Under the slogan “Touch Your Dream,” The United Bank today organized a training workshop for its staff to learn the basics of sign language, as part of its keenness to create a comprehensive environment to empower people of determination economically, socially, health-wise, and culturally.
The workshop aims to enhance cognitive awareness of sign language and provide basic mechanisms that help the United Bank team communicate with people of determination. This serves the community at the level of the institution’s internal culture and the external level directed at serving a segment of society of people of determination. In a serious attempt to attract them to the banking sector and achieve financial inclusion.
At the level of the internal culture of the United Bank’s work team: learning sign language contributes to breaking communication barriers and enhancing cooperation. In addition to developing the cognitive skills of the work team, whether thinking, reasoning, or solving problems using sign language.
At the societal level: it includes developing social skills and the ability to interact with clients and non-clients with disabilities on a broader scale. Which contributes to a greater knowledge of their banking needs and marketing of The United Bank’s products. Which supports the plans of the Central Bank of Egypt towards expanding the financial inclusion base. The Egyptian state also plans to empower people with disabilities socially and economically.
The lecture was given by Dr. Sayed Sami – a doctor specialized in sign language in both Arabic and English. The workshop focused on presenting basic concepts and skills related to sign language, such as how to greet and conduct simple conversations, and how to communicate with customers of special needs to deliver banking information and financial transactions to them through digital channels.
The volunteer workshop also contributed to improving the cognitive skills of the United Bank team. By acquiring the largest amount of sign language vocabulary. As well as the mechanisms of thinking, reasoning, and problem solving. In addition to ways to appreciate people with disabilities.
The United Bank’s strategy to empower people of determination
And about the United Bank’s strategy to empower people of determination. Ashraf El-Kady – CEO, says that The United Bank is considered one of the first banks to launch a strategy to empower people of determination since 2019, as an important and necessary step towards a more comprehensive and cooperative society. This strategy included launching a series of initiatives and services that worked on 4 main axes: banking, health, education, and cultural.
First: The banking services axis
The United Bank provides a range of distinguished banking services, whether traditional or Sharia-compliant transactions. It is offered to customers with special needs through 68 branches spread throughout the country.
The United Bank has allocated 8 branches to serve people of determination. Providing banking services in accordance with international quality standards. In a number of governorates of the Republic: Cairo, Giza, Damietta, Port Said, and New Alamein.
Rehabilitating these branches with infrastructure equipped at the highest level to receive customers with disabilities. Providing the highest levels of ease and flow of movement, whether inside or outside the branch. With the aim of making it easier for him and making the banking experience easier for him.
Training more than 10% of the bank’s staff to deal with sign language with customers of special needs in order to ensure good and continuous communication for them to successfully convey banking information. Among them is the marketing and sales team to attract new customers and market the bank’s products that meet the needs of customers with disabilities.
Printing the bank papers and documents needed by customers with disabilities in Braille to ensure a good reading experience for banking products and services, as well as terms and conditions, in accordance with the rules of the Central Bank of Egypt to ensure complete transparency.
Providing media materials, whether audio or visual, in sign language, to ensure continuous communication with customers of special needs.
Providing bank cards of various types, whether traditional debit or credit, or compatible with the provisions of Sharia, with prominent letters and numbers, in order to make it easier for the customer with special needs to identify them.
Providing all digital services through the “Your Bank Online” package, which includes (banking wallet – internet banking – and mobile banking). With the aim of making it easier for customers with disabilities to conduct all their banking transactions around the clock, 7 days a week, from anywhere in Egypt’s governorates.
Providing technical support through the United Bank call center for customers with disabilities.
Providing voice banking services for customers with disabilities to deal with their accounts at The United Bank with the utmost ease and convenience.
Providing 23 ATMs specialized in serving people of determination, spread throughout all governorates of the Republic, enabling them to conduct all their banking transactions easily and conveniently.
Offering a group of distinguished banking services for people of determination, including: accounts of all kinds – personal financing of all kinds – real estate financing service for low- and middle-income housing – a unique set of certificates and savings pots in Egyptian and foreign currencies.
Organizing financial inclusion and education campaigns aimed at spreading banking culture and raising awareness of the importance of economic empowerment in 3 governorates: Dakahlia – Damietta – Cairo.
Second: Health services axis:
The United Bank has spared no effort in supporting and supporting people of determination in a number of governorates of the Republic. He gave this group special care as part of his efforts to support health services. He organized two convoys of medical support for people of determination in a number of border governorates for which medical services are difficult to access, including: South and North Sinai Governorates, over the course of two consecutive years, in cooperation with the Misr El Kheir Foundation.
The first convoy – directed to South Sinai Governorate in 2023 – 1,535 beneficiaries with special needs were examined for diseases: ophthalmia – bones – internal medicine – nose and ear – surgery – and urinary tract.
The convoy included an integrated pharmacy that includes all types of treatment, including: medical glasses provided to the beneficiary after he has been examined. As well as conducting the necessary analyzes and rumors. In addition to performing a number of surgical operations. We also provide headphones for the hearing impaired and prosthetic devices to those in need.
The second convoy – headed to North Sinai Governorate this year 2024 – where 695 beneficiaries of people of determination were examined against diseases: – conjunctivitis – bones – internal – ear and nose – surgery – urinary tract.
The convoy included an integrated pharmacy containing all types of treatment needed by the beneficiary, including: medical glasses, tests, and rumors. As well as surgeries. Providing headphones for the hearing impaired, as well as prosthetic devices for those in need, and electric and wheelchairs.
Third: Educational services axis:
The United Bank’s annual Holy Quran competition – in continuation of the United Bank’s adoption of an integrated social, cultural and scientific program to pledge and care for young memorizers of the Book of God. Last year, the United Bank included people with special needs. Their number reached 517 memorizers of the Book of God this year. There are 17 governorates across the Republic: Gharbia – Menoufia – Sharqia – Kafr El-Sheikh – Dakahlia – Minya – Sohag – Beni Suef – Assiut – Alexandria – Marsa Matrouh – Beheira – Suez – Ismailia – Port Said – Damietta – South Sinai Governorate. Cities include: Al-Tur – St. Catherine and the surrounding valleys – Ras Sidr – Abu Zneima – Abu Dis – Nuweiba – Dahab – Sharm El Sheikh.
The International Lego Robot and Software Competition – where the United Bank, in cooperation with the Asdaa Foundation, participated in sponsoring the Lego Robot Competition for two consecutive years: –
Year 2023 – 21 deaf students participated in the competition and won second place. To participate in robotics competitions locally and internationally. This allows them to obtain full scholarships at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology.
Year 2024 – The United Bank sponsored 15 deaf contestants in the International Robot Olympiad competition. The Asdaa Foundation teams won first and second place. They also received knight’s armor. They qualified to represent Egypt in the international competition held in Türkiye.
Fourth: The axis of media and culture
Launching the annual “Touch Your Dream” campaign since 2019 – it is a series of annual media campaigns directed to people of determination throughout the country. The campaigns aim to empower the potential potential of this segment, including its various components, including youth and women.
Also, a number of video media reports, advertising films, and audio-visual propaganda were launched on a number of websites and also on social media pages. As well as a group of specialized printed newspapers, including: Al Akhbar Brill.
Launching a series of awareness seminars to empower people of determination and qualify them to enter the financial inclusion system, sponsored by the Central Bank of Egypt.
Organizing a volunteer day for the United Bank staff to learn sign language. To ensure the continuity of direct communication channels with this target group.
