- Maybank’s Group Corporate & Legal Services in efforts to engage children with spinal muscular atrophy
Over 20,000 Maybank employees worldwide today commemorated the ninth Maybank Global CR Day where they engaged directly with the communities in their respective locations, by continuing to play a role in impacting lives and the environment through sustainable initiatives.
With the theme “Maybank Cares – Impact, Engage & Empower”, the Maybank Global CR Day is part of the Group’s employee volunteerism programme undertaken in all countries where it operates. It is believed to be the biggest single community programme undertaken simultaneously in one day, by a Malaysian-based corporation on a global scale. On this day, Maybank employees showcase their sustainable CR initiatives that they are implementing for the longer term, in communities where the Group has a presence.
Group Chief Human Capital Officer of Maybank, Nora Manaf, said that the Global CR Day was a distinctive event where employees reinforce Maybank’s mission of humanising financial services through activities that strengthen its ties with the community.
“As one of the largest banking groups in the region, Maybank is aware of the responsibility we shoulder in helping to advance the communities where we operate. The Global CR Day is one of the ways we collectively reinforce our commitment to progressing together with all our stakeholders,” she said.
“Our goal is to build a better world while undertaking our day-to-day business operations; and we have been actively implementing numerous sustainable programmes that provide long term community benefits over the years, both through the Maybank Foundation as well as our employee volunteerism programmes. In this way, we are able to ensure that collectively, we can progress and look forward to a brighter future for all.”
Nora added that this year’s Global CR Day marks yet another milestone for the Group as it is the ninth consecutive year that the employees are getting together on a single day, to contribute to the betterment of society and the environment, in a sustainable and impactful manner.
In Kuala Lumpur, Maybank Chairman, Datuk Mohaiyani Shamsudin and close to 70 employees from Maybank’s Group Corporate & Legal Services (GCLS) championed efforts to raise awareness on spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). SMA is a neuromuscular disease that takes away the ability to move, walk, eat or breathe without assistance, and is the number one genetic cause of death for infants.
An “art jamming” session was organised with Persatuan WeCare Journey, a dedicated organisation which provides tangible support for families affected by SMA and other disabilities, to highlight the challenges faced by the patients and their family members.
“Our partnership with WeCare Journey enables us to work together and support them in their activities, as well as educate our employees and the public of SMA. With our partnership with WeCare that commenced earlier this year, we aim to further assist families and children that are impacted by SMA via sustainable and high impact initiatives. These efforts include fundraising activities to purchase electric wheelchairs and other medical support for SMA families, as well as taking part in the upcoming Wheelathon Charity Event with WeCare Journey in December 2018,” said Wan Marzimin Wan Muhammad, Group General Counsel and Company Secretary of Maybank.
This year, 95 initiatives are being implemented by employees across the Group. These include various community projects involving special children, the visually impaired, the elderly, disabled, single mothers and orphans as well as the environment in general.
Meanwhile, Group President & CEO, Datuk Abdul Farid Alias joined employees of Maybank Indonesia for an engagement session with children to share the values of tolerance at a place of worship. The event which took place at Masjid Raya, Medan also saw less fortunate communities receiving aid and activities to clean and spruce up the surrounding environment.
Employees in Singapore participated in a programme to empower the underprivileged community through life skills such as baking or improving their living conditions through home improvement projects.
Elsewhere, around the globe, employees at other locations ranging from London to Labuan came out in full force to take part in their respective initiatives which included environmental awareness programmes, teaching children and the less fortunate living skills or financial planning, spending time with senior citizens and orphans, empowering the disabled and marginalised, and many more.
The Global CR Day was first held in 2010 in conjunction with Maybank’s 50th anniversary. Over 10,000 employees took part in that inaugural event. The increasing number of participants over the years reflects the strong team spirit among employees to come together and participate in such a unique global volunteerism programme.