Investing in the wellbeing of our communities is fundamental to delivering sustainable economic growth. We have continued to contribute to our communities through measures that promote UAE culture and heritage, foster collaboration to address social challenges, and provide financial support for worthy causes.
In a groundbreaking initiative to encourage the widespread adoption of sound personal financial management skills, ADCB has elevated its partnership with the Emirates Foundation, a UAE national foundation established in 2005 under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi and the meticulous direction of his brother His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and chaired by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
ADCB experts and Emirates Foundation specialists cooperated to develop the free, branch-based programme which focuses on providing helpful and sound information on topics of relevance and significance to young adults who have just started their careers, including: household budgeting, responsible borrowing, setting and reaching savings goals, and planning for the future. Aimed at young adults in the UAE, it is the first such programme in the region to combine an international best practices framework with delivery through in-branch personal mentoring sessions with well-trained staff.
The Bank, widely recognised as a pioneer in responsible lending practices, has worked with this revered UAE national foundation for a decade on various initiatives. Together, we are acting on the importance of educating citizens to manage their money better.
This innovative initiative aligns with the Bank's long-term strategy to add value to individual customers and the wider UAE society.
ADCB also promoted responsible money management through participation in the Shabaab Club, a financial literacy programme created by the Emirates Foundation. This train-the-trainer programme allowed ADCB staff to participate in comprehensive training on sound financial money management principles, delivered by a regional financial planning expert, and to give back to the community through outreach activities organised by the Emirates Foundation to train UAE national youth. ADCB constituted approximately 20% of the total participants in the Shabaab Club programme.
ADCB's flagship, award-winning programme seeks to help reduce the incidence of breast cancer — one of the most significant health issues facing our society — through many initiatives aimed at increasing understanding of the disease, promoting medical screening, helping to fund research and offering hope. In order to maximise visibility, many of our initiatives are concentrated during the month of October, known as ADCB Pink Month. Initiatives undertaken in 2016 included the following:
A total of approximately AED 98,000 was raised to support breast cancer research in 2016. ADCB ATM users had the opportunity to take part in the campaign by donating one dirham to the Al Jalila Foundation at the end of each transaction throughout the month of October. ADCB customers also donated through our Internet banking platform and Tree of Hope.
ADCB Pink Polo is a family-friendly day organised around a charity polo match at Ghantoot Polo Club in support of breast cancer awareness, held in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Health Authority. In 2016, we marked our seventh consecutive year sponsoring this event, which raises awareness about breast cancer in the UAE.
AED 13.7 million direct and indirect community investments
customer service complaints resolved within three days
ADCB Zayed Sport City (ZSC) Pink Run attracted over 1,000 people to join the popular 5K and 10K runs sponsored by ADCB and organised by Abu Dhabi Striders at Zayed Sport City. The ADCB ZSC Pink Run is more than just a running event, with people of different abilities coming together to show their support for breast cancer research.
Seminars were provided free of charge to ADCB staff to enable them to learn about breast cancer. Through the seminars, medical, health and wellbeing experts provided staff with a holistic understanding of breast cancer facts and risks, the importance of early detection, different screening methods, prevention tips and the importance of support groups.
Important information about breast cancer awareness is more broadly made available to the community through the Sustainability page at adcb.com.
ADCB launched the UAE's first public bicycle sharing system, ADCB Bikeshare, in December 2014 in partnership with Cyacle, a private bike-sharing venture of the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development. ADCB Bikeshare offers both transportation benefits and support for a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.
To promote a national Bike to Work initiative in 2016 within the UAE, a contingent of ADCB staff members participated in a bike to work activity along the Corniche, wearing ADCB branded sashes, riding ADCB Bikeshare bicycles.
There are currently 75 bicycles for hire at 11 locations, including Yas Island and Al Raha Beach in Abu Dhabi, with expansion scheduled to include the NYU campus and other locations on Saadiyat Island and Masdar City in early 2017. As at 31 December 2016, over 3.7 million kcal had been burned since launch and more than 19.95 tons of carbon emissions had been avoided through ADCB Bikeshare.
We also give back to the other communities where we do business. ADCB India has partnered with the Akshaya Patra Foundation to provide daily, hot, nutritious midday meals to school children in Bengaluru, Karnataka on school days. In 2016, we increased our support to Rs 4,790,426 which aims to serve approximately 6,400 school children during the academic year 2016-2017. This program was honoured with the Nikkei Asia and the Padma Shri Awards in 2016 in recognition for contributing to sustainable development in Asia, in distinguished service of the children of India.
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