Tower to Community - an exemplary sustainable CSR program
Launched in 2016, the 'Tower to Community' CSR Program has served around 8000 households across the country living near edotco Towers through the surplus electricity produced from its sustainable energy solutions for the telecom towers.
In the community of Hatiya, Sumona, a 12-year girl, tries her best to complete her assigned schoolwork at home. But once darkness falls, it becomes impossible for her to complete her studies since Sumona’s family cannot afford to recharge the lights or candles regularly so that she can continue her nighttime education. As a consequence, she has fallen far behind in her studies that attending school has become futile for her. It has become a common phenomenon in other villages, too, such as hers, where the lack of electricity makes it difficult for the entire community to complete their required work at night with no stable electricity.
Abul Karim, the proprietor of a small grocery store in a remote village in Ramu, has a similar challenge as he used to close his store at dusk because there were no streetlights to give him a sense of safety and security at night. The same is true for the other shopkeepers; the lack of electricity had become a major concern for the entire community and resulted in substantial financial losses over the years.
Besides the limited supply of electricity that these underserved communities face, access to clean drinking water is also a severe challenge for the rural coastal community. Let’s take the cases of Rahima Khatun from Satkhira and Halima Begum from Maheskhali as examples. Their struggles to get clean and safe drinking water lead them and the entire community to drink salty and contaminated water daily, causing various skin diseases and stomach ailments.
Throughout the years, the lack of stable electricity and access to clean drinking water has deprived a large number of underserved communities in Bangladesh of reaping the benefits of economic growth and also restrained them from their fundamental human rights.
edotco Bangladesh, a telecommunication infrastructure company, aims to connect the nation by providing sustainable telecom infrastructure solutions. As part of its commitment to national building connectivity, it is also working to connect underserved communities to national economic growth by enhancing the standard of living of underserved communities near its towers since its commencement.
Launched in 2016, the 'Tower to Power' and 'Tower to Water' initiatives under the 'Tower to Community' CSR Programme are intended to address the fundamental needs of the underserved community. This CSR Programme reaffirms edotco's dedication to bringing positive and sustainable changes to the community they serve. edotco's CSR initiatives are unique as it leverages its existing tower and power footprint by providing beyond connectivity and green solar energy for its various CSR initiatives. To date, over 8,000 underserved households across the nation have benefited from this unique CSR program.
In 2022, under the Tower to Power initiative, edotco Bangladesh launched the first CSR Solar Street Lamp project in Ramu and Kutubdia, Cox’s Bazaar, by harnessing solar energy from its Towers to benefit the community. The installation of Solar Street Lamps now enables locals to continue working and conducting business after sunset, thereby contributing to the economic growth of the community. In addition to enhancing the safety of children and women, the project facilitates their use of the streets at night. More than 2,800 people without access to the national grid now directly benefit from this Solar Street Lamp.
The 'Tower to Water' initiative aims to provide safe and clean drinking water to communities that struggle to obtain pure water due to a dearth of water sources. Approximately 5,000 households in underserved communities across the nation have benefited from this CSR initiative to date.
In 2020, edotco partnered with BRAC for the first time in accordance with the Social Entrepreneurship Model by establishing a Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and allowing the local community to operate it to ensure that everyone has access to safe drinking water.
Under the terms of the partnership, edotco contributed to the BRAC WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) Program to implement Safe Drinking Water projects to reach a larger community and increase the number of beneficiaries. The project aims to assist disadvantaged coastal communities where pure drinking water is scarce due to salinity. This project directly benefits around 1,500 families from the underserved communities of the Moheskhali and Satkhira districts.
The Tower to Community CSR program serves as a beacon of hope to the communities of underserved regions such as Jamalpur, Nilphamari, Hatiya, Ramu, Kutubdia, Shakhira, and Moheskahli. These regions were Jamalpur, Nilphamari, Hatiya, Ramu, Kutubdia, Shatira, and Moheskahli.
Numerous advantages of free electricity have led to the direct improvement of the community's standard of living. Now, students in the project areas can complete their homework at night and attend summer school without difficulty. Fishermen can charge their mobile phones and stay informed about the weather forecast; they can charge their phones and flashlights to communicate at night; women can perform their household chores with ease even after dark; families can consume safe drinking water; and local markets remain open after sunset, ensuring good business and economic growth in the project area. Access to electricity has significantly mitigated the difficulties these communities have faced over the years.
To achieve Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) in collaboration with the Bangladesh Government, edotco intends to continue implementing this sustainable CSR program in order to improve the lives of underprivileged communities. As a prerequisite for achieving Bangladesh's Digital Vision, the government pledges to include this marginalised community in the growth of the national economy, in addition to ensuring flawless network connectivity for all
