Press Release | 04 May 2016

VODAFONE FOUNDATION CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF CONNECTING FOR GOOD IN THE UK

The Vodafone Foundation today celebrates 25 years of implementing digital technology which has enhanced people’s lives in areas of health, education and disaster relief in the UK and worldwide.

Over that time, Vodafone’s local foundations operating in 27 countries have invested a combined $1 billion in their communities and supported more than 2,500 organisations.

In the UK, the Foundation has supported thousands of Vodafone UK employees to raise millions of pounds for UK charities, via a company matched funding scheme, as well as investing almost £30 million in a range of innovative programmes and partnerships such as:

  • The long term partnership with The Scout Association, launched in January 2016, providing a Digital Manifesto which will help empower hundreds of thousands of young people to make more of the opportunities to explore their digital potential.
  • The Digital Parenting magazine, which is developed in partnership with parenting NGO Parent Zone, offers advice on how to help young people stay connected safely and manage their screen time constructively. Available to anyone, the fourth edition, published in September 2015, saw one million copies being distributed to schools, NGO’s, government bodies, children’s charities and other outlets. We have now distributed more than 3 million copies since 2009.
  • The “My Tech Family” initiative, which was devised and developed with Parent Zone, provides resources for UK primary schools to educate families about the digital world we live in and how they can explore the online world safely. More than 5,200 UK schools have registered for the programme since it was launched in 2014.
  • JustTextGiving, launched in May 2011, is a partnership between the Vodafone Foundation, Vodafone UK and JustGiving to allow people to make free donations through their mobile phones. It has helped raise more than £37 million for thousands of UK charities, both large and small, with nearly 250,000 people having set up their own unique text codes to boost their fundraising efforts since launch.
  • TecSOS, an exclusive mobile technology launched by Vodafone in the UK in 2010 to provide victims of domestic violence with immediate connection to the Police, at the touch of a button, at all times of the day and night. More than 70% of UK Police forces have now implemented TecSOS.
  • The “World of Difference” programme, which ran from 2009 to 2012, funded 1000 people from across the UK, including some Vodafone employees, to spend two months working for a charity of their choice.

Helen Lamprell, UK Trustee of the Vodafone Foundation, said: “The Vodafone Foundation has helped us and our employees to make a massive difference to the communities in which we live and work. Technology is playing an increasingly vital role in bringing communities together and we are thankful that the Foundation’s commitment to using technology for good remains as strong as ever.  We look forward to building on our existing programmes and partnerships to deliver even greater benefits over the next 25 years.”

About Vodafone Foundation

The Vodafone Foundation’s Connecting for Good programme combines Vodafone’s charitable giving and technology to make a difference in the world. Globally, the Vodafone Foundation supports projects that are focused on delivering public benefit through the use of mobile technology across the areas of health, education and disaster relief. The Vodafone Foundation invests in the communities in which Vodafone operates and is at the centre of a network of global and local social investment programmes. The Vodafone Foundation is a UK registered charity (registered charity number 1089625).

About Vodafone UK

Vodafone UK is a technology communications company that connects people, businesses and devices to help our customers benefit from digital innovation. Our services span mobile, fixed-line connections, home and office broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

We have a strong track record as a tech pioneer, making the UK’s first mobile phone call, sending the first text message, and making the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G in 2018. We were the first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester and now have 5G in locations across Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain as well as the UK. Meanwhile, our 4G network coverage currently reaches over 99% of the UK population.

Today, Vodafone serves more than 18 million mobile and fixed-line customers in the UK. Vodafone is the largest provider of full fibre in the UK – our superfast broadband services are now available to nearly 12 million homes across the UK.

Sustainability is also at the heart of what we do: as of 1 July 2021, 100% of the grid electricity we use in the UK is certified to be from renewable sources.

For more information about Vodafone UK, please visit: www.vodafone.co.uk.

Vodafone UK Media Relations

Telephone: +44 (0) 1635 693 693

Email: ukmediarelations@vodafone.com

Twitter: @VodafoneUKNews

Website: https://vodafone.co.uk/newscentre/

Vodafone Limited

Registered Office: Vodafone House, The Connection, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2FN

Registered in England No: 1471587