StanChart Mt Kilimanjaro climb raises 220m/-

DAILY NEWS Reporter

Standard Chartered Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing, Ms Juanita Mramba (left)

STANDARD Chartered Bank staff across the global have managed to raise some 220m/- after scaling Africa’s tallest Mount Kilimanjaro.

The fund raised out of the Mt Kilimanjaro Climb Challenge will be channeled to the bank’s ‘Seeing is Believing’ Project in the Singida. Speaking at a ceremony to welcome the team from the summit, the bank’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing, Ms Juanita Mramba, congratulated the team for having successfully completed the challenge and their efforts in raising funds for the Singida project.

“[The] bank believes that avoidable blindness and uncorrected vision impairment can be prevented through investment in establishing better eye care services for everyone – everywhere,” Ms Juanita said.

The bank said raising over 220m/- for the ‘Seeing is Believing’ was a great milestone for the country as they are marking their Centenary Anniversary this year. “The funds will also go a long way in covering the next phase of our ‘Seeing is Believing’ project in Singida which is focusing on children,” Ms Mramba said.

All 28 climbers made it to the highest peak, Uhuru. They climbers comprised of the staff from over ten countries which included the US, UK, South Africa, Korea, China, Singapore, UAE, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Ireland, Pakistan and India.

The Singida Regional Medical Officer, Dr Salim Manyatta, explained that funds raised would be used to carry out eye camps for children, provide affected children with glasses and medicine according to their condition, run training for eye care providers and purchase latest technology eye care equipment. Sightsavers International, Project Coordinator Edwin Maleko assured the bank of his organization’s keen execution of the project.

The staff who participated in the climb will, this week, proceed to Singida and will volunteer in an eye camp exercise as well as visit some of the project’s beneficiaries. By 2020, the Bank want to raise 100 million US dollars for ‘Seeing is Believing’ globally.