HSBC gives back to the community
AS ONE of the world’s leading financial institutions in Brunei, HSBC plays a significant role in giving back to the community through various activities and programmes which range from family-led charity events to donations of non-perishable food items, funds and toys to charitable organisations as well as volunteering in various projects nationwide.
Lizawaty Kamarudin, the newly appointed Manager Corporate Sustainability of HSBC Brunei shared that HSBC firmly believes in investing in three main areas, that is the community, environment and education. “We believe that everyone should have access to education, because it provides opportunities and drives economic development. We also believe that everybody should be able to live in an environment that ensures a better quality of life. That’s why we ensure that most of our community investment activities go towards supporting educational and environmental causes.”
HSBC Walk Run Cycle
In 2012, HSBC hosted one of the largest charity events, HSBC Walk Run Cycle (WRC), with a record-breaking 10,000 participants. Supporting the Brunei Government’s aspiration in mind, HSBC WRC is a family-oriented event aimed to raise awareness and funds sequentially providing training and education towards special needs children of Brunei Darussalam. The fees and donation received from the HSBC WRC charity event, through generous sponsors and members of the public that amounted to over BND280,000.00 was channelled towards four beneficiaries; SMARTER (BND70,000.00), Pusat Ehsan (BND70,000.00), Centre for Children with Special Needs (BND70,000.00) and Learning Ladder (BND20,000.00). The remaining funds were donated to RIPAS Hospital Bandar Seri Begawan, Suri Seri Begawan Hospital and Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah Hospital in the form of educational toys worth over BND10,000.
According to a press release, HSBC also organised a series of blood donation drive throughout the year which was with strong participation from HSBC employees, customers as well as members of the public. In addition, HSBC introduced the ‘Warga Emas’ express queue that reduced the waiting time of HSBC’s senior citizen customers.
In support of World Water Day 2012, HSBC Brunei pledged to reduce its annual water consumption by 30,000 litres. One of the ways HSBC did this was through a simple, low cost and easy-to-install device called the ‘Thimble’. The Thimble is a flow restrictor that replaces the rubber seal in a conventional water faucet and can be easily installed with simple tools.
Additionally, to promote awareness on the importance of water, Water Services Section of the Public Works Department (Jabatan Kerja Raya), Ministry of Development hosted a series of activities at Waterfront, Bandar Seri Begawan on March 22 and 23, 2012. One of the featured activities during the World Water Day event was the “Waterless” charity car wash which was jointly supported by HSBC and RF Slick.
HSBC also shows continuous support towards education for the younger generation. The HSBC Young Entrepreneur Challenge (YEC) was one of the programmes that focuses on helping the youth become business leaders of the future. This programme offers participants an opportunity to learn business discipline in an open competition and to develop innovative business plans. It aims to cultivate and inspire young people’s interest in entrepreneurship, enhance their business acumen and develop their personal strengths.
Additionally, as part of HSBC’s initiatives to promote financial knowledge, HSBC Brunei is also proud to support the Junior Achievement (JA) Programme which was launched by the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) recently. JA educates students about the workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through a practical and hands-on programme.
Earlier in 2012, HSBC donated a BND10,000 education grant to Chung Hua Middle School in conjunction with its 90th Anniversary celebration. The bank also launched Future First, its flagship education programme that provides access to education and teaches life skills to disadvantaged children. HSBC also supports and invest many community and environmental related projects, such as Princess Rashidah Young Nature Scientist Award (PRYNSA) which educates the young generation in the field of nature science.
For 2013, HSBC looks forward to more successful programmes with the support of its customers and the public. For more information about HSBC’s Corporate Sustainability activities and events, visit www.hsbc.com.bn/1/2/about-hsbc/corporate-sustainability
