Signature CSI Initiative- Together4ALimb

Stanbic IBTC’s signature CSI Initiative, tagged ‘Together 4 A Limb’, although is health related, has an education element to it as well as an Economic Empowerment leg as it affords the recipients a level playing field to compete in life . It focuses on transforming the lives of indigent children suffering limb losses, either through accidents, mismanaged injuries or congenital issues/birth defects. Such children are offered prostheses and educational trust funds by Stanbic IBTC, effectively addressing both their health and education needs.

An important aspect of the signature CSI is the charity walk, organized yearly to raise awareness of the plight and, hopefully, ginger deliberate actions by government, policymakers, and the general public to address the problem.  “Only a mother would know the joy I felt to see Aliyu walk again.” This statement was made in Abuja by Mrs. Sharetu Usman, mother to then three-year-old Aliyu Usman, a beneficiary of prosthetic limbs from Stanbic IBTC as well as an Educational Trust Fund from us. Aliyu had lost a limb to an accident. Indeed, the elation was plain to see as Mrs Usman pranced about during the Stanbic IBTC Together 4 A Limb charity walk to raise awareness for limbless underserved children.

Since the 2015 launch of the ‘Together 4 A Limb’ initiative, Stanbic IBTC has helped to change the course of the lives of little Aliyu and 19 young Nigerians who have suffered limb losses. The signature corporate social investment initiative of the Stanbic IBTC Group was formally launched on December 2, 2015.

The adoption of the Together 4 A Limb as Stanbic IBTC’s flagship CSI initiative stemmed from the fact that it addressed the financial institution’s three cardinal CSI objectives of health, education and economic empowerment. Indeed, by focusing on the provision of prostheses, Stanbic IBTC had touched on a profound area of need and is able to address its three CSI pillars in one fell swoop.

By committing to provide prosthetic limbs for beneficiaries until they are 18 years effectively takes care of their all-round healthcare needs as it relates to their limb care. Such commitments help to give the beneficiary children access to quality medical facilities they otherwise would not have been able to afford. The average lifespan of prosthesis is one to two years on a growing child and to fit the artificial limbs, a comprehensive health check is often required. What this means is that the children are exposed to regular medical checks and the state of their health becomes paramount. Stanbic IBTC equally opened a N1.5 million education trust fund for each of the children fitted with prostheses, thus exposing them to quality education.

By addressing the children’s healthcare and educational needs, Stanbic IBTC has greatly reduced the financial burdens on the parents, which will help empower them economically. With less worries on the health and education needs of their children, parents are able to conserve the family income and deploy such for other useful needs.

Some of our beneficiaries in pictures

Perhaps of greater importance is the yearly charity walk by Stanbic IBTC to help raise awareness about the need to support the vulnerable in society, the indigents and the youth, particularly limbless children who are often stigmatized and treated as if they are less human than the full limbed children. While accurate figure is not available, estimates put the population of limbless individuals in the country at roughly 20 million, of mostly children and young adults. According to the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics, “There are no standard figures as to how many amputees or orthotics users there are in Nigeria.” What this means is that the figure could be less or more than the estimated 20 million.

In furtherance of Stanbic IBTC’s commitment to value creation via social, economic and environmental initiatives that support and contribute to the prosperity and wellbeing of the Nigerian society, well-meaning Nigerians alongside a contingent of staffers, thronged the streets of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt on Saturday October 27, 2018, to commemorate the year’s charity walk and to celebrate the 20 beneficiaries of the initiative fitted so far.