Amãna Bank’s CSR initiative, Orphan Care was recognized with the Gold Award for Social Upliftment Project of the Year at the recently concluded SLIBFI Awards 2020 adjudicated by KPMG.
Commenting on the accolade Orphan Care Trust Chairman Ruzly Hussain said “Winning this Gold Award is an encouragement for Amãna Bank Orphan Care which continues to benefit orphan children by giving them a reasonable choice in life. This award testifies the growing acceptance of our programme that is alleviating the financial status of Orphan children once they leave institutional care. I would like to thank my fellow Trustees, Donors, Bank Employees and Partners for their support towards our cause. ”
Sharing his thoughts on the progress of the Orphan Care programme, Head of Orphan Care Azad Zaheed said, “Despite the pandemic, we have been steadfast in our activities, continuing to distribute funds while also increasing the number of beneficiaries, showcasing the growing interest on the Orphan Care program. To date, Amãna Bank Orphan Care has enrolled over 2,800 deserving orphan children across the country and has completed five rounds of fund disbursements.” Amãna Bank Orphan Care was established as an independent trust to address a very important yet mostly unattended need of orphan children; which is to secure the fate of orphans once they reach the age of 18 and are compelled to leave institutional care. Termed by UNICEF as ‘The Second Abandonment’, this growing concern is the challenge faced by orphans, who initially were abandoned in childhood, and who are now forced to transit or ‘age out’ of institutional care.
The Bank’s approach seeks to intervene in a vital and decisive aspect of their problem which is funding. To that end, the Orphan Care Trust has been making periodic deposits into orphans’ accounts until they reach the age of 18, at which point the funds will become accessible to them.
Inviting to join the cause Zaheed said, “We invite all those who share our sentiments to support orphan children to join our cause. You can access the detailed prospectus on Orphan Care and other material by visiting www.amanabank.lk/orphan-care.”
