FCMB donates Braille machines to visually impaired

First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited has donated 15 Braille machines to the Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind (FNSB) at its Vocational Training Centre, located at Oshodi, Lagos State.

The Braille machines (comparable to a typewriter) are designed to aid the blind in reading and writing, with a view to assisting them get sound education.

The donation of the machines forms part of the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, which focus on poverty alleviation, economic empowerment and environmental sustainability.

The gesture is aimed at effectively supporting FNSB towards enhancing the standard of teaching, as well as learning for the blind students of the centre. The centre was established 60 years ago and so far, over 2,000 visually impaired men and women have benefitted from the various training programmes at the centre.

The Group Head, Corporate Affairs of FCMB, Diran Olojo, said that the bank recognises the importance of every segment of the society, and “as a corporate organisation, we believe that it is necessary to constantly extend the hand of fellowship, support and love to the physically challenged and other less privileged groups through charity programmes like this.

“We will continue to support initiatives and programmes that empower people to fulfil their aspirations. We are committed to helping a wide spectrum of our stakeholders to ensure the emergence of a sustainably progressive society’’.

Also, the Divisional Head, Human Resources and Strategy of FCMB, Felicia Obozuwa, added: “We will do our best to help remove barriers, give new hope, provide resources and expand possibilities, so that people with vision loss can achieve their full potential’’.

She commended the board and management of the FNSB for sustaining the Society and centre over the years and for its contributions in alleviating the plight of the visually impaired.

The Chairman of FNSB, Asiwaju Fola Osibo, expressed gratitude to FCMB, saying: “We are determined to give the best support to the students of the Centre so that they can actualise their potential and subsequently contribute to national development”.