• Mr Okai and Professor Mundia during the presentation of 10 computers donated by Standard Chartered Bank to Copperstone University. Picture by MARTIN MUSUNKA

By MARTIN MUSUNKA –
THE health interventions by Standard Chartered Bank Zambia are paying desired dividends with a positive impact on the targeted communities.
The bank, which is also effectively involved in the Seeing Is Believing (SiB) project aimed at raising investments into eye-care in North-Western Province, has continued to embrace the community through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.
While some financial institutions find it hard to dedicate some of their time and profits to communities, Standard Chartered Bank Zambia is determined to go beyond its employees by always engaging external partners in various social activities.
This time around, the bank, resolved to extend the community contribution to Copperstone University in Kitwe for an HIV Awareness Training on December 6, in commemoration of the 2014 World AIDS Day.
Celine Nair, the bank’s Country Head of Legal and Company Secretary, said as Standard Chartered Bank was commemorating 15 years of Corporate Leadership in the fight against HIV and AIDS, she was delighted that an awareness session was being held for lecturers at Copperstone University.
Ms Nair, who was the guest of honour explained that the idea of taking the training session to the university was to join hands in stopping HIV at places of work, in communities and in homes. Lecturers played a crucial role in society.
“When we enter higher education, we spend the best part of our early adult years learning from you. Lecturers such as yourselves, shape careers as our economic development depends on the knowledge you impart to university students. This is why we took the decision to commemorate World AIDS Day with you—to share our HIV in the Workplace model,” she said.
Considering the devastating effects of HIV and AIDS, Ms Nair said some 15 years ago, Standard Chartered recognized the need to take proactive steps to tackle the epidemic and initiated the Living with HIV in the Workplace programme, which focuses on educating and empowering people with the facts about HIV and proven preventative measures.
She said Standard Chartered, which shares its programme at no cost, aims at reducing the number of global infections by providing key facts that would help people make safe lifestyle choices.
Ms Nair announced that Standard Chartered HIV champions have trained more than 10,000 people using the bank’s HIV Toolkit.
She challenged participants to acknowledge Zambia’s success in reducing the incidence of HIV, aspire to achieve ‘Zero New HIV Infections’ and accelerate efforts to stop HIV.
CARING
Copperstone University Vice-Chancellor Sitwala Mundia saluted Standard Bank for its journey of caring and showing compassion for others.
He said it was great to see corporate leadership in Standard Chartered Bank dedicating themselves to playing a role in HIV/AIDS sensitization, counselling, training, assistance and promotion of mutual partnerships towards realizing the goal to contain HIV.
Professor Mundia said it was the first time that the university was receiving such a gesture. He described as “very rare” for the two institutions to clinch such a mutual partnership to work together in various areas.
He said both the banking fraternity and the education sector were in good stead to positively influence change in society. One of the key partnership areas was in HIV/AIDS interventions which he said the two institutions would strive to take to the next level.
“Your choice of Copperstone as a place through which you can carry out your corporate social responsibility programmes is extremely commendable. It is our hope that what we have started today will endure for years to come and will also extend to other areas of CSR and business,” Professor Mundia said.
Standard Chartered Zambia Chief Executive Officer Andrew Okai pledged the bank’s support to Copperstone University and was elated with the partnership between the two institutions.
Julius Phiri, an HIV Champion for the bank, gave a moving testimony on his journey from the time he was diagnosed with the virus. He was thankful for the tremendous support the bank had given him.
“I went through difficulties from the time was told that I was HIV positive. At one time, I got paralyzed and could not perform as an employee. Thank God, my employers, Standard Chartered, gave me all the support and kept me on the payroll even when I was not contributing anything to the company. Here I am,” he said.
Apart from the contribution to the university regarding the HIV Awareness Training, Standard Chartered donated 10 computers for use by the institution.- Courtesy of SUMA SYSTEMS.