Lagos, FRI, JANUARY 04 2019-theG&BJournal- As part of its Employee Give-Back Initiative aimed at extending a hand of care to the less privileged during festive seasons, employees of The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) pulled resources together during the year-end festivities to fund specific needs in two charity homes: Bethesda Home for the Blind, Lagos and Children of Promise Orphanage, Ibadan. These two emerged from a ballot, following employees’ nomination of deserving charities. The Give-Back initiative is in alignment with the Exchange’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy.
Children of Promise Ministries (CHIPROM) is a non-governmental, non-denominational charitable organization created specifically to respond to the needs of vulnerable children. They are committed to instilling hope for a better future for the children in communities across the nation. As a child service provider, they take seriously the responsibility to ensure a stimulating and nurturing environment for these children. Their vision is to positively revolutionize the way people think about the plight of children in the 21st century.
Bethesda Home for the Blind is a voluntary and non-profit organization set up to support physically challenged persons who are visually-Impaired and helpless. The idea to set up the home stemmed from the fact that the promoter (Mrs. Ohakwe) has siblings who are visually impaired. This provided her with first-hand knowledge and understanding of the difficulties the blind go through and the need to give them compassionate care and protection. They currently care for and sponsor over 150 blind students through primary to tertiary education.
While presenting the cheque to Bethesda Home for the purchase of cane sticks for 25 visually impaired students who recently gained admission into the university, and other food items made available through funds donated by NSE employees, Mr. Olumide Orojimi, Head, Corporate Communications, The Nigerian Stock Exchange said, “This gesture is part of the annual employee give-back initiative of the NSE. Giving of money, time and other essentials to the less-privileged is a culture at The NSE. Just as the Exchange, promotes the welfare of people in its host communities, our employees are always very willing to do the same. We are very happy to support Bethesda Home and we congratulate you on the admission of 25 of your children into the university. We feel particularly honoured to provide these cane sticks for these great students at this time as we believe the canes will aid their movement as they go on their new academic pursuit at the university”.
Mr. Kayode Ogun, Ibadan Branch Manager, who presented food items, other essential toiletries and toys to Children of Promise Orphanage, Ibadan reiterated that, “The NSE is continually creating robust programmes to reach out to the often neglected in the communities where we do business. The Give-back initiative is completely employee driven and it is a testament that employee share the NSE culture on an individual level, and this shared culture has culminated in the organizational CSR strategy. There is no better time to reach out to the less privileged than this season of love and we are delighted to share this moment with these children of promise”.
The Exchange, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy instituted an Employee Volunteering Scheme and Employee Give-Back Initiative in 2015, to encourage employees to give back to the community whilst providing them with hands-on experience and the opportunity to make worthwhile difference to their operating community. For the flagship scheme, the Pacelli School for the Blind and Partially Sighted Children, Lagos, Heart of Gold Children’s Hospice, Lagos and Regina Mundi Home for the Elderly, Lagos were chosen as beneficiaries.
In 2017, under this scheme, NSE employees donated various food and household items to charities across the country including The Lagos Food Bank Initiative, Agege, Lagos, Total Parental Guidance Orphanage, Ibadan, Oyo State and Christian Relief Fund Motherless Babies Home, Obosi, Anambra State, all selected based on employees nomination and were selected via a random ballot system.
Earlier this year, during the last Easter celebrations, employees of The NSE had come together to donate money to fund medical bills for 10 children in SOS Children’s Village, Lagos. In the same vein, in line with the Exchange’s commitment to Financial Literacy, employees volunteered their time teaching students financial matters during school excursions to the Exchange and at different learning centres all through the year.
The Exchange continues to build a sustainable capital market by championing sustainability along four key impact areas of Marketplace, its platform for promoting market-based approach to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) imperatives; Community, where the NSE makes contributions to positively impact lives; Workplace, through which the Exchange facilitates diversity, wellbeing and harnesses the talent and skills of its people; and the Environment as it focuses on reducing its environmental impact.
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