Standard Bank Cup finalists donate to SOS Children Village
Standard Bank Knock Out Cup finalists Silver Strikers and Mighty Wanderers Friday donated assorted items worth K700,000 to SOS Children Village in Lilongwe.
Led by Standard Bank official, the items include cooking oil, rice and sugar among others.
Speaking during the donation, the bank’s Director of IT William Nuka said the involvement of the the two teams ahead of their final match in the Standard Bank Knock-Out Cup, is a one way of familiarising them with the bank’s Corporate Philanthropy and Social Investment initiatives.
“As one of the world’s leading sports, football has been a source of charitable giving for a long time. While this has not yet caught on in Malawi, Standard Bank through the Knock-Out Cup has decided to take a leading role.
“When a market leader as Standard Bank is, you must lead by example. That is why we thought involving the two football powerhouses to set a precedent that sport, in particular football and charity must go together,” said Nuka
Nuka expressed hope that in the future football clubs in Malawi will appreciate the need to integrate Corporate Social Responsibility in their strategies beyond what they do on the pitch, a trend worldwide were sports stars and clubs run charitable foundations.
“For example in the UK, Sir David Beckham runs his own charities and so does Tennis and Golf stars Rodger Federer and Tiger Woods, respectively. Here in Africa, the likes of Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o and Lucas Radebe are synonymous with charity ventures. That is the way it should be and why should that not be the case in Malawi?” he
wondered
“As a leading sponsor of sport, our hope is that the various disciplines we sponsor will learn to support charity and be identified with worthwhile social responsibility national causes.”
The IT director said touched by their plight, Standard Bank identified SOS as the rightful beneficiary under the Bank’s Knock-Out Cup.
“SOS—as the name suggests—has over the years been identified with rescuing disadvantaged children, some of whom are picked from the streets after losing either their parents or guardians. They are brought here and given a roof over their heads. But these children have dynamic needs as they grow. They need decent and nutritious food,
clothes, an education and most importantly, treatment and care when sick. It is pleasing to note that the SOS is well equipped to provide these necessities under one roof,” Nuka explained
He said as two teams will be bringing a cheer for their fans at the Stadium, the children at SOS will also be smiling after eating a balanced meal.
Commenting on the donation, SOS Board Chair Esnart Kaliyati said the donation has come at the right time when the village was looking for food stokes.
“We look after s lot of orphans who many of them have no traceable relations, so we rely also on well wishers so that together, we can mould the bright future for these children,” she said.
SOS has three villages in Malawi and has over 522 children.
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