The United Bank organizes a sign language volunteer workshop to empower disables

19/11/2024

The United Bank organizes a sign language volunteer workshop to empower disables

 

Ashraf El kady- Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director

• The United Bank effectively pursue the Egyptian Republic vision 2030, and The Central Bank of Egypt to empower people with disabilities economically and socially.

• Spreading financial culture through sign language contributes to expanding financial inclusion scheme.

• UB implement CSR strategy for people with disabilities since 2019.

• UB provides 20 initiatives and services for handicapped to empower them socially, economically, health and culturally.

 

Under the slogan of “Touch Your Dream”, UB organized earlier today a workshop for its employees to learn the fundamentals of sign language.

The workshop aims to enhancing the cognitive awareness of sign language, and presenting the basic mechanisms that can help UB team to communicate with disabled clients which directed to serve that segment. In a serious trial to attract them to the banking sector and expand financial inclusion scheme.

On the internal cultural level inside UB: learning sign language contributes to breaking down barriers and enhance cooperation. As well as, developing the cognitive skills of UB work. Either by thinking or reasoning, or by solving problems using sign language.

On the community level: includes developing social skills and ability to communicate with disabled people, either clients or non- clients. That is to help in spreading banking knowledge, which support CBE plans towards expanding the financial inclusion. As well as, the Egyptian Republic plans to empower disabilities socially and economically.

Dr. Sayed Samy- Professor in sign language, both in Arabic and English conducted the workshop providing basic communication using sign language. Such as how to greet someone, how to make a simple conversation, how to communicate with disabled clients to deliver banking information and financial transactions through digital channels designed for them.

The volunteer workshop contributes to enhancing cognitive skills for UB team. Through collecting the biggest amount of sign language vocabulary. As well as, thinking, deduction and problem solving mechanisms. 

UB Strategy to empower people with disabilities

Ashraf El Kady- Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director , The United Bank, stated that UB is among the firsts banks to launch a sustainable strategy to empower disabled since 2019. The strategy included the release of ranges of initiatives and services provided on four axes: banking, health, educational, and cultural axes.

First: Banking Services:

The United Bank provides a set of distinctive banking services, either traditional or compliant with sharia provisions, through a network of 68 branches widely spread all over the Republic. 

1- UB allocates 8 branches to serve special needs, providing banking services according to the latest international quality standards, in a number of governorates like: Cairo, Giza, Damietta, Port Saied, and New Alamien.

2- UB Qualified these branches with a well- equipped infrastructure aiming to provide disables with the smoothest possible movement, either inside the branch or outside. In order to comfort and easiness their banking experience.

3- UB trains more than 140 customer service agents to deal with sign language, to ensure the fluency of communication and transmitting banking information successfully. 

4- UB prints banking documents with Braille system, to ensure visually impaired customers’ the optimum experience and knowledge about the bank’s products and services. As well as, the terms and conditions as per The Central Bank of Egypt in order to achieve the total transparency.

5- UB provides communications materials, either video with sign language or audio, to ensure the continual communication with disabilities customers.

6- UB offers special needs with cards, both debit and credit, either traditional or compliant with sharia provisions. Those cards with embossing letters and digits to make it clearer and easier for their transaction. 

7- UB provides all digital services through “Your Bank Online”, that includes (UB Digital Wallet, UB Mobile Banking, and Internet Banking), in order to facilitate and easier for disables customers to make all their banking transactions 24/7.

8- UB provides technical aid for special needs customers through call center services.

9- UB provides voice services through call center for disables where they could enjoy their banking transaction independently. 

10- UB provides 23 ATMs dedicated with disables services, which enable them to make their transactions easily.

11- UB presents a set of distinctive banking products for disables: (all kinds of accounts/ personal loans/ mortgage for limited and middle income/ set of deposits and saving certificates with Egyptian and foreign currencies)

12- UB conducts financial inclusion campaign aimed to spreading banking awareness in three governorates (Dhakahlya- Cairo- Damieetta)

Second: Health Services

The United Bank organized two medical convoys for handicapped in a number of border governorates such as South Sinai and North Sinai, for two years in row, with the cooperation of Misr El Kheir foundation.

• The first convoy: was directed to South Sinai governorate in 2023- examining a number of 1535 handicapped in (ophthalmology- orthopedics- mycology- ENT-urology- surgeries).  The convoy included an integrated pharmacy that contained all kinds of medications (glasses after examination- making analysis and required x –rays). In addition to providing earpieces to those who are deaf.

• The second convoy: was directed to North Sinai governorate in 2024- examining a number of 695 handicapped in (ophthalmology- orthopedics- mycology- ENT-urology- surgeries).  The convoy included an integrated pharmacy that contained all kinds of medications needed by beneficiaries (glasses- analysis- X-rays- medical surgeries- ear pieces- prosthetic equipment- wheel chairs).

Third: Educational Services:

1- The annual Holy Quran competition- encrypted with an integrated psocially, culturally and scientifically program for Holy Quran reciters. UB enrolled 517 disables reciters in 17 governorates (Gharbia, Menofya- Sharqia- Kafr el sheikh- Dhakhalya- Menia- Sohag- Beni Suef- Assiut- Alexandria- Marsa Matrouh- El Behera- Suez- Port Saied- Damietta- and  South Sinai that includes El Tour/ Saint Caterina and the surrounding valleys/ Ras Sedr/ Abou Zenema/ Abu Redees/ Nueba/ Dahab/ Sharm El Sheikh)

2- The international Lego Competition for Robots and programing - UB sponsor with the cooperation of Asdaa foundation the competition for two years in row:

• In 2023- 21 deaf students participated in the competition, and they won the second place. To continue with international and local competitions. That enabling them to get full scholarships in The Arab Academy for Science and Technology.

• In 2024- 15 deaf competitors in the International Olympics for Robots, it will be held next October 2024 in Alexandria.

Fourth: Media and Culture 

1- Launching the campaign of (Touch Your Dream) since 2019, which is a set of annual media campaigns directed to diables. These campaigns aiming to empowering them especially youth and women.

2- Launching a number of photographed reports, audio and video materials, in digital and social media platforms. As well as, a number of specialized printed newspaper, such as (Akhbar Braille)

3- Launching a set of awareness sessions to empower special needs qualifying them acquainting them financial inclusion system under the auspices of The Central Bank of Egypt.

4- Organizing a volunteering day educating sign language for UB team. In order to ensure the continual and direct communication with the target segment.

 

End.