On 24th December, ABC Bank staff visited Kayole Children’s Home to deliver the Bank’s Christmas gift to the children. ABC Bank has been supporting the Children’s Home for many years and as per our Christmas tradition, we wrapped the year sharing the Christmas spirit of love and sharing with a Christmas blessing to the children including 2 goats because Christmas is not complete without ‘mbuzi’.
On the 16th of December, the Bank donated old newspapers to (TCF) to go towards the support of people living with spinal cord injury.
The Cluster Foundation (TCF) is a hub of hope for the persons with spinal cord injury, also known as paraplegics. Established in 2008 with the objective of restoring hope and rekindling zest in the lives of paraplegics, TCF has been the main beneficiary of the Bank’s old newspapers since year 2012.
The organization has so far served over 280 Spinally Injured Person (SIP) in 10 counties.
ABC Bank sponsored the Fortune Sacco Football Club with Branded T-shirts, caps, training bibs and soccer boots. The Bank staff presented the team representatives with the football gear on 4th October in Kirinyaga. This was part of the Bank’s CSR initiatives and was also aimed at strengthening our business ties. The Bank has been partners with Fortune Sacco since 2014 to provide cheque clearing solutions for the sacco members.
Fortune FC is a football team based in Kirinyaga, Kenya that focuses on uplifting our community through football. It is in the National Super League that then leads to promotion into the Kenya Premier League.
ABC Bank joined the world in marking this year’s Customer Service Week by celebrating its relationship with customers in all its branches. The Bank engaged customers and staff in a variety of exciting activities as part of its efforts in embracing this year’s Customer Service Week theme of “Beyond the Smile”. Bank staff surprised customers with tokens of appreciation at their premises to celebrate with them on their milestones on their individual journeys.
The annual week-long event was marked from 7th to 11th October. This is an international celebration of the importance of customer service and of the people who serve and support customers on a daily basis. Locally, the event is coordinated by the Institute of Customer Service of Kenya.
The week was filled with pomp and glamour for both external and internal customers where customers enjoyed goodies and fun-filled activities in our branches. The Bank took the opportunity to celebrate its customers and appreciate them for journeying with us and for their support over the years.
On Saturday 10th August, part of our ABC Bank team visited Zion Children’s Home in Kasarani to deliver books and household goods. The children were really excited to get so many storybooks that will keep them very busy during the school holidays. Mercy, the Zion library prefect, was thrilled to have their library stocked. It was a fun-filled day as the kids danced and interacted with the guests. As Taylor Swift said, books train your imagination to think big and realize you can be whatever you want to be.
ABC Bank has been supporting our customer, the Catholic church, in various initiatives such as sponsoring the Mater Heart Run and other church events. The Bank sponsored a Fund Drive organized by the Catholic Diocese of Kakamega held on 29th June 2019 at St. Peter’s Seminary Grounds. During the event, the church raised funds towards the ongoing construction of the Tuition Block. The Bank also sponsored the PEFA church Nyanza regional conference held on 2nd July at Siaya for construction of a new church. The ABC Kisumu team represented the Bank during both events.
Nicholas Muchami carved a road in Kaganda village, Murang’a county to save villagers the trouble of using a longer route to their destination. When his story went viral, many well-wishers came forward to celebrate his selflessness. Some ABC Bank staff took it upon themselves to recognize his efforts in giving back to the community by coming together and contributing household shopping in May.
ABC Bank pledged to support Muchami for his philanthropic act and on Tuesday 11th June, the Bank delivered on its promise. ABC Bank staff led by General Manager – Treasury & Financial Institutions Philip Wambua surprised Muchami at his home in Kaganda, Murang’a by delivering a high yielding ‘grade’ dairy cow, a supply of cow feed and livestock insurance right to his doorstep.
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Not all heroes wear capes and certainly Nicholas Muchami, a 45-year old man from Kaganda village, Kiharu, Murang’a County is one of them.
The tall, lean, ashy-haired man of few words does not resemble a character that mirrors one of Marvel’s Avenger franchise heroes, but to the people of his village, Muchami is hailed as the local hero who has made life better for all.
His story, that went viral on social media, narrates how he tirelessly dug a road up a hill for 10 days straight so that the distance between two parts of Kaganda village could be halved.
Armed with a hoe and a ramrod determination to complete his task to construct a 1.5 kilometre road, Muchami dug from dawn to dusk to dig the road up a hill.
“I work as a watchman at a nearby school and I see that people around the area including children have to walk at least four kilometers to get from one point of Kaganda to another. I decided to dig the road to make travelling easier,” said Muchami when he visited ABC Bank’s head office.
Esther Wanjiku, a social activist and a Kaganda native, was joyously unrestrained when the road was completed and this is what drove her to tell Muchami’ s story via social media, a move that has stolen the hearts of Murang’a residents, local, regional and national politicians, businessmen, mainstream media and other Kenyans including the management of ABC Bank.
Esther, who accompanied Muchami for the meeting at ABC Bank, says that road has inspired other residents in the area to take up ownership of challenges they face while at the same time this road has challenged leaders, across the board, to apply themselves in solving issues that affect their constituents.
“Muchami is an inspiration to us all that we do not necessarily have to have money to solve problems,” said Esther. Since the news went viral Muchami has additionally attracted the attention of businesspeople from as far as Kitengela as well as well-wishers who have stepped forward to show appreciation of his work, and this has been helpful.
Muchami has managed to build the road despite numerous challenges including not having a complete house while at the same time, he does menial gigs to supplement his meagre income.
“Some of the problems that I have include an incomplete house. I would appreciate if my home could get electricity. I would be eternally grateful if I had another dairy cow,” added the soft-spoken man.
ABC Bank decided to make his wishes come through. ABC Bank Treasury & Financial Institutions General Manager Philip Wambua pledged, on behalf of the bank, to buy a high yielding ‘grade’ dairy cow and at least six months of feed and livestock insurance. “In addition to supporting Muchami with his immediate needs we must also provide solutions that are sustainable,” said Philip at the meeting.
ABC Bank will work with Esther to open an account for Muchami with the local milk processors so that he can supply his milk on a daily basis, organize to open a bank account for him, give him financial training and organize extension services to ensure that his cows are healthy, and they can multiply. Bank staff also contributed their own resources to send him back home with an assortment of food and household goods.
On Friday,19th April, ABC Bank staff had the pleasure of joining Kayole Children’s home to celebrate Easter before schools reopened. ABC Bank has been supporting the home over the years.