• Business 7 Annual

Serious and responsible corporate citizen

Bank Windhoek and apples have become synonymous in Namibia.

Since the inception of Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project in 2000, the project has raised N$31.9 million for the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN). Up to 1 April this year, 2 251 women and 446 men were screened for cervical and prostate cancer.

The annual fundraising initiative enables CAN to create cancer awareness and carry out its patient financial assistance and the national outreach programmes, aimed at screening Namibians throughout the 14 regions in the country at no cost.

During the 2021/22 campaign, N$1.4 million were raised.

“We can again take to the vast open roads of our country and provide preventative cancer screening through the national cancer outreach programme to the value of N$500 000, while the patient financial assistance programme will receive an injection of N$900 000 to aid financially vulnerable Namibians fighting cancer, all thanks to this project,” CAN CEO Rolf Hansen commented in the initiative.

E-APPLE

To celebrate the project’s 21st anniversary in 2021, Bank Windhoek launched the innovative e-Apple platform and introduced the juice element. Through the platform, contributors can order apple juice and physical apples or make a financial contribution by purchasing virtual apples.

Namibian schools remain the most prominent contributors to the project. The best participating schools are rewarded with cash prizes and stationary vouchers.

Bank Windhoek branches and departments also play a crucial role as apple project representatives, with branches and departments acting as sales points.

For 2021, Bank Windhoek contributed N$500 000 as a donation towards the project coordination and cost which excluded the time employees across Namibia invested in the project.

EMPATHY

During its past financial year, Bank Windhoek invested nearly N$5.3 million in various corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives over and above its contribution to the Capricorn Foundation.

One of these initiatives was the Bank Windhoek Empathy Project – a bank-wide annual drive which provides branches and departments with funding to support community projects of their choice.

As a Connector of Positive Change, Bank Windhoek believes every staff member plays a vital role in uplifting the community they operate in. Consequently, the bank is expanding its social footprint as a responsible corporate citizen.

The project supported more than 2 000 individuals to the total tune of N$368 500 during the past financial year.

Under Bank Windhoek’s theme of vulnerability, the project focussed on agriculture through gardening initiatives and education, as well as access to clean water.

Another focus point was education through early childhood development (ECD) and support for children with special needs.

Thirty schools and ECD centres received stationery, uniforms, gardens and renovations. The project also supported orphanages, health centres and initiatives to curb gender-based violence (GBV).

MEETING NEEDS

At the height of the third wave of Covid-19 infections in 2021, there was a dire need for better home care management for patients because hospitals were overflowing.

Bank Windhoek stepped in with support for a task force, comprising doctors and nurses who volunteered their services in Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Henties Bay. The funds were used to procure equipment, including oxygen cylinders, and provide patients with nutritious meals.

Through the Bank Windhoek Covid-19 Support Fund, the institution supported the National Orphanage Outreach Programme and enabled much-needed support to children across the country in 2021. A total of 1 007 vulnerable children were impacted through the outreach, receiving items such as food parcels, clothes, toys, blankets and mattresses.

MTC and Namibia Breweries also supported the initiative. “Bank Windhoek believes that it is through such collective efforts that we can build a sustainable future and what we do today, counts towards this,” the bank says.

Organisations that received support include, Eros Children’s Home in Windhoek, Christ Hope International Namibia and the Nkurenkuru Maternity Shelter.

HOPE

Bank Windhoek through its CSR programme, donated N$210 000 to Hope Village, an orphanage in Goreangab, Windhoek in its past financial year.

Funds donated to Hope Village were used to ensure food security to help feed the 80 children permanently housed at the orphanage. Hope Village is a loving and caring home for orphans, vulnerable, abandoned and children infected and affected with HIV/Aids.

Hope Village’s homes provide for basic needs, including food, protection, and accommodation in a secure environment surrounded by love and affection. It accommodates children from as young as nine months old.

WORLDSKILLS AFRICA

In an increasingly competitive global environment, Namibia recognised technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as a crucial vehicle for social equity, inclusion and sustainable development.

TVETs have the potential to contribute to lower unemployment and poverty alleviation by enhancing the levels of self-confidence of individuals in becoming productive citizens.

It is in this realm that Bank Windhoek sponsored the WorldSkills Africa Swakopmund 2022 Skills Competition. Organised by the Namibia Training Authority (NTA), the competition created a platform for nine teams of youth from across Africa to compete in 16 skills, including technology, construction and building, as well as creative arts and fashion.

As a gold sponsor, Bank Windhoek pledged N$1 million towards this platform.

Bank Windhoek believes that the event was an essential step in leveraging technical and vocational training as a prominent actor of socio-economic development.

“Our support to Namibia’s TVET sector is contributing to the establishment of inclusive growth and job creation policies, as emphasised in various national strategies of the Namibian government, including the Harambee Prosperity Plan II, the National Development Plan 5 and Vision 2030,” Bank Windhoek says.

The bank also saw this international event as an opportunity to support the generation of knowledge, the sharing of experiences, benchmarking, as well as innovation in skills development.

The event included an international conference and a careers exhibition. It had 70 competitors from nine African countries and attracted thousands of audiences on traditional and social media platforms.