First Bank of Nigeria has announced plans for the fifth edition of its Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CRS) Week.
In a statement during the weekend, Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Mrs Folake Ani-Mumuney, explained that the event slated for Aug. 22 to 27, would offer employees opportunities to give their time and resources to defined causes in line with the bank’s CRS strategic approach.
It said that the theme of the event: “Kindness, A Way of Life,” reflected the single-minded purpose to make a difference in the world by inspiring and institutionalising kindness.
The statement said that the week-long event commemorated across business communities in Nigeria, United Kingdom, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra-Leone and Senegal, was fast becoming a household name in the bank’s host economies.
“The First Bank CRS Week is a dedicated week designed to offer opportunities for employees to give their time and resources to defined causes in line with the bank’s CRS strategic approach.
“The CRS Week will offer employees opportunities to give their time and resources to defined causes.
“The week’s activities are an aspect of the bank’s Employee Giving and Volunteering Programme, which was instituted to encourage employees to give back to the community as well as inculcate in them the integral corporate culture of giving,” it said.
The statement noted that the maiden edition of the bank’s CRS week which was held in 2017 with a focus mainly on three key initiatives/activities, had become more successful in subsequent years.
It said that giving and visits to orphanages/less privileged homes/IDPs, career counselling day; and the Staff Promoting Acts of Random Kindness (SPARK) initiative – which is now Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness were activities it focused on in the previous years.
The statement said that this year’s would have five main activities to be implemented in Nigeria, FBNBank UK and across the SSA markets.
It said that these activities included SPARK APP, Kind Comments Day, visits to orphanage/less privileged homes, SPARK School Engagement, and Women Economic Empowerment.
The statement disclosed that the major highlight of the week would be the launch of the SPARK App.
“The app is strategic in the bank’s journey to institutionalise ‘A Day of Kindness’ on a national level, and globally position the bank as a corporate citizen in leveraging new media to drive sustainability practices.
“The SPARK App is a sensational application designed to have individuals abreast with the act of kindness through various kindness-based quotes and inspirational phrases that will be displayed on one’s phone screen, especially when the phone is idle.
“Kind Comments Day is an initiative that focuses on inspiring and encouraging everyone to be deliberate with the use of kind words in relating or interacting with anyone.
“In addition, with Women Empowerment, the bank will support VVF patients in need of surgical operations and also empower them with vocational skills as they integrate back into society,” it said.
It added that the SPARK Schools Engagement would be implemented through the national competition of JAN SPARK School Integration, aimed at rewarding the various participating students.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, FirstBank, Dr Adesola Adeduntan, was quoted by the statement as saying that the CRS Week would afford the bank another opportunity to touch more lives.
“The CRS Week is another opportunity to strengthen our commitment and extend our reach beyond the communities where we operate in Nigeria and across our subsidiaries.
“Over time, our goal has stayed the same, to create platforms through which our positive impact is felt.
“For us in the FirstBank Group, beyond saying that we care, we take a step further and show it,” Adeduntan said.
He said through the years of commemorating its annual CRS Week, First Bank had impacted lives across its host communities in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and its SSA subsidiaries.
Adeduntan said these impacts comprised the partnership with the Lagos State Government on the provision of a Primary Health Centre at Ijedodo Community, Lagos State; engagements with over 60 charities, non-governmental organisations, orphanages, correctional centres, schools and Internally Displayed Persons (IDP) camps.
He said that the partnership resulted in touching the lives of over 20,000 underprivileged individuals including widows, orphans and children with disabilities.