Employees of Keystone Bank Limited, through its ‘Employee Volunteering Scheme (EVS)’ recently sponsored the payment for a session’s school fees, West African Examination Council (WAEC) examination and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) fees of over 200 students in Imo and Abia States.
The schools which benefited from the gesture include Oforola Community Secondary School, Owerri-West, Imo State; Community Secondary School, Lagwa Aboh Mbaise, Imo State; Amakamma Community High School, Umuahia, Abia State and Girls Secondary Commercial School Aba, Abia State. Over 30 teachers of these schools were also impacted through a workshop programme.
The initiative tagged ‘Educate A Child’ was executed in partnership with Whispering Hope Africa Initiative (WHAI), a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the lives of indigent students and youths through capacity building, venture/skills creation and access to resources.
Commenting on the importance of empowering students through education, Izore Bamawo, the divisional head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Keystone Bank, stressed that there was an urgent need to improve students’ access to quality education.
“Keystone Bank employees’ decision to pay these fees is part of our commitment to increase access to quality education while alleviating the financial burden of parents/guardians in educating these students.
“The importance of Education cannot be overstated as it helps individuals reach their full potential. Therefore, organizations and individuals alike should not relent in their activities to keep fostering access to education and conducive learning environments for the students.”
The Keystone Bank Employee Volunteering Scheme is an integral part of the bank’s corporate social responsibility strategy which encourages the employees of the bank to be involved in voluntary socially impactful activities. The scheme leverages the bank employees’ skills, time and donations in positively impacting the social needs of the communities where it operates.
Keystone Bank is a technology and service-driven commercial bank offering convenient and reliable solutions to its customers.