The New Nation - Internet Edition

Orascom Telecom, holding company of Banglalink, has announced a contribution of Tk.3.5 crore for the tempest affected people. This fund will be used for the welfare the worst hit families in the affected areas.

Commenting on this distressing occurrence, Naguib Sawiris, Chairman Orascom Telecom Holding said "This is a most unfortunate calamity. We stand by the people of Bangladesh in this time of need, and would offer every support possible to help them in rebuilding their lives. I am sure that the resilient citizens of Bangladesh will bounce back to continue the rapid growth of this great country."

Orascom Telecom Holding is a leading mobile telecommunications company operating in seven emerging markets in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia having a subscriber base of over 61 million.

In addition to the donation, Banglalink has already launched an SMS based donation campaign in order to provide a convenient option to its customers to contribute funds for the relief effort. Each SMS will be charged Tk.10 and all proceeds collected through SMS will be contributed to Chief Advisor's Relief Fund. Banglalink teams will also be distributing relief supplies to the cyclone affected areas to cope with immediate needs there.

In light of the fact that the need for telecommunication becomes even more critical during such disasters, despite difficult conditions that had made a number of areas virtually inaccessible, and electricity problems across the country, banglalink's technical teams worked around the clock to ensure that the network remained functional in most areas.