Orascom Telecom subsidiary Mobilink and Obopay have partnered to establish a text-to-donate relief effort to provide continuing funds to the flood-affected region of Pakistan.

/PRNewswire/ - The deadly August flood waters in the Sindh Province of Pakistan have receded, but the devastating impact on life there will continue for months to come. Orascom Telecom Holding SAE (OTH), the parent company of Mobilink, the largest GSM operator in Pakistan, and Obopay, the mobile money solutions pioneer, have partnered to establish a text-to-donate relief effort to provide continuing funds to the region in order to rebuild both the infrastructure and the lives of those affected by the disaster. Where text-to-donate programs following the disaster in Haiti typically took 90 to 180 days to reach the right resources in the country, this new offering can provide much more rapid funding to the cause.

"There is always an immediate sympathetic and monetary reaction when disasters like this occur," said Naguib Sawiris, Executive Chairman of OTH, which operates in Pakistan as Mobilink. "However, the tremendous suffering, and the need for aid, continues for months after the initial tragedy. We want to make sure that funds continue to flow until the job is done. This becomes equally, if not more, important," he added. "The aftermath can end up taking as many lives as the initial disaster if action is not continued to restore the infrastructure - providing food, water and a renewed means of earning a living. And that is a huge undertaking. By employing Obopay's 'Text-to-Donate' solution, individuals can provide truly meaningful donations which are delivered rapidly."

Obopay's Text-to-Donate service has technology similar to what was used to spur donations to the Haitian earthquake relief last year. One key difference, however, is that by making the credit or debit card and the bank account the source of funding for the text rather than the telecom bill, Obopay's Text-to-Donate enables donors to contribute much larger amounts, as opposed to the $5 and $10 limits allowed through telecommunications companies. The money can also be put to use by relief organizations quickly.

"When a catastrophe like this strikes, getting the proper amount of funds to the region saves lives," said Obopay Founder and CEO Carol Realini. "The sooner funds get in the proper hands, the sooner they can restore some semblance of order to people's lives, not to mention fight the spread of disease and shortages of food and clean water. We are proud to be able to provide our services to Mobilink Foundation, to further scale their efforts in meeting the relief and rehabilitation needs of the people across Pakistan."

It is estimated that the damage from the floods, which over the past month have affected more than 20 million residents of Pakistan and have killed more than 2,000, is bigger than the 2004 Tsunami, 2005 Kashmir Earthquake and the 2010 Haiti Earthquake combined.

Mobilink Foundation is a non-profit organization driven by Mobilink employees. To date, Mobilink Foundation has reached out to more than 115,000 individuals affected by the floods in far-flung areas including surroundings of Multan, Muzaffargarh, Nowshera, Charsadda, Swat, Sukkur, D.I. Khan as well as smaller towns and villages across Pakistan. The flood relief activities are driven by the volunteer spirit of a cross functional team of Mobilink employees involving Marketing, Sales, HR, Admin, Security, Finance and Sales. This ensures that all funds received and generated by the Foundation are spent directly and efficiently in relief efforts.

To donate through the OTH-Obopay Text-to-Donate offering, people in the US are asked to text the keyword, "PAKISTAN" to the shortcode 48510. Texters then receive a return text message that includes a link to a mobile internet checkout page where they can elect to pay by debit card or by entering a phone number and PIN. The funds are then automatically deposited in Mobilink Foundation's account, giving them fast access to the money to build much needed homes and shelters. The Foundation also procures packs of dry food ration (each unit sufficient for two weeks for a family of seven), hygiene kits (sufficient for one month for a family of seven) and non-food item packs containing kitchen utensils, mats, water coolers, bedding (non-perishable pack for a family of seven) and aims to support affectees in the rebuilding process and facilitate livelihood opportunities post repatriation.

To find out more information about the program or to make a donation online, go to www.shelterfromtheflood.org.

About Orascom Telecom
Orascom Telecom is a leading international telecommunications company operating GSM networks in high growth markets in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, having a total population under license of approximately 512 million with an average mobile telephony penetration of approximately 50% as of June 30th, 2010. Orascom Telecom operates GSM networks in Algeria ("OTA"), Pakistan ("Mobilink"), Egypt ("Mobinil"), Tunisia ("Tunisiana"), Bangladesh ("banglalink"), North Korea ("koryolink") and Canada ("Wind Mobile") through its indirect equity shareholding in Globalive Wireless. In addition it has an indirect equity ownership in Telecel Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe) and through its subsidiary Telecel Globe, OTH also operates in Burundi, the Central African Republic and Namibia. Orascom Telecom exceeded 99 million subscribers as of June 30, 2010.

Orascom Telecom is traded on the Cairo & Alexandria Stock Exchange under the symbol (ORTE.CA, ORAT EY), and on the London Stock Exchange its GDR is traded under the symbol (ORTEq.L, OTLD LI). For more information visit www.orascomtelecom.com.

About Obopay
Founded in 2005, Obopay, Inc., offers mobile money services that transform any mobile phone into a convenient and easy way to send and receive money, get paid or pay small businesses, top-up accounts, buy via mobile and pay bills. Obopay's mobile money services address the needs of consumers and businesses around the world by providing a service that delivers value, empowers lives and improves opportunity for merchants. Obopay believes the power is in the network and has established partnerships that include Nokia, MasterCard, AT&T, Verizon, Essar, Yes Bank in India, Blackberry and Societe Generale. The company's offering enables partner-branded mobile money services that financial services and mobile partners can implement quickly at low deployment cost. Global headquarters are in Redwood City, CA with operations in India.

About Mobilink
Mobilink, (www.mobilinkgsm.com) a subsidiary of the Orascom Telecom Holding, is Pakistan's leading cellular and Blackberry service provider. With more than 31 million subscribers, Mobilink maintains market leadership through cutting-edge, integrated technology, the strongest brands and the largest portfolio of value added services in the industry, a broadband carrier division providing next generation internet technology as well as the country's largest voice and data network with over 8,000 cell sites. Housing Pakistan's largest distribution and contact centre networks and an unparalleled 6,500 kilometers fiber optic backbone, Mobilink has already invested over US $3.3 billion in the country to date and provides uninterrupted countrywide connectivity, unmatched customer services and international roaming in over 140 countries. The company is also the official cellular partner of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

As a responsible corporate citizen, Mobilink also offers a range of socially inclusive products and services dedicated to enhance access to information. Through Mobilink Foundation, (www.mobilinkfoundation.org) the company supports education, health and environmental initiatives and promotes sustainable business practices.

More Information about Obopay:
Website: banks.obopay.com
Blog: blog.obopay.com
Twitter: twitter.com/Obopay

Orascom Telecom Holding SAE

Orascom Telecom Holding SAE

Orascom Telecom is a leading international telecommunications company operating GSM networks in high growth markets in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, having a total population under license of approximately 512 million with an average mobile telephony penetration of approximately 50% as of June 30th, 2010. Orascom Telecom operates GSM networks in Algeria ("OTA"), Pakistan ("Mobilink"), Egypt ("Mobinil"), Tunisia ("Tunisiana"), Bangladesh ("banglalink"), North Korea ("koryolink") and Canada ("Wind Mobile") through its indirect equity shareholding in Globalive Wireless. In addition it has an indirect equity ownership in Telecel Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe) and through its subsidiary Telecel Globe, OTH also operates in Burundi, the Central African Republic and Namibia. Orascom Telecom exceeded 99 million subscribers as of June 30, 2010.

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