Data released from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) office of Ghana indicates that globally more than 3,600 children die as a result of diarrhoea each year.
Country Director of UNICEF, Mrs. Rushnan Murtaza, disclosed this yesterday in Accra at the signing of the new partnership agreement between MTN Ghana and UNICEF Ghana to improve communicable-related diseases in the country.
The signing of the agreement between MTN and UNICEF was a renewed commitment of the two companies through the ‘Agoo’ platform to save more lives from contracting Ebola, diarrhoea and cholera diseases.
The AGOO platform is the result of a local partnership with MTN, the telecom operator with the largest market share in Ghana. UNICEF negotiated free access to all MTN users (by dialling a short code-5100), as well as access by all other mobile networks (by dialling 0540-118-999). In addition, 1 million free SMS were provided and a mobile money scheme, enabling MTN subscribers to donate minimal fees through SMS was agreed upon. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed to formalise the partnership.
According to Mrs. Murtaza, diarrhoea was one of the leading causes of deaths among children under five globally, adding that more than one in ten children dies due to diarrhoea. “Every year, three thousand six hundred children under the age of five years die because of diarrhoea related illness.
That is approximately ten young children a day. One new-born dies every 15 minutes,” she noted. She also noted that over 20 per cent of Ghanaians defecate in the open, a development, according to her, has led to serious health consequences not only for individuals, but also for their families and communities.
Mrs. Murtaza indicated UNICEF’s commitment to help MTN improve conditions for adolescent girls as well as encourage hand-washing practice in Ghana. She pointed out that MTN Ghana has been demonstrating its commitment to children and has partnered with UNICEF Ghana for the Agoo platform from 2015.
She noted that MTN Ghana and UNICEF have put enormous efforts to promote the Agoo platform, and stated that the two companies will ensure that Ghanaians continue to receive essential information through Agoo on health and social issues.
For his part, Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Ghana, Mr. Asher Khan, said the MTN and UNICEF partnership has afforded Ghanaians the opportunity to call and receive responses to their queries on Ebola and cholera epidemics. “One interesting aspect of this year is the addition of social protection to the already existing information on malaria, avian influenza, cholera, meningitis, Ebola and tuberculosis among others. Children and the youth can also benefit from tips on sanitation among others.”
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