WINDHOEK – The four commercial banks in Namibia, First National Bank Namibia, Standard Bank Namibia, Nedbank and Bank Windhoek joined hands and created the “Walk Barefoot for Charity Day” which took place on April 1, 2014.
On Friday the four banks under the auspices of the Bankers Association of Namibia (BAN) officially handed over hundreds of pairs of shoes of all shapes and sizes. The recipients of these shoes included the Community Hope School, Friendly Haven, the Hope Initiative Southern Africa (HISA), the Katutura Old Age Home, King’s Daughters, Men-on-the-side-of-the Road and the School for the Hearing Impaired. The ‘Walk Barefoot for Charity Day’ involved staff members of the different banks challenging each other to donate new or old shoes of any size and the ‘donation’ served as entry for that specific staff member to go to work barefoot. The initiative was entirely a voluntary request and many staff members made the most of it. “In life we often do not appreciate what we have and I would like to make reference to the saying ‘I was sad because I had no good shoes, until I met a man who had no feet’. Let us be thankful for what we have and assist the ones that need our help. We therefore each have a role to play and how we can make a difference and which is what BAN members collectively wish to see,” said Ian Leyenaar, chairperson of the Bankers Association and FNB Namibia Group Chief Executive Officer.
Leyenaar added that the BAN also invited the public to donate shoes to ensure that some feet are guaranteed comfort and warmth this coming winter. Donation boxes were placed in branches in the banking halls where the public could drop off their donations. “I would also like to acknowledge the Bank of Namibia, who upon hearing about this worthy project also collected shoes for this cause,” noted Leyenaar. “The response has been overwhelming and I thus want to thank all those that contributed for their generosity by donating their old but good shoes or by buying new shoes which will hopefully enrich the life of a fellow human being, especially during winter this year. As an association and as good corporate citizens, I would like to thank each of the contributing banks who are represented here today for their support of this initiative and for their commitment to a very worthy cause,” concluded Leyenaar.
By Staff Reporter