MTC touch celebrates mother and child days

mtc touch, the leading telecommunication operator in Lebanon and ZAIN affiliate, celebrated Mother’s Day at the Metropolitan Palace Hotel, gathering in a yearly rendezvous, mothers of mtc touch and the media to honor their fellow mothers of SOS Children’s Villages.

Across the years, SOS mothers have indeed proven to be worthy of appreciation as they have willingly dedicated their lives to raising their own children as well as those of the SOS Children’s Villages all over Lebanon, from which around 2,000 children benefit through the Family Support Program.

In her welcoming speech, Ghada Barakat, the Corporate Communication and Relations Manager at mtc touch, said: “we gather here today to honor the mothers of SOS Children’s Villages. They are an eminent symbol of generosity, love and tenderness”. She added: “Mothers in general set the example for their children to follow, as they have a big forgiving heart and a wise, knowledgeable judgment. SOS mothers have taken their role one step further, assuming the responsibility of raising children who long for a motherly attention and a healthy family environment allowing them to grow and develop. These mothers are on a noble mission that requires an endless ability to give and assist others. They are loyally fulfilling their roles, and for that, they surely deserve to be honored”.

In addition to celebrating mother’s day, mtc touch also remembered Child’s Day, offering 20 scholarships for SOS children in the southern village of Sferai. This new initiative aims at providing 20 SOS children - living with their alternative families at the village - with the financial support needed to fund their education within neighboring schools. The project’s value which amounts to 20,000 $ will cover the children’ school fees for one academic year.

From her end, Mrs. Afifa Dirany Arsanios- Chairman of the SOS Children’s Village, Lebanon - thanked mtc touch for their scholarships’ initiative, congratulating all attending mothers on this special occasion. Arsanios also explained the concept behind the SOS Children’s Villages, saying: “A mother is the only person capable of compensating the loss of a father or a family, as she enables children with the power and ability to confront the most difficult of circumstances. Children come to our villages for different reasons varying from a mother’s loss, to an incapable mother or a major family dysfunction. SOS mothers directly intervene to embrace these children, uniting them under one roof and providing them with a warm and secure home, a guarantee for their present and future rights”.

Arsanios concluded: “We insist on celebrating mother’s day every year. It is to us a gesture of gratitude that recognizes the noble role of SOS mothers which can be accurately described by Mr. Helmut Kutin - President of SOS Children’s Villages International – who was raised in the SOS village of Imst, in Tyrol – Austria. He says the role of an SOS mother, devotionally and passionately fulfilled towards children who are not her own, is the most beautiful and noble role ever. Yet, it remains the most difficult and hardest of all. That is why we can never repay an SOS mother for her deeds, no mater how much we try to honor her.

Worth mentioning that mtc touch’s Mother’s Day initiative is one of many similar social activities in which the company has previously engaged and plans on engaging in, in the near future, in respect to its 2009 Corporate Social Responsibility plan.

March 17,2009