FirstBank Promotes Kindness Across Countries During Fifth Annual CR&S Week

First Bank of Nigeria Limited is commemorating the fifth edition of its Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CR&S) week with the promotion of kindness across countries. 

The week is in furtherance of its continued commitment to impacting the lives of individuals in its host communities across seven other countries: Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Guinea, Sierra Lone, Senegal and Gambia. 

According to a statement by FirstBank on Thursday, the event scheduled for August 22-27 and themed ‘Kindness…. A Way of Life reflects the single-minded purpose to make a difference in the world by inspiring and institutionalising kindness. 

“The FirstBank CR&S Week is a dedicated week designed to offer opportunities for employees to give their time and resources to defined causes in line with the Bank’s CR&S strategic approach. 

“The CR&S Week will offer employees opportunities to give their time & resources to defined causes. The Week’s activities are an aspect of the Bank’s Employee Giving and Volunteering Program, which was instituted to encourage employees to give back to the community as well as inculcate in them the integral corporate culture of giving,” FirstBank stated. 

The CR&S’ maiden edition was focused on giving and visits to orphanages/less privileged homes/IDPs; career counselling day; and Staff Promoting Acts of Random Kindness (SPARK), renamed Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness, it noted. 

SPARK is a values-based initiative designed to raise consciousness that we can choose to be kind, the bank also noted. 
During this year’s edition in Nigeria, FBNBank UK and across the Sub-Saharan Africa markets, FirstBank disclosed it would implement five main activities: SPARK APP, Kind Comments Day, Visits to orphanage/less privileged homes, SPARK School Engagement, and Women Economic Empowerment. 

“The major highlight of the Week will be the launch of the SPARK APP. The app is strategic in the Bank’s journey to institutionalise “A Day of Kindness” on a national level, and globally position the Bank as a Corporate Citizen in leveraging new media to drive sustainability practices. 

“The SPARK App is a sensational application designed to have individuals abreast with the act of kindness through various kindness-based quotes and inspirational phrases that will be displayed on one’s phone screen, especially when the phone is idle,” the bank explained. 

FirstBank’s Chief Executive Officer, Adesola Adeduntan, added, “The CR&S Week is another opportunity to strengthen our commitment and extend our reach beyond the communities where we operate in Nigeria and across our subsidiaries.  Over time, our goal has stayed the same, to create platforms through which our positive impact is felt. 

“For us in the FirstBank Group, beyond saying that we care, we take a step further and show it.”