STANBIC TAKES FIGHT AGAINST CHOLERA TO SCHOOLS

Stanbic Bank hands over hand sanitisers to Lusaka schools

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA –Stanbic Bank Zambia has taken the fight against cholera to a new level by donating hand sanitiser dispensers and fluid to schools across Lusaka.
The bank, whose motto is “Zambia is our home, we drive her growth” is of the firm belief that corporates in Zambia have a social responsibility to improve the lives of the communities in which they operate.

“We have chosen to take the fight against cholera to the school because we believe that by going to the schools, we are actually attacking the disease were we are most vulnerable. We are most vulnerable because our children are the future leaders; our children are the most vulnerable, and because our children can help us drive this country,” said Stanbic Bank Zambia chief executive Leina Gabaraane’s. Speaking when the bank donated over 150 hand sanitiser dispensing machines and fluid to 75 schools in Lusaka District on Monday, Mr Gabaraane said that being a leading financial services organisation in Africa, and with a presence in many countries in Africa, Stanbic was ensuring it took up the responsibility of being a part of the community. “What we have seen in Zambia in the recent past impacted us immensely because as members of this community, we lost our loved ones; it impacted our customers, it impacted us in the same way that it impacted our loved ones. So, as a responsible corporate citizen, we have a very important role to play alongside the government in ensuring that we contribute in our own way,” he said. He further said that and as schools open this week, the bank believed the donation would go a long way in ensuring that better sanitation practices are observed out in the schools.

Stanbic Bank hands over hand sanitisers to Lusaka schools

“In our contributing to fight from the schools is a vantage point and is our decision as Stanbic Bank to contribute and donate as we are today. This is our beginning in terms of contribution and what we are doing today is a meaningful. Cholera is all about knowledge and hygiene. Schools are where knowledge is disbursed. And at that point, by combining the knowledge that the teachers that are with us today providing hygiene will go a long way in fighting this,” said Mr Gabaraane.
“Consistent with our commitment to health and education, some of the initiatives that we have done in the recent past include contributions to the development and construction of schools and classrooms in the country, and we will continue to do that. The hand sanitisers we are giving today could not have been more timely because the schools are opening today. It is for that reason that we believe that Zambia is our home and we have a responsibility of driving her growth, in this instance we are driving her growth by ensuring that our children learn in a safe and healthy environment,” he added.
Speaking at the same occasion Ministry of General Education director for standards and curriculum Dr Sunday Mwape, commended the bank for taking a proactive stance in the fight against cholera.

Stanbic Bank hands over hand sanitisers to Lusaka schools

“The sudden outbreak of cholera has hit all of us as a nation, and we are all saddened by the impact of the epidemic that has left much of our communities dislocated in the sense of the pain of the losses that we have faced at family level and at institutional level. At an education level, the cholera outbreak has greatly affected our normal operations in our learning institutions,” he said.

Stanbic Bank hands over hand sanitisers to Lusaka schools

Dr Mwape said that because of the cholera outbreak, government had been working hard to find ways of containing the epidemic. He however said that with the interventions in place, several positive results are being recorded and that reports are being received of the cholera epidemic reducing in most part of the capital city. “The assistance the Ministry of General Education is receiving today, could not have come at a better time and will contribute to the further reduction of the epidemic as our pupils will be accorded a chance to practice high levels of hygiene standards,” he said.