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Muscat: Showing the tender side of their 'hearts', a group of young Omani bankers have formed a voluntary group to bring smiles to the faces of fellow citizens.
"The four of us started the group as an initiative and we have expanded to 40 within the bank," Manasik Al Mousawi, a founder of the charity group called BankMuscat Hearts, told Gulf News.
"We [young BankMuscat employees] formed the group with the sole aim of raising funds to support various social and environmental causes in the country," Manasik said.
"It is basically an employee initiative," she said. However, the bank has supported them wholeheartedly from the very beginning. Manasik added that all the members are young and they get involved in various charity or environmental causes.
"The average age of the group is less than 25," the soft-spoken banker said.
"Our country's population is young and at the bank, we also place an emphasis on youngsters and that is reflected in the group's initiative," said Abdul Razak Ali Eisa, Chief Executive at BankMuscat.
Manasik said they are enthusiastic about the group's growth in 2008. "We would like to grow ... but not by getting an office or registering this as an association but by helping more people and bringing more smiles to the needy, including children."
The group started their activities more than a year ago with the small gesture of distributing toys to cancer-stricken children at a hospital.
"That was just the beginning and since then, we have grown by lending a helping hand to people in different situations," Manasik said.
The most talked about initiative took place in Ramadan when group members climbed down from the top of the BankMuscat building in the busy Central Business District in Muscat.
"I dared to go down the ropes for the first time because it was to raise funds for the charity," Manasik said, adding with a smile that it was a fun experience.
She explained that when Muscat and the eastern parts of the country came under the fury of tropical cyclone Gonu, BankMuscat Hearts were also at the forefront in providing aid.
"We not only helped people in distress by providing utilities but our members also cleared debris and cleaned mud-filled neighbourhoods," Salah Al Sharji, an active member of the group, said.
Twenty-five Omani women are among the most active members but Manasik said the whole group is a team.
"There is no bigger movement than a movement driven by people. It is in this that I find the BankMuscat Hearts initiative truly remarkable, since it is an initiative conceived by our employees, run by our employees and supported by our employees," said Eisa.
The bank donates an equal amount to what the group raises through their activities and efforts. "We are glad to support them in whichever way possible, as they continue to strive to put smiles back on the faces of fellow citizens," the bank chief said.
Sulaiman Al Harthy, Deputy General Manager of Consumer Banking said the objective of the BankMuscat Hearts team is to find ways to "give back to society" by way of both physical and financial contribution.
"Their efforts are focused largely on women and children [including those with special needs], as well as those who need special care," said Al Harthy, who is associated with this initiative.
Charity: Fundraiser events
- The BankMuscat Hearts team conducts two kinds of events during the year: fundraising events and cause-specific events.
- Fundraising events are entertainment-led events to which members of the general public are invited to participate, along with BankMuscat employees and their families, through the purchase of tickets and/or special BankMuscat Heart's merchandise.
- The funds raised are then donated to identified charities.
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