larger ecosystem of job providers, Google has released open documentation, which will assist organizations big and small to make their job openings discoverable on the new search experience, using open structured schema.org web markup standards that Google supports. Businesses can benefit from the new experience by making their job listings more discoverable on Google, creating a win-win situation for both job-seekers and employers. The Search experience is available in English on the Google app on Android and iOS, and in Google Search on desktop and mobile.
