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Standard Chartered Bangladesh CEO Naser Ezaz Bijoy, its Head of Corporate Affairs (Brand and Marketing) Bitopi Das Chowdhury, Executive Director of Friendship Runa Khan, Executive Director of UCEP Bangladesh Md Abdul Karim, CEO of Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute and Hospital AKM Akhtaruzzaman, and founder of TMSS Dr Hosne-Ara Begum attend a press conference held at a city hotel on Sunday.
Nearly 18 million people have benefitted from the development activities supported by Standard Chartered Bangladesh (SCB) through various local and international organisations in the last five years.
SCB has also focused on ensuring social development by making rural communities self-reliant, strengthening the agricultural sector, expanding education and skills training opportunities, developing young entrepreneurs, and taking effective steps to address the impacts of climate change.
Officials of SCB and its partner organisations made the observations at a press conference held at a hotel in the capital on Sunday.
They highlighted the bank's impactful sustainability initiatives across the country under its corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SCB Naser Ezaz Bijoy, its Head of Corporate Affairs (Brand and Marketing) Bitopi Das Chowdhury, Executive Director of non-governmental organisation (NGO) Friendship Runa Khan, Executive Director of UCEP Bangladesh Md Abdul Karim, CEO of Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute and Hospital AKM Akhtaruzzaman, and founder of TMSS Dr Hosne-Ara Begum spoke on the occasion.
Welcoming the guests, Naser Ezaz Bijoy said SCB's CSR helped improve the living standard of nearly a million people in 2024 across the country, helping farmers, youths, small business owners, and the vulnerable in society.
Giving a presentation on SCB activities, Bitopi Das Chowdhury said the multinational lender has extended its hands in remote areas and issues like environment and disaster management in line with the different targets of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
She said nearly 1.15 million people received eye care services through the support of Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute Hospital and SCB.
AKM Akhtaruzzaman said the importance of eye health is also mentioned in the SDGs as it makes a direct impact on the living of an individual.
Highlighting the role of SCB, he said they have undertaken a project to provide eye care to school students.
"We have recently undertaken a project to provide eye care services, including screening, scanning, and surgery, to 2,50,000 school and madrasah students across the country," he said, adding that the initiative began in January this year.
Runa Khan said corporate partners of an NGO always want to see the impacts of all activities implemented with their support instead of just the spending of the fund.
Citing an example of solar village in a remote char established with the collaboration between SCB and Friendship, she said the move made huge economic impacts on the economic activities there.
"Within just three years, people who did not even see a bill of Tk 500 now look for loans amounting to Tk 2,00,000 to expand businesses," she said.
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