Meezan Bank believes in conducting business in a manner that is ethical and contributes to its stakeholders, environment and society in a positive manner. The Bank is implementing sustainable business practices that fully meet the expectations that the society has from responsible corporate citizens. Meezan Bank's consciousness of its responsibility towards society and stakeholders is also expressed in its Vision and Mission statements. Our focus on CSR include our participation in charity and donations, social welfare in terms of health and education as well as transparency.
Meezan Bank’s focus on providing quality education to the youth has rooted itself firmly as an extension of its values and as part of its business strategy. Organizational partnerships and initiatives have consequently integrated education into our CSR programs. Three of our most recent and also the most ambitious projects are mentioned below:
The Citizens Foundation (TCF) is one of Pakistan’s leading non-profit organizations in the field of education for the less privileged. The Rahbar Programme forms part of the many volunteering initiatives of the organization, and is designed specifically for eighth and ninth grade students of TCF with an aim to mentor the youth to become responsible and productive members of the society.
Meezan Bank supported this mentoring program, which is driven by ‘Thought to Destiny’ theme whereby Bank employees voluntarily mentored TCF students by dedicating their six Saturdays during the last cycle of Rahbar in 2017.
Cooperative Vocational Trainings (CVT) are based on the modified ‘Dual Training’ concept in order to equip the youth with skills that will enable them to get employment in future. Meezan Bank, in partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft furs International Zusammenarbeit – Deutsche Company for International Cooperation (GIZ) Gmbh and Vocational Training Institute for Women (VTIW), Bufferzone supported the TVET Reform Support Programme (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) launched for the first time in Sindh Province.
Through this program, the Bank shortlisted eight female candidates from the underprivileged sections of the society and sponsored a one-year training program for each candidate to equip them with skills necessary to enter the job market. The candidates have undergone 6-month classroom training at the partner institute and are currently going through a 6-month training program, which commenced with rigorous branch banking training and in the second phase by placement at various departments of the Head Office.
Meezan Bank supports many educational institutions to help foster the learning and development of Islamic banking and finance across the country including Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and IM Sciences (Peshawar), which are among Pakistan’s leading private sector educational institutions. This contribution plays an instrumental role in the promotion of ethical practices across the country, as the Bank aims to equip students and executives with adequate Islamic knowledge as well as professional skills.
Meezan Bank’s partnership with Institute of Business Administration (IBA) for the National Talent Hunt Program to select meritorious, yet needy students of various Intermediate Boards of the country entered its eighth successive year in 2017. Meezan Bank facilitated IBA in the selection process by providing its branches as well as its talent management resources (HR) for interviews at provincial and federal capitals of the country. A total of 40 students were selected and given admission in IBA out of the 57 students who were shortlisted following the Orientation Program and Admission Test.
Professional Education Foundation (PEF) is a not-for-profit organization established in 2009 with the sole aim to financially support the underprivileged students in their professional education. Since its establishment, PEF has funded around 1200 students at 34 public sector universities across Pakistan.
Meezan Bank facilitated PEF in its Zakat/Donation collection campaign during the month of Ramadan while also serving as their awareness partner, providing visibility to the organization through placement and distribution of flyers at selected branches across Pakistan.
Idara Al-Khair Welfare Society is a non-profit private organization that has been working for the cause of education for over 30 years. Meezan Bank has signed an agreement with Idara Al-Khair to support the school - Campus VI Yaroo Goth, Karachi, that is currently providing free education to 400 children. The Bank has provided financial assistance to the Campus, playing a key role in spreading education in hard-to-reach and under-privileged areas that are currently not fully covered by the country’s education system.
Akhuwat is a not-for-profit organization providing interest-free microfinance since 2001 to underprivileged communities bringing a social change by envisioning a poverty-free society. It is an emerging leader in providing free, top of the line quality education through public-private partnerships. NJV Government Higher Secondary School is an older public school in Sindh with a history of around 170 years. It was adopted by Akhuwat in 2015 and since then has been able to develop a first live-in hostel facility for students from rural Sindh accommodating 62 young boys and girls from different districts of interior Sindh who are studying in class 9 and will continue to stay till intermediate. Meezan Bank sponsored NJV's second annual carnival. The carnival aimed to support the underprivileged youth of the country in seeking good quality education.
Meezan Bank has a social purpose culture that focuses on applying its principles and values in areas where they create a positive impact on people and communities. The Bank has adopted stringent Shariah Compliance and Shariah Audit standards that allow it to screen all income and in case of any non-compliance, to transfer the same to a charity account. During 2020, the Bank supported a number of NGOs and philanthropic organizations including AKHUWAT, Al Mustafa Welfare Society, Alamgir Welfare Trust, Afzaal Memorial Thalassemia Foundation, Muhammadi Blood Bank, Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF), Pakistan Disabled Foundation and many others. As an extension of the same initiative, Ihsan Trust has been launched as the operator of Ihsan Trust Fund which is a ‘Waqf’ made through a separate Waqf deed. Meezan Bank is the biggest supporter of Ihsan Trust, supporting the organization through its human resource and other utility-related expenses. Ihsan Trust is the largest interest-free loan provider for higher education in Pakistan that reaches out to the under-privileged sector of the society to help such individuals escape the cycle of poverty that they are stuck in. The Trust provides Qarz-e-Hasna (interest-free loan) facility to students who want to pursue higher education. More than 3,000 students from 140 universities, educational institutions and professional bodies across Pakistan have benefited from this facility since its inception, including Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (GIKI), COMSATS University Islamabad, FAST National University, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), DOW University of Health Sciences (DUHS), University of Karachi, Riphaha International University, etc.
