By Elisabeth chukwuma
Last Friday, UBA Foundation, regarded in Banking circles as the corporate social responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa,UBA, plc, held the 2019 edition of its’’ annual Each One, Teach One initiative’’. It was said to have made a huge impact across all its subsidiaries in Nigeria and Africa in general.
he Each One, Teach One initiative is part of the Foundation’s activities where the bank’s staff members give their time and skills to the communities around them. All across the continent, staff of the pan- African bank were seen within their communities, teaching and assisting the less privileged, especially students and people living with disabilities.
Ayoku Liadi, the Executive Director, Lagos and south west of the Bank Marketing who was said to have represented Kennedy Uzoka, the Group Managing Director and Chaiman, at the event in Lagos, had expressed his excitement over the initiative, adding that as a corporate entity, UBA, through its Foundation has decided to ‘’give back as a family, starting by impacting knowledge and skills to students and participants’’.
A n elated Liadi said, “Our goal with this initiative which is in its second year, is to help the under privileged and young children learn vocational skills that will assist them along the path to financial freedom as they start businesses of their own’’. He disclosed that the Bank has created a platform to encourage people who have various skills and talents to pass this on to the younger generation.
The UBA Executive Director was said to have also used the opportunity provided by the Foundation to give the participants a short lecture about financial literacy, noting that ‘’it is important for students to embrace the culture of being financially cautious from a tender age’’.
“At UBA, we want students to inculcate the habit of savings, especially for the rainy day’’, he had said. Ladi, who could not hide his feelings noted that it is important for students to be cautious about the future, because nothing is guaranteed.
Appealing to the students, who filled the Onikan Youth Centre to ensure that when they receive their pocket money and allowance no matter how little; to save, he stressed that ‘’it will go a long way to help them tomorrow’’.
Students from Modupe Cole Memorial Childcare and Treatment Home, Standard Hallmark College, Mushin; Child Life-Line,Lagos and Moyin Rainbow Foundation, Lagos; were said to have participated at the UBA Foundation event.
Bola Atta, the Chief Executive officer of the Foundation, who was aid to have thrown more light on the initiative stated that “it is aimed at helping to impact lives positively and in a very meaningful way’’. She disclosed that the initiative, which was going on simultaneously in 20 other African countries, was being driven by UBA staff who were very happy to give back to the society what they have gained from the Bank.
“ Giving an insider information, he opined that at the Foundation, the staff are constantly being asked by other UBA staff how they could use their position to help the less privileged in the society. h. According to her, a lot of are ge the staff of the Foundation are genuinely interested in doing good.’’With the Each One Teach One initiative, you don’t need a huge sum of money, you just need to give of your time and talent to at least one other person. It is simple’’. It is effective and the impact is far reaching. Take for instance the number of people across the 20 countries in Africa that had benefitted from one day of the event alone from someone just taking a little time to help them acquire new skills . There is something really gratifying about giving back. It helps the communities and helps you grow as an individual.’ Atta remarked.
Thousands of UBA staff across Africa were said to have voluntarily committed their time in their one day off event to teaching youths various subjects and trades such as foreign languages, photography, tae kwon do, fashion design, martial arts, first aid, cooking, hair dressing, mathematics, reading, music and much more.
The successful hosting of the event by the Foundation may have informed why Ladi, the Bank Executive Director averred that ‘’it was committed to being a socially responsible company and role model for all businesses in Africa’’. UBA recognises the need for a social contract between the bank, the community and its people, he said .
He maintains that the UBA Foundation is committed to the socio-economic improvement of the communities in which the bank operates, in the areas of Environment, Education, Economic Empowerment and Special Projects which are beneficial to the people.
