Year after year, hundreds of poor people across the country have found joy owing to the generosity of Saigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank (SCB), which since 1992 has launched numerous corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to relieve underprivileged people of financial hardship. In its latest move, the bank a fortnight ago announced a new donation package to build 20 gratitude houses for policy people in the Mekong Delta province of Long An.
Expressing gratitude
In response to the call from Long An Province’s authorities, SCB on June 30 announced its donation of VND1.2 billion to help build houses for 20 families who are poor relatives of Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, a title conferred on those mothers whose children have fallen during the war for national reunification, as well as relatives of war martyrs. The news has brought great happiness to the poor people.
“We will soon be able to worship Mother in a new house,” said Ms Vo Thi Dung, who assumes the regular duty to pay homage to Tran Thi Ruc, a late Vietnamese heroic mother in My Hanh Nam Commune of Duc Hoa District. “We are worried anytime it rains or upon bad weather because our house has crumbled for a long time. We can feel relieved now because a new house will be built for us.”
The 20 houses will be constructed soon and handed over to the relatives of Vietnamese heroic mothers in the province who are in their financial hardship and their houses are deteriorated, according to the local authority.
The bank’s leader, however, considers its donation a gesture to convey gratitude to those people who have made great sacrifice to the country.
“SCB embraces deep gratitude to the heroic mothers, relatives of martyrs and wounded soldiers for their contribution and sacrifice towards the cause of national liberation. We have made similar donations in different provinces,” said Dinh Van Thanh, Chair of SCB.
“We will continue this traditional responsibility which is the bank’s core value in the future and generate the positive impact to the society,” he said.
Helping hand in the pandemic…
In the Covid-19 pandemic, SCB has also launched various social activities across the country to keep up the philanthropic tradition among SCB employees.
Given the surging demand for medical facilities during the peak of the pandemic earlier this year, SCB and its staff handed out VND1.6 billion to supply 100 beds for hospitals in HCM City and other provinces. This urgent fund was raised mainly from SCB’s staff to help the communities hit hard by the pandemic. Further, SCB donated VND1.3 billion to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee in March to support the prevention of epidemics.
In addition, the bank also provided concessional loans to assist enterprises struggling during the pandemic including reducing interest rates and free online banking services for clients.
… and support for education-culture
With the desire to build a better society, SCB has organised a number of events to help students with their career paths.
SCB has recently provided VND2 billion to the Nguyen Sinh Sac Education Fund to help students get closer access to new technology in education.
The bank has offered financial support for disadvantaged students in Hai Duong, Vinh Long, Ben Tre provinces, and donated VND100 million to the Banking University of HCM City Scholarship Fund to encourage excellent and disadvantaged students.
The bank also cooperated with the trade union of An Giang Province to donate 51 “Support for study” scholarships for students, and contribute school equipment to Le Quang Tham Primary School in Long An Province, and scholarships for students at Nguyen Tat Thanh University.
In fact, the bank’s support for education and other socio-cultural programmes has been launched for the past several years.
In 2018 alone, the bank donated more than VND20 billion to education campaigns, community health, incentive programmes for Vietnamese enterprises, funds for the poor, and disadvantaged children among others. And in 2019, the bank offered funds for building the water fountain system in the “Landscape architecture on Le Loi Boulevard stage 1″ project, to the poor in a New Year charity programme hosted by the Woman’s Union of HCM City’s Binh Chanh District, and to the victims of Agent Orange in Can Giuoc District and the wounded soldiers in Phu Tho Province.
Speaking on the occasion of announcing the donation for building gratitude houses in Long An, the bank’s Board Chair Thanh said it was just one of numerous charitable activities SCB has offered in line with its mission “SCB The Bank for a Better Community”.
https://english.thesaigontimes.vn/77591/a-generous-heart-for-the-poor-to-bank-on.html
