UAE telecom sector donates Dh8m for the 'Echo of Silence'

Abu Dhabi: The UAE telecom sector - represented by etisalat, du, Yahsat and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) - has contributed Dh8 million to Ministry of Social Affairs' social responsibility fund to implement 'Echo of Silence' initiative.

The initiative was launched yesterday to mark the World Telecommunications and Information Society Day, which is being held under the theme 'Connecting people with special needs with ICT [information and communications technology] means'. The day is held every year on May 17.

All telecom sector institutes and corporations decided to work together to launch the 'Echo of Silence' that aims to connect people with special needs with communications means enabling them to interact with society productively.

The initiative also aims to bridge the digital gap for special needs people and ensure provision of advanced technologies to guarantee ease at work and the possibility to communicate with others.

Mariam Al Roumi, Minister of Social Affairs, said, "The main goal of the Ministry of Social Affairs is strengthening the principle of integration with the telecom sector in development projects and social welfare, where the social responsibility fund is one of the mechanisms of that important strategic objective."

Strategic integration

"Community integration with the private sector represents the concept of social solidarity, which in turn results in the development of the society. Hence, we highly appreciate this generous donation from the UAE telecom sector and hope to expand this strategic integration to become an example in the field of corporate social responsibility," she added.

"These kinds of initiatives are vital and powerful incentives for others, and contribute significantly to the spread the concept of integration," Al Roumi said.