Continuing their annual initiative, Baiduri Bank Group held their annual blood donation drive in collaboration with Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital Blood Bank today. The event was held at the Baiduri Community Space at Baiduri Bank Headquarters.
This year, over 100 people comprising Baiduri Bank Group’s employees and members of the public came together to donate blood. This initiative aims to help replenish the low blood supplies at the National Blood Bank in RIPAS Hospital and is an annual event organised since 2009 as part of the Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.
Similar to the previous year, the apprentices from the Baiduri Bank Graduate Apprenticeship Programme (GAP) were given the responsibility to organise and manage the whole event.
The apprentices, who began their six-month programme with the Bank last April, led the event from putting together a proposal, to co-ordinating and working alongside RIPAS Hospital with the guidance of their mentors and colleagues from the Bank.
GAP is a holistic learning and development programme aimed at providing recent graduates with the necessary knowledge, skill and experience that will increase their employability in the local job market. Projects such as leading the blood donation drive allows the apprentices the opportunity to apply their skills and experience into a real event is an important component of their overall experience in the programme.
Amal Nisyyah Haji Abdul Mulok and Siti Nur Nabilah Aqilah Rahim, the apprentices who were the co-leads for the event, both credited strong communication and a positive attitude as important factors to the blood donation drive’s success. Both apprentices also mentioned that this was their first large scale event involving both internal stakeholders and members of the public.
Amal Nissyah said: “Leadership plays a crucial role in project management, but I realise it’s not just about planning and executing, it’s also about maintaining constant and clear communication with your team and stakeholders. We’ve had to make many adjustments and evaluations during the course of running this event, and while it affected our workflow, we all learnt to think on our feet and always be prepared for unexpected outcomes.”
While donating blood can help save the lives of those who need it, it is also linked to health benefits. Donating blood can be another way to keep an eye on your cardiovascular health, as donors will receive a short physical prior to the blood draw where medical personnel will check for pulse, blood pressure, body temperature, hemoglobin and more. This short check-up can sometimes shed light on issues people might not even know about. On top of that, the psychological health benefit donors receive from knowing they’re helping others is just as helpful as the physical health benefit, as donating blood means that someone somewhere will be getting the help they desperately need.
Also attending the event was Veronica Chong, Head of Group Human Resources and Administration, who was also able to do her part and donate blood with the rest of the participants.
She said: “Similar to previous years, we received tremendous support from our employees and members of the public who came together for a good cause. There is a constant need for blood in our hospitals and activities like these are important to help maintain an adequate supply in the national blood bank.
“It’s also encouraging to see our apprentices doing an excellent job in preparing and holding this event. This batch of apprentices have come from such a varied background, and it’s good to see them bring new ideas and fresh ways of looking at doing projects such as this.
“Getting first-hand experience of project management for initiatives such as this event is also one of the apprenticeship’s objectives and I hope this was a good learning opportunity for them to not only apply what they’ve studied and experienced, but also be a part of a meaningful initiative.”
Meanwhile, Ti Eng Hui, CEO of Baiduri Bank, commented on how GAP is a strong testament to Baiduri Bank’s commitment to assist recent graduates by helping them to develop employability skills and a learning mindset. This is also in support of Goal 1 for Wawasan Brunei 2035, reflecting the national aspiration to be widely recognised for an educated, highly skilled and accomplished workforce.
He said: “GAP offers a unique opportunity for our recent graduates to gain valuable working experience and give them a firmer foothold in the job market. Through exposing them to a real-world working environment and helping them build transferable soft skills that they can apply in their future careers, we hope that GAP will play a role in creating an adaptable and skilled workforce that’s ready to take on any challenge in the future.”
To support the local community through the Bank’s CSR initiatives, local vendors such as Energy Juice Bar, Roots, Hilda Bakes, Chug-a-coffee and Melