Barclays workers make a difference |12 November 2012

Activities had been planned with educational institutions and a few of the children’s homes.

Some bankers spent their day at the President’s Village and Foyer de Nazareth, teaching the children living at these two homes practical skills in sewing, cooking, reading and numeracy.

They also organised other activities to make it a fun-filled day for the children at the two homes.

Mont Fleuri secondary school students also took part in the Make a Difference Day. They joined some of the bank’s staff in a tree planting activity at the Barclays ATM near University of Seychelles’ School of Education.

The students also learned to cook, weave and make a variety of craftwork and were taught how to plan and budget before carrying out these activities.

At the bank’s main branch on Independence Avenue, other members of staff were engaged in an interactive session with entrepreneurs from the Small Enterprise Promotion Agency, helping them understand how to better manage their businesses.

Those working at the Praslin and La Digue branches spent the day with the Baie Ste Anne and Grand Anse Praslin primary students, sharing basic money skills among other activities.

The bank also involved the students from the Seychelles Institute of Technology, the University of Seychelles and the International School in a variety of activities during the week.

In a press release, the bank’s managing director Rakesh Jha said as well as achieving a sense of fulfilment from an individual perspective, part of being a responsible corporate citizen is sharing skills that empower youth and communities.

“Make a Difference Day is the single biggest driver of our employee volunteering globally,” he said.

All Barclays Bank branches on Mahe and Praslin remained closed on Saturday to allow the workers to take part in the many activities.