MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the leading financial services provider, continues to extend strong support to disabled students studying in different educational institutions in Oman, in line with its efforts in the field of social responsibility. As part of its commitment to deliver long-term benefits to society, the bank recently partnered with the Omani Association of the Hearing Impaired to provide a number of hearing aids to school and university students in Oman. Accordingly, a number of hearing aids with special features were distributed to students at the premises of the Omani Association of Hearing Impaired in the presence of Talib Saif Al Makhmari, Manager, Community & Media Relations, Bank Muscat, Saif Humood Al Busaidi, Member of Board of Directors in the Association, and Hamad Nasser Al Amri, Sign Language Translator. 

Speaking on the occasion, Talib Saif Al Makhmari, Manager, Community & Media Relations, Bank Muscat, said: “The bank is delighted to support and partner a number of civil society organisations and bodies in our endeavour to enhance the quality of life of all sections of our society. We hope that these devices will help the students in their studies and their day-to-day lives by enhancing their skills and capabilities and their potential to contribute to our society. We would like to take this opportunity to specially thank and encourage the Omani Association of the Hearing Impaired for their dynamic and highly-motivated vision of supporting people with hearing disabilities and help them achieve success in their lives. We wish all the students here today the very best for their future.”

Mohammed Mubarak Al Amri, Chairman of the Omani Association of Hearing Impaired said: “We would like to express our sincere appreciation and thanks to Bank Muscat for its excellent role in supporting persons with disabilities over the years. The Bank has been a strong supporter of the Association and we are very happy with the support extended, which is making a world of difference to many young people in their pursuit to be productive citizens who are actively contributing to the growth and development of our beloved nation.”

The Omani Association of Hearing Impaired is run by a dynamic team of deaf and hearing-impaired volunteers and translators. It aims to cater to the needs of the people with hearing disabilities and supporting them in all aspects of their lives. The Association was established under a Ministry of Social Development Decision in 2013 to serve as a representative of people with hearing disabilities and impairments in the Sultanate. Students who received the hearing aids expressed their happiness at receiving the devices and said that it would greatly improve the quality of their lives and their studies. They hoped that the devices would help them do well in their studies so that they can play their rightful role in society and strengthen the Omani economy and society through their services.

Bank Muscat, which runs over 10 long-term projects aimed at supporting different segments of Omani society, has always been a pioneer of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Oman. As a forward-looking financial institution, the bank is continuously working with a number of Non Governmental Organisations, which dedicate efforts for the welfare of disabled people in Oman including the Oman Association for the Disabled and the Al Noor Association for the Blind. Earlier in 2021, the bank also distributed BrailleSense devices and laptops to a number of visually-impaired students at Sohar University to support them in their studies and daily lives.