Meezan Bank strongly supports individuals’ right to access quality healthcare, irrespective of their income level. The Bank has partnered with several not-for-profit health organizations, aiming to reinforce its commitment to sustainability and responsibility to the social environment it operates in. Through these partnerships, the Bank aims to play a role in not only providing healthcare access to all but also raising the standards of healthcare.
Since its inception in 2005, The Indus Hospital (TIH) has been running an unparalleled and unique healthcare business model, whereby it provides premium healthcare at no cost at all to low-income populations. Meezan Bank supported The Indus Hospital in its 4th Indus Annual Golf Tournament 2020 that engaged more than 100 golfers and top CEOs of several organizations. The fundraiser not only helped create awareness about the network and philanthropic activities of TIH, Karachi, but also helped collect voluntary financial support to expand and continue providing free quality healthcare to all. The Bank, in collaboration with the Indus Hospital, has taken the following initiatives as part of its CSR activities:
Layton Rahmatullah Benevolent Trust (LRBT) is Pakistan's largest non-governmental organisation working to fight blindness in the country. Established in 1984, it is based in Karachi with hospitals and primary eye care centres throughout the country.
Meezan Bank participated in the LRBT Golf Tournament, held at the Karachi Golf Club. This was the first charity golf tournament held by the organisation to raise funds for the treatment of Cataract, Glaucoma, retinal and corneal diseases among underprivileged children and adults who cannot afford the treatment. The event also helped raise awareness regarding LRBT reaching another milestone of treating its 37th million patient - a 6 year old girl from Malir, Karachi.
Omair Sana Foundation (OSF) is a diversified NGO operating in three verticals, namely: Blood Diseases, Medical Relief and General Welfare. The organization has been striving to make free treatment available to Thalassemia patients who cannot afford it on their own.
Meezan Bank, in its endeavour to provide access to healthcare among the disadvantaged sponsored the Thalassemia Azadi Cricket Tournament organized by OSF with an objective to create awareness about Thalassemia. The event featured a voluntary blood donation drive with an aim to eradicate the sense of deprivation among Thalassemia children. The funds collected in the process were spent solely upon the healthcare management of children patients and prevention.
Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital (SKMCH) and Research Centre has established itself as a centre of excellence providing comprehensive care, free of cost, to thousands of cancer patients in Pakistan. Meezan Bank joined hands with the SKMCH in 2010, when an MOU was signed, whereby the Bank has placed collection boxes in all Meezan Bank branches within Sindh and Baluchistan. Under this agreement, the collected amount is directly deposited to the hospital’s main collection account through Meezan Bank’s free online banking service. The initiative has shown extremely positive results as the collection from these boxes has increased significantly, especially in those areas where the hospital did not have prominent presence or donation collection channels.
Sindh Institute of Urology Transplant (SIUT) is one-ofits- kind centre for kidney transplantation in Pakistan and has been providing free medical treatment for kidney and liver diseases to patients, predominantly from the rural and poor urban strata with virtually no access to medical facilities. SIUT’s extensive facilities, which house state-of-the-art equipment, enable them to provide free treatment to Pakistanis. Meezan contributed to SIUT by raising their awareness amongst the Meezan Bank customer population through information leaflets and banners strategically placed within the branches.
Behbud Association Karachi is a registered not-for-profit organization and has been working in Karachi for 50 years. Meezan Bank supported Behbud Association Karachi in holding Behbud Annual Spring Fiesta 2020. The fiesta was organized to raise funds for Behbud’s development projects and charitable activities, encompassing education, health and vocational training for the empowerment of women in an effort to battle poverty.
Meezan Bank's consciousness of its responsibility towards society and stakeholders is also expressed in its Vision and Mission statements. Our focus on CSR includes our participation in charity and donations.
During 2020, the world witnessed COVID-19 pandemic spread to over 160 countries, slowing down many economies and having devastating impacts on the financial well-being of many. In Pakistan, daily wagers and various other low-income earning segments also struggled with survival challenges due to the country’s partial lockdown as well as on-going health crisis. In an effort to support those in need, Meezan Bank established the Ihsan Trust - Relief Fund for COVID-19, providing monthly rations to struggling families. This initiative served the two-pronged strategy of not only giving back to the communities but also enabling a steady flow of income for local ration shops.
During 2020, Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest metropolitan city witnessed widespread flooding as torrential downpours displaced thousands of families, forcing them to abandon their homes and leaving many without food and shelter. As a socially responsible organization, Meezan Bank provided ration to 350 families in the Kachra Kundi area – a locality whose residents were severely affected by this calamity. In addition, the Bank also helped rebuild / repair the homes damaged during flooding and ensured provision of basic home essentials such as cupboards, charpoys and mattresses. Restoration efforts also extended towards providing minimum 15 days ration bags and repairing of ceiling fans to around 150 families in Surjani Town, Abdul Raheem Goth and Yousuf Goth.
Meezan Bank held a tree plantation activity at the Arabian Sea Country Club in an effort to counter the twin threats of climate change and pollution facing the country. The tree plantation activity forms part of the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme under which over 5,000 trees were also planted across the country during 2019.
Meezan Bank continues to collect donations and contributions for the Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand Dams through its nationwide network of more than 900 branches as well as more than 1000 ATMs, internet banking and mobile banking channels, in accordance with the directives of the State Bank of Pakistan, fulfilling its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility and this national cause.
Meezan Bank has raised awareness of various social causes on social media on a regular basis including COVID-19 awareness, financial literacy, taking care of the environment, the importance of cleanliness, inclusion of disabled persons, etc.