edotco Bangladesh, an integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company, has expanded its Tower to Community CSR program in healthcare by partnering with Footsteps Bangladesh.
The program will implement the Energize the Chain Bangladesh project; to ensure safe vaccination facilities for the underserved communities in Tala and Kalkini Upazilas of Satkhira district.
Observations indicate that two-to three-hour power outages occur daily in rural areas, causing the majority of vaccines to lose their efficacy due to inadequate storage facilities.
It exposes rural populations located far from local health facilities to the possibility of inadequate or no vaccination.
As a result, the community’s residents, particularly children, suffer from a variety of severe illnesses.
Since constant power backup is crucial in preserving the vaccines, edotco comes forward to provide power backup to the drug stores close to the edotco tower during grid failure to ensure that the vaccines are stored at the required temperature.
edotco Bangladesh has initially provided power backup to two refrigerators from two nearby edotco tower sites so that the refrigerators can continue functioning at the appropriate temperature and condition without any interruption.
The vaccine project will benefit more than 3,200 people living away from the local health complex.
The “Energize the Chain Bangladesh project” was inaugurated on Sunday by Subrata Roy Maitra, vice-chairman, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).
High officials from edotco Bangladesh and Footsteps joined the virtual inauguration ceremony.
In his inauguration speech, Subrata Roy Maitra, vice chairman, BTRC stated, “There is no substitute for vaccination in mitigating outbreaks of several preventable diseases. However, it is often difficult to provide this essential medical treatment to the inhabitants in marginal and distant locations due to a number of obstacles, such as inadequate equipment and a lack of electricity.”
“The effort to bring alternate electricity to disadvantaged communities by telecommunication infrastructure services firm edotco is both creative and sustainable. I hope the organization expands its positive activities and urges other partners in the telecommunication sector to take such effective steps for social development,” he said.
In this regard, edotco Bangladesh Country Manager Director Ricky Steyn stated: “To fulfil our social responsibility, we have designed our CSR program, Tower to Community, to prioritize the underserved communities in which we conduct business. As a follow-up, we have recently determined that improper vaccination management and administration due to inconsistent supply of electricity are prevalent in the country’s rural areas, which is one of the primary causes of the prevalence of various preventable diseases.”
“We believe that the backup power support provided by edotco towers will help improve the situation by preserving the vaccinations and increasing vaccination rates in the communities surrounding the project sites. Consequently, it will benefit the underserved communities in disease prevention and the nation to achieve SDG 3, which is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for people of all ages,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Shah Rafayat Chowdhury, co-founder, and president, Footsteps said: “This partnership with edotco, where we are extending power from cell towers to operate vaccine and medical refrigeration systems in health institutions, will pave the way for more innovative thinking on how we can use already established power infrastructures to address the most complex challenges when it comes to issues like public health, sanitation or even the environment”
Launched in 2016, the “Tower to Power” and “Tower to Water” initiatives of the ‘Tower to Community’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program are intended to address the fundamental needs of the underserved community. This CSR program reaffirms edotco’s commitment to bringing positive, long-lasting change to the communities they serve.
edotco’s CSR initiatives are unique because the company leverages its existing tower and power footprint to provide beyond connectivity and renewable solar energy for its various CSR initiatives.
This innovative CSR program has benefited over 8,000 underserved households across the nation.
