Standard Chartered day at Finlay’s Duckwari

Recently a team of 29 members from Standard Chartered Bank’s Corporate and Institutional Clients (CIC) business visited Finlay Plantations’ Duckwari Estate in Kandy, on the initiative of Standard Chartered’s Diversity and Inclusion team under its ‘Customer and Community’ program. 

Standard Chartered Head of Corporate and Institutional Clients Colin Pawley, speaking of the event said: “As an extension of the bank’s curable blindness agenda, ‘Seeing is Believing’, the volunteers conducted an eye screening and spectacle distribution session for 230 estate workers. Living with HIV spokespersons raised awareness of the virus, modes of transmission and prevention from infection, among the youth on the estate. And the volunteers also provided some much needed expertise and advice on micro finance, money management and entrepreneurship to estate workers aspiring to enterprise. The day was made complete with the painting of a crèche for the very young and about 70 children were kept entertained for the day with singing and dancing and gifts whilst the adults were at the sessions.”

Duckwari Estate Superintendent Shammi wrote to the bank stating: “I write to thank you and the entire team of Standard Chartered Bank for conducting the program for the benefit of the population of this estate. We appreciate very much your goodwill gesture in providing spectacles to the needy totally free of charge keeping in line with your organisation’s theme of ‘Seeing is believing’ and conducting an awareness program on financial literacy and prevention of HIV to our workforce together with a kiddies corner and distributing gifts to the children and distribution of clothes and also colour washing of an entire crèche. I wish to inform you that the people of this estate will be ever grateful to you and to your organisation for bringing happiness to their lives.”