According to a statement, the donations, which provided boreholes to each of the six geo-political regions of the country, formed part of activities to mark Union Bank’s 2020 Employee Volunteer Day (EVDay).
“Introduced in 2019, EVDay reinforces Union Bank’s commitment to building a workforce that is conscious about giving back to the communities where they live and work.
“This year, the Gift of Water project was selected to provide more Nigerians in underserved communities with access to potable water supply, improving their quality of life and enabling them maintain the proper hand-washing routine advised by World Health Organisation (WHO) Covid-19 guidelines,” the statement added.
It noted that although Nigeria is rich in water resources, access to clean potable water is one of the challenges facing several rural communities.
According to WHO, “About 63 million Nigerians do not have access to improved drinking water sources, and only 42% of households in rural areas have access to safe drinking water.”
The communal boreholes were established in Ubulu Uku in Delta State; Gidan Dagachi Kureken Sani in Kano State; Kpebi-Sarki in Abuja; Ohubo Village, Ama Nkanu Community in Enugu State; Sari Iganmu, Orile in Lagos State and Abujan Amare, Gashua in Yobe State.
Commenting on the donations, the Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank, Emeka Emuwa, was quoted in the statement to have said, “Union Bank is proud to lead the charge for social impact. Initiatives such as this present the opportunity to give back to the society and support the average Nigerian. We are pleased by this clear demonstration of the Union Bank culture of community service and corporate citizenship.”
Also commending the level of employee engagement, the Bank’s Head of Corporate Communication and Marketing, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, said –
“Union Bank is pleased about this opportunity to impact over 15,000 lives through this project. ‘Community’ is one of our core values as a Bank, and it is rewarding to see our efforts create true impact. Over 2,950 employees donated funds towards this initiative, with the Bank matching every N1,000 raised, to ensure that six communities have potable water supply.”
Haske Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) dedicated to making clean potable water accessible to rural communities in Nigeria, was engaged to ensure long-term sustenance of the community boreholes. The Foundation will monitor and provide technical assistance for the project for 12 months. In addition, committees were set up in each of the communities, to ensure good coordination and proper use of the facility by community members.
