Education is vital for rural transformation, and economic and ecological progress of communities. However, many schools in rural areas face some of the biggest challenges and are deficient even in basic requirements such as toilets and libraries, due to the lack of resources
West/Ginnrouwa Junior School situated in Mahiyangana is one such school. A majority of the students come from low income families and attend poorly equipped classes. The teachers face many practical difficulties in teaching which result in a low quality of education for the students. The majority of the students had never been to Colombo or travelled in a train.
A team from the NDB Head Office consisting of the Leasing, Internal Audit, IT, Digital Financial Services, OCMD, Network Management & Shared Services Departments volunteered to improve the infrastructure of the school. The team assisted in improving the infrastructure of this school, including the renovation of the existing toilets, setting up a library with over 1500 books, upgrading classrooms and donating sports equipment.
Additionally, NDB volunteers also conducted a variety of motivational workshops for the students, the school faculty and parents followed by an art competition. However, the highlight of the project for the students was when the Bank volunteers organized a visit to Colombo which included a visit to the Planetarium, Colombo City Tour (including the prominent places such as the Museum & Nelum Pokuna), a Train trip from Fort to Wellawatte and the Wellawatte Beach.
NDB commenced the “Employee Volunteerism” CSR Initiative in 2009. As a responsible corporate citizen, NDB believes that ‘Community Involvement’ goes beyond core business activities and with an objective of creating value through employee participation, the Bank encourages its employees to volunteer their time and effort to give back to the community.
Employee volunteering programs can allow workers to feel that the work they do is not only contributing to the overall success of the company, but that it is also helping out a charitable cause that is important to them. Whilst, inculcating responsibility towards the Community and Environment in all NDB employees, this initiative also motivates them to venture out on their own and implement their own projects.
NDB Bank which is the first and to date the only corporate in Sri Lanka to officially be certified with EDGE Certification, the leading and only global certification for gender equality at work place, is the parent company of the NDB Group, one of the fastest growing financial services conglomerates in Sri Lanka, with the strategic mission to be the dominant leader in the financial services and banking sector. From its inception, the group which includes NDB Bank, NDB Capital, NDB Investment Banking, NDB Wealth, and NDB Securities has been a catalyst in the development of the nation, strengthening and empowering entrepreneurs, corporates and individuals from all strata of the economy. Customers across all group companies have benefited from the product and service offerings of the NDB group.