MUSCAT: As part of its strong commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility and efforts to deliver long-term benefits to society, Bank Muscat the leading financial services provider in the Sultanate of Oman, recently presented several laptops to the Omani Committee for Sports for the Deaf, which is under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth. The event was held in the presence of Sayyida Naila Hamad Al Busaidi, Chairperson of the Omani Committee for Sports for the Deaf and Talib Saif Al Makhmari, Head, Community & Media Relations, Bank Muscat. The laptops will contribute to the training of committee members with various hearing disabilities on different areas including the use of computer programmes in sports and education.

Sayyida Naila Hamad Al Busaidi, Chairperson of the Omani Committee for Sports for the Deaf said: “We are very happy to collaborate with Bank Muscat on this initiative and thank the bank for its keen interest in enhancing partnership with organisations working for the welfare of hearing-impaired persons. The committee is keen to continue partnering different institutions so as to be able to provide members with suitable means to develop their educational and sports skills. These types of initiatives are very important as they help persons with disabilities enhance their participation in society and play a successful role in the community.”

Speaking on the occasion, Talib Saif Al Makhmari, Head, Community & Media Relations, Bank Muscat, said: “Bank Muscat always attaches great importance to those initiatives that focus on strengthening our partnership with educational, sports, community and charitable institutions. In this regard, we are pleased to strengthen our partnership with the Omani Committee for Sports for the Deaf by providing these specially-configured laptops, which will help members of the committee develop their knowledge and skills in the best possible manner. We wish them all success and will continue with such initiatives that help provide the best services to our society.”

The Omani Committee for Sports for the Deaf aims to promote various sports for the benefit of hearing-impaired persons. In particular, the committee organises the formation of teams to compete at international sports forums for persons with hearing disabilities. As a forward-looking financial institution, Bank Muscat has been partnering with a number of Non-Governmental Organisations for the welfare of persons with disabilities including the Oman Association for the Disabled, Al Noor Association for the Blind, Al Aman Rehabilitation Centre and the Association for Early Intervention for Children with Disabilities.

Over the past four decades, Bank Muscat has been keenly contributing to the establishment of a culture of social responsibility within the Sultanate’s corporate sector in order to benefit all. The bank is also focused on sustainability as a basic running theme in all its activities and constantly strives to enhance its partnership with the community in line with its efforts to be an enabler of growth and development. Bank Muscat runs several long-term social responsibility projects including the Al Wathbah SME Academy, which is currently providing advanced entrepreneurial training to 30 Omani entrepreneurs for free. This year too, the bank extended its support to 20 youth sports teams as part of its flagship Green Sports programme. Bank Muscat also continues to closely partner with the Royal Oman Police to curb cyber fraud through repeated awareness campaigns for the general public. Bank Muscat also recently completed, in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development, the 10^th annual Tadhamun programme that benefitted over 200 social welfare families.