Bank of Maldives BML says that it had continued to invest in community initiatives, supporting individuals and organizations in over 100 islands across the Maldives last year.
BML said that its key Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities of 2020 and its work in supporting the community is detailed in its Sustainability Report published yesterday.
It said that despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, BML continued to implement its CSR projects and initiatives to make a difference in the lives of individuals and communities across the country.
BML said that its 'Aharenge Bank Community Fund', an initiative aimed to empower individuals and local organizations to contribute to their community through sustainable projects, continued into its second year.
The Bank said that in 2020, MVR 1 million was invested to support 20 projects across the Maldives and that these projects include the development of library facilities in various islands, the establishment of parks, gyms, nature parks as well as financial support to establish solar powered street lights in islands.
Last year, the Bank supported the awareness programs run by the Cancer Society of Maldives as well as the Legal Aid program by Family Legal Clinic to provide legal assistance to individuals in need.
The Bank had also donated MVR 150,000 to the ARC AID Programme by Advocating the Rights of Children (ARC) that assisted vulnerable children during the Covid-19 pandemic. This donation supported 587 children in 300 vulnerable families across 9 atolls in the country.
BML said that it had continued its work to expand its banking network and services to support local communities during the past year.
In 2020, it opened new self-service banking ATM centers in 9 islands and upgraded ATMs with self-service banking facilities in an additional 5 islands.
To provide easy access to basic banking services at islands, the cash withdrawal charge was eliminated in over 170 Cash Agents providing the service across the country and over 40 Agents were established to offer cash deposit services, credit card, and loan repayments services in islands.
Highlighting its supports for people with disabilities, BML said that its initiative to donate motorized wheelchairs to mobility impaired individuals saw the successful delivery of 65 wheelchairs in 2020 and since 2017, had supported over 140 people through this project.
The Bank had also said that it had donated education tools to Special Education Needs (SEN) classes across 10 more schools, providing over 300 children a better learning environment through interactive play-and-learn.
It had also made a donation to the Maldives Deaf Association to support their work to empower and promote the rights of the deaf community in Maldives.
BML conceded that while 2021 will continue to be challenging as the extent of the pandemic remains unclear, but said that it is ready to continue to support the nation, its people, and the economy.
