A charity travelling across some of the remotest areas of Africa to inspire underprivileged children and their teachers has been kept on track with Inmarsat’s IsatPhone Pro.
Bhubesi Pride, a rugby and community development charity, has been using the phone to help communicate and plan the journey since the expedition kicked off in Ethiopia in February.
The charity puts together highly qualified teams of coaches to drive through Africa on annual six-month expeditions to schools and community centres.
Richard Bennett, Bhubesi Pride Founder and Director, said operations would have been seriously hampered without the phone.
“Mobile telecommunications in Africa is temperamental at the best of times, and the charity cannot justify international calls between countries as we prepare rugby programmes from one location to the next.
“Having the assurance that we can flip out our Inmarsat device almost anywhere, point its antenna at the vast African sky, we know that planning the next step, large or small, is only a quick and clear call away!”
The phone came in handy recently when the team discovered the brakes on their Land Rover were not working as well as they should have been.
Logistics manager, Robin Schell-Hammer, tried to get the car fixed in an under-resourced car garage in Kigali, Rwanda.
Richard added: “The team of mechanics tried their best to fix our brakes’ problem, but not 100 per cent successfully.
“At this point, it was critical that Robin made a series of calls to Land Rover HQ in South Africa, to prepare a more suitable set-up at our onward location – Arusha, Tanzania, arranging parts, servicing time and even a courtesy car.
“Two days into our stay in Arusha, we were virtually back on track with perfect cars, thanks again to forward planning with Inmarsat.”
This is the third year that we have provided the charity with an IsatPhone Pro.
Bhubesi Pride aims to unite boys and girls by addressing health education and life skills as well as empower local teaching staff by providing equipment, resources, training and knowledge.
It also aims to inspire sustainable development by encouraging young leaders and building relevant relationships throughout Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.
