This is the first time a project from Belarus received a golden award at a prestigious PR competition “Pravda Awards”. An educational project “Network for All” implemented by MTS mobile operator, UN Population Fund and Belarusian Association of Social Workers won in the category “Effectiveness”. The project was also awarded a special prize from the Marketing Media Review (MMR) magazine. The first and second runners-up are projects “Moscow on a Gastronomic Map” – PRP Russia (Moscow, Russia), and “10 minutes of life” – HPPR Ukraine.
The «Network for All» project was presented and defended in Kyiv. In general, 45 projects from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan were nominated to participate in the professional competition.
“The international jury marked the Belarusian case for a good project structure, actual results achieved, and an efficient partnership. Although the project is implemented by several entities it very naturally accommodates the interests of each party, and above all, the necessary objective was achieved. Besides, the “Network for All” project has become the only case, that all participants of the finals of “Pravda Awards” voted for”, said Volha Herasenka, PR Specialist, UNFPA Belarus.
“Network for All” is an educational project aiming to improve computer literacy of senior citizens. A special curriculum was developed and computer classrooms were arranged where classes take place. The teachers are all volunteers, including students of Belarusian universities, employees of MTS and other IT companies, as well as pensioners who have already mastered necessary computer and Internet browsing skills. All teachers attended a special training organized by the Russian specialists in teaching the elderly.
The project was launched in Minsk this October. As of today, over 350 pensioners receive training as part of the “Network for All” programme. The first class to graduate will finish the course in January 2014, and after that new students will be enrolled. Besides, the organizers are planning to implement the project in other cities and towns of Belarus.
Our joint programme targets several groups at once – students, volunteer teachers and the media. And in doing this we did not intend for the project to gain solely some PR effect. The main objective was to achieve the desired result and bring the issue of digital inequality between generations to the forefront. Involvement of various age groups contributes to bridging the digital divide and drawing the attention of the general public to the issue”, said Tatyana Kurbat, PR Group Manager, MTS.
“Pravda Awards” is the most prestigious competition of PR projects in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Association of Public Relations (UAPR) has organized “Pravda Awards” annually since 2006. The competition offers the ground for the discussion of successful PR cases of the year following major PR campaigns. The jury composed of international and Ukrainian experts evaluate projects for their effectiveness and creativity.
For further details, please, contact:
PR Group
Mobile TeleSystems SOOO
Yury Mironov, +37529-777 64 46
e-mail: umironov@mts.by
UN Population Fund
Volha Herasenka, PR Specialist
+37529-178 67 00
e-mail: herasenka@unfpa.org
