By Dipo Olowookere
Following the success of the first edition of Stanbic IBTC ‘Together 4 A Limb’ charity walk in Lagos last year, the programme will be holding in Abuja for its 2016 edition.
The campaign is to support underserved children without limbs and it is expected to attract greater attention this year.
The annual signature corporate social investment initiative of the Stanbic IBTC Group will be hosted on Saturday, September 24 and wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, is expected to flag off the walk.
The Abuja charity walk will feature eight more children who have been fitted with prostheses, bringing to 13 the number of beneficiaries, including the five who benefitted last year.
Worthy of note is the fact that majority of this year’s beneficiaries of Stanbic IBTC’s prosthesis and education trust were selected from the Northern region of the country, a number of whom are victims of the Boko Haram insurgency that has besieged the region.
Chief Executive of Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, Mrs Sola David-Borha, said a cardinal objective of the walk is to raise awareness about the importance of supporting the vulnerable in society, especially indigents and the youth.
“The walk is about awakening our consciousness to take deliberate steps to create an all-inclusive society in which everyone finds fulfilment,” she said.
Mrs David-Borha said by providing the beneficiaries with artificial limbs and as educational trust, Stanbic IBTC hopes to enable them look beyond their physical challenges to lead fulfilling and rewarding lives.
“We understand how challenging it must be for the parents and guardians of these children, especially considering the high cost of acquiring these prostheses and of course the value it would bring to the daily lives of these children,” she added.
During the maiden walk in Lagos last year, N1.5 million was given to each of the five beneficiaries via our education trust in support of their education.
Themed ‘Just another way of moving you forward,’ the event will kick-start at 8am, with participants wearing Stanbic IBTC’s deep blue corporate colours, walking a distance of 8km. The activity is part of the corporate social investments of the Group, which is focused on three key areas of human life: health, education, and economic empowerment.
“Through this unique initiative, we aim to awaken the spirit of compassion, community and the importance of youth as the anchor of nation building. We must not let limb loss prevent them from achieving their goals in life.” Mrs David-Borha said.
Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, a full service financial services group with a clear focus on three main business pillars – Corporate and Investment Banking, Personal and Business Banking and Wealth Management.
Standard Bank Group, to which Stanbic IBTC Holdings belongs, is the largest African bank by assets and market capitalization.
It is rooted in Africa with strategic representation in 20 countries on the African continent. #Standard Bank has been in operation for over 153 years and is focused on building first-class, on-the-ground financial services institutions in chosen countries in Africa; and connecting selected emerging markets to Africa by applying sector expertise, particularly in natural resources, power and infrastructure.
Aduragbemi Omiyale