The first step is to make that decision to do what counts. Show care, inform, give, share and love. This is how progress is made and we grow. This is how you help a friend or a loved one. This is what makes us human.
For Sterling Bank, it hits closer to home because the bank’s priority sectors are Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Transportation. This is the H.E.A.R.T of Sterling. This is what makes it beat. With Health as one of the main pillars, the bank has supported the fight against the unfortunate COVID-19 pandemic since its inception, necessitating its novel interventions which include:
- A 250 Million Naira donation to assist the Federal Government’s fight against COVID-19
- The sponsorship of a drive-through mass testing centre with a target capacity of 200 tests per day
- A 50 Million Naira donation to Fate Foundation to convert and equip Igbobi Hospital as an isolation centre
- Free healthcare checkup for 60 days
- Contribution of 25 Million Naira to the launch of the Health Workers Fund on Giving.ng
- The development of an educative COVID game
With the rise in the number of people affected by COVID-19 in Nigeria, the bank made a donation of N250 million to support the Federal Government’s effort to curtail the spread in the country. According to the financial institution, the donation is part of its contribution to the Bankers’ Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to combat the epidemic, adding that it is also working with the newly formed Nigerian Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19.
In addition, a free mobile testing centre was launched as they saw the need to expand testing for the virus in the community. This was made possible by LifeBank in partnership with The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) and was proudly sponsored by Sterling Bank.
Settling up of the Sterling sponsored COVID-19 Drive-through testing centre
The idea was conceived, it got funded, the facility was built and it was launched in just 5 days. On 31st March 2020, 70 people were tested and the aim is to get 200 people tested per day. The Drive-through Mass Testing Centre is located at the parking lot of the Cancer Research Centre of NIMR. To get tested, visit http://nimr.covid.com.ng to register.
Medical personnel at the Sterling sponsored COVID-19 Drive-through testing centre
The Sterling sponsored COVID-19 Drive-through testing centre
Sterling Bank also saw the need to design and equip a state-of-the-art isolation centre as the number of infected people grew. In partnership with Fate Foundation, the bank made a donation of 50 Million Naira to convert the Igbobi Hospital into an isolation centre for the fight of coronavirus.
The Bank, in its creative corporate citizenship, to combat the scourge of this unwanted pandemic decided to offer free health care checkups. The venture was made available through the partnership with Tremendoc Limited, a technology service whose mobile application provides a virtual doctor on-demand. They are making doctors available anytime and anywhere and for 60 days, customers will have 24-hour access to free medicals on Sterling Bank’s tab. All that is required is to visit sterling.ng/doc to get started.
There was also the design of the COVID game, a simple but very interactive, fun and informative game developed with the aim of creating awareness about the Coronavirus and more importantly, to show the right preventive measures to take when dealing with the virus. To play the game, visit sterling.ng/cov19.
But that’s not all. There is one more touchpoint.
There are the health workers at the forefront of this fight that no one is paying attention to. Sterling Bank saw that these medical practitioners were putting their lives at risk for the greater good and this is what necessitated the donation to the Health Workers Fund – a crowdfunding initiative for health workers at the forefront of the fight of this deadly pandemic to assist them, their family and loved ones in getting through these times.
Giving, a crowdfunding platform has launched a special COVID-19 fund where Nigerians can make their contributions towards the goal. The aim is to raise One Billion Naira to support the cause and the health workers on the forefront of this fight.
You can join in the fight against COVID-19, by making a contribution to eradicate this pandemic for good. Contributions can be made on https://giving.ng/covid19. Every naira donated will go a long way in saving the country we call our home.
Since the start of this pandemic, we have seen a lot of efforts collectively worldwide to put an end to it as soon as possible and to find a cure. We are sad but we will fight for it as long as it takes because this is a fight for humanity.
