Together for a happier Eid in the Sultanate of Oman

MUSCAT — ‘Together for a Happier Eid’, a social initiative by BankMuscat and Omantel, received a headstart yesterday with BankMuscat announcing a donation of RO83,000 to the noble cause, during the official launch of the donation drive at the bank’s corporate headquarters. Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Mohammed Al Ma’amri, undersecretary at the Ministry of Social Development, presided over the ceremony, attended by Dr Laila Omar Jaad, Unicef representative in Oman; dignitaries, guests and senior representatives of BankMuscat, Omantel and partner institutions supporting the campaign. The social initiative will benefit children of the less privileged families in Oman. Bringing smiles on the faces of children, the BankMuscat-Omantel initiative aims at effectively reaching out to all sections of society and unleashing the culture of donation through active participation by individuals and institutions. Staff put RO41,500 Internally, the bank launched the initiative among the staff members who contributed a total of RO41,500, which represents the highest donation by individuals from one company in Oman. The bank contributed an equal amount, taking the total BankMuscat donation on the first day of the initiative to RO83,000. The staff donation highlights the success of the campaign in achieving its objective of encouraging and cultivating the value of sharing and caring among individuals. AbdulRazak Ali Issa, chief executive of BankMuscat, said: “The ‘Together for a Happier Eid’ initiative is the first of its kind charity drive targeting the less privileged children in Oman. We are greatly encouraged by the overwhelming response to the Ramadan donation campaign as individuals, corporates and communities have positively responded and announced strong backing to the noble cause. The perception of general public as well as corporates and institutions about the Ramadan initiative is highly positive in view of it being led by BankMuscat and Omantel and we are confident that in the coming days, the campaign will generate a wave of support exceeding our expectations.” “The phenomenal support to the donation campaign from BankMuscat staff reflects a strong corporate ethos of caring and sharing. The management is proud to acknowledge the humanitarian concern of the bank staff, which we are sure will set an example and motivate others to actively support the charity campaign. We are gratified to note that by far this is the single largest charity donation by staff members of one company in Oman,” he added. Dr Amer bin Awadh Al Rawas, CEO, Omantel, said: “The ‘Together for a Happier Eid’ donation campaign is not limited to few corporates or institutions but the entire population who can participate without any financial burden. The simple donation mechanism, including an SMS campaign, allows everyone to participate and we urge all citizens and residents to donate and spread smiles on the faces of children in Oman.” Donation schemes The donation mechanism of the Ramadan initiative operates at three levels, namely: Donation SMS – The SMS response will result in donating 500 baisa per SMS. Participants can type the word ‘Donate’ (English) or Tabaara (Arabic) and send to 90899, which will result in donating 500 baisa per SMS. Donation Boxes — These are to be placed at corporates and institutions partnering in the initiative, mainly targeted at involving staff, customers and visitors to these offices. These donation boxes will be available at all branches of BankMuscat and Omantel offices. Dedicated Bank Account Number — Individuals or companies can send Ramadan donations to the dedicated BankMuscat Account No: 0331011506820016 The Ministry of Social Development will supervise the collection of donations from all three sources and identify eligible beneficiary children across the Sultanate. Donations will be collected after the first 15 days of Ramadan. The ministry will distribute funds to poor children in different parts of the country from the 16th day of Ramadan till 20th day. The objective is to provide these families with money at least 10 days before the end of Ramadan so that they can plan ahead and celebrate Eid. Shamsa Al Harthy, director, Department of Associations & Community Clubs, Ministry of Social Development, said: “BankMuscat and Omantel have launched a laudable initiative in reaching out to weaker sections of society. They have set a fine example for others to emulate and strengthen the hands of the needy people in Oman. The leadership role of BankMuscat and Omantel will surely motivate and encourage many institutions to lend full support to the donation initiative and make it a grand success. “The campaign is well structured to reach the masses and thereby generate support at all levels. Supervised by the Ministry of Social Development, the guarantee for the success of the Ramadan initiative is that it provides the platform as well as tools to collect and disburse funds to all deserving beneficiaries.” Special donation events will also be held at corporates and institutions.