Digicel - Digicel Foundation

Digicel Foundation

Digicel and its shareholders set up the first of its foundations in Jamaica in 2004 - they have been actively involved in charitable work throughout the Caribbean funding projects in the area of Education, Sports & Culture, Environment and Special Needs as well as providing assistance after Hurricane Ivan devastated many of the islands, especially Grenada and the Cayman Islands.

To date the Digicel Foundation in Jamaica has allocated US$13 million to sustainable development community projects in the country. The Jamaica Foundation has established a programme called the Enrichment Initiative, which aims to assist in achieving the Millennium Development Goal of 100% literacy by 2015. In partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Enrichment Initiative has become a key intervention of the Government of Jamaica in addressing literacy at the primary school level and involves using technology and innovative teaching methods to identify and then provide one-on-one attention to children who present a learning challenge in Grades 1-3. With Enrichment Centres and Mobile Enrichment Carts in over 50 primary schools across the country, the students have shown an average movement of two (2) grade levels per year. The Foundation was awarded the 2011 American Chamber of Commerce Award for Corporate Social Responsibility as a result of the work it has and continues to do in education.

Digicel has also established Foundations in two of its other markets - Haiti and Papua New Guinea. In Haiti the Digicel Foundation built 20 primary schools in its first year. Digicel promised $5 million Aid to Haiti after an earthquake struck Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010. The company has been responsible for several major commitments to re-building Haiti, namely the complete restoration of the historic Iron Market and a commitment to build a new hotel to further encourage economic growth in the capital.

Digicel Foundation in Papua New Guinea is committed to community development through the sustainable building of Community Learning Centres (CLC) which provide education to children who would normally not have access to it by ensuring that there is proper infrastructure in place for the students to learn in a conducive environment. The PNG Foundation also provides mobile health clinics reaching the remote areas of the Highlands and has been instrumental in reducing the number of infant/mother related deaths in childbirth.