Supporting communities
We support communities, especially those in need, leaving no-one behind.
Promoting diversity and inclusion
The way we see it, the best innovations happen when diverse people with different perspectives collaborate. In fact, it’s only when we harness the power of different points of view around us that we progress as an organisation–challenging the way we do things and then doing them better – not just for our employees, but for our customers and communities too.
What we are doing
We are committed to driving parity in our own workforce and aim to have 40% women in management roles by 2030, and at end of FY24 had achieved 35%.
We have policies in place around menopause, domestic abuse and parental leave that support gender parity.
Our determination to drive equality extends to our supply chain, with all suppliers are assessed and scored on their approach to diversity and inclusion. Creating relevant services for women is also a key strategy to bring more women online.
Through connectivity, we seek to support positive outcomes for women in education, employment, health, safety and economic empowerment.
Our Mum & Baby service continues to grow across Africa, using mobile phones to help bridge the gap and give customers free access to maternal, neonatal and child health information.
Recognising that we will only achieve real change through partnerships, we also work with peers and partners including UN Women and ChangeTheFace, to advocate for equality in our industry and beyond.
Improving learning and digital skills
In partnership with communities, educators, NGOs and governments, we run programmes in Europe and Africa that help anyone build their digital capabilities, know-how and confidence, regardless of their age, background or where they call home.
What we are doing
Skills Upload tackles maternal mortality in partnership with the governments of Tanzania and Lesotho to provide a 24/7 emergency transport service to connect mothers and newborns to vital life- saving healthcare in rural areas. Using mobile technology, the system co-ordinates transport to medical care. To date, m-mama has reduced maternal mortality in regions by 38% and is preparing to scale to Kenya, Mozambique.
DreamLab app uses the processing power of smartphones to analyse complex data overnight, speeding up cancer, coronavirus and climate- change research. Available worldwide, the app has been downloaded over 2.5 million times.
Apps Against Abuse Vodafone Foundation has used app technology to connect over 2.6 million people affected by domestic violence, abuse and hate crime with advice, support and education. Initiatives include Bright Sky that provides people in 13 markets to practical support and information on how to respond to domestic abuse, Zoteria, which creates a safer world for LGBTQ+ people in the UK, and Tozi, to tackle cyber-bullying in Ireland.
Instant Network the award-winning programme, deploys employee volunteers and technologies to restore and provide free communications and technical support to aid agencies, survivors and refugees in natural and humanitarian emergencies. Over 10+ years, Instant Network has been deployed on 50 missions, with the support of employee volunteers from 14 different countries.
NG-SOS using life-saving technology to connect people in four countries to the emergency services, using location tracking to accelerate how quickly they are found, saving more lives. The app is the first service of its kind to implement video calls in the emergency calling process and has been downloaded by over 3.6 million users.
Supporting those most in need
We’re using technology to help address some of the world’s most pressing problems. Our programmes aim to reduce maternal mortality, support those affected by domestic violence, abuse and hate crimes, and provide aid in the aftermath of natural and humanitarian disasters.
What we are doing
Skills Upload supports primary and secondary school pupils and adults not in education, employment or training across nine countries with locally targeted, tailored learning initiatives. Working in partnership with communities, educators, NGOs and governments, enabling people to be digitally confident and to have the digital capabilities and tools to reach their potential.
Hi Digital (active in Czech Republic, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) provides digital skills training for over 65s to prevent social exclusion and loneliness. It offers in-person training, free online courses and bite-sized lessons on the basics of internet access, how to use online devices, safety and security online. More than 100,000 older people have accessed the training to date.
Instant Network Schools from The Vodafone Foundation connects refugee and host community students to a quality digital education, developed and delivered in partnership with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in six African countries. Since 2013, we have worked together to transform classrooms into multimedia learning hubs, complete with internet connectivity, sustainable solar power, classroom kits including tablets, laptops, projectors and speakers, localised digital content, and teacher training.
We aim to have 40% women in management roles by 2030 in Europe and Africa.
Contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals
The UN SDGs are a blueprint for human progress and a clear call to action for businesses to contribute to a better future.
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