After several months of screening over 2,400 entries received for Season III of MTN Heroes of Change, the airing of the final 10 projects started on Saturday, 4th March, 2017 in a 13-week series.
The activities of the top 10 heroes will be shared with the public in a 13 week TV series on GTV every Saturday at 5:30pm; Multi TV on Sundays at 5:00pm;TV3 on Sundays at 6:30pm; and GhOne on Sundays at 7:00pm. The activities of shortlisted projects cut across the three focus areas of MTN Foundation namely Health, Education and Economic Empowerment. The TV series will highlight the stories of the nominees whose selfless acts are positively impacting lives in their respective communities.
The final 10 nominees are Joseph Asakibeem, Dr. Michael Edusei-Nsowah, Genevieve Basigha, Ibrahim Bafara Alhassan, Nana Prof. Osei Darkwa III, Joana Deegbe, John Amankrah Essel. The others are Rev. Fr. Moses Asaah, Rev. Monsignor Alex Bobby Benson and Jack Dawson.
At the end of the 13 week TV series, an awards event will be organised during which the ultimate winner will be announced. The ultimate Hero of Change will receive GH¢100,000 to support his/her community project. Selected winners for the various categories will all be recognised with financial prizes. The remaining six finalists will also receive consolation prizes.
Commenting on Heroes of Change Season III, the Corporate Services Executive of MTN, Mrs. Cynthia Lumor, said “we launched the Heroes of Change project to celebrate ordinary people impacting society in an extra ordinary manner. We are looking forward to projecting their stories and to reward them for their selfless services.”
The criteria for selection was based on the following: the nomination for recognition in education is required to engage in an educational project aimed at improving literacy and enabling members of the community to become agents of social change while that for health is required to be devoted to awareness creation and advocacy for the eradication of any identifiable health issue. On economic empowerment, the nominee is required to be engaged in a project aimed at building the capacity of members of a community in order for them to become economically self-sufficient whilst enhancing their livelihood.
MTN Heroes of Change was first launched in July 2013 with the aim of identifying and recognizing selfless people who continue to sacrifice their time and resources to improve their communities and brighten lives. A plastic surgeon and Founder of Grafts Foundation, Dr. Abrokwa-Yenkyera, emerged the ultimate winner for the maiden edition of MTN Heroes of Change in 2014. Madam Paulina Opei, founder of the Save Our Lives Orphanage, emerged the Hero of Change for Season II.
The selection of winners’ projects is done by an independent panel of judges composed of Rev. Albert Ocran (Motivational Speaker), Dr. Doris Dartey (Communications Consultant), Mr. Mohammed Awal (Publisher) and Mr. Sydney Casely-Hayford (Economist).
MTN Heroes of Change has won several awards. The project was recently adjudged 2016 IPR Best Community Relations Programme of the Year and was also awarded CSR Program of the Year 2015 by the Head of State Awards (HoSA) Scheme.
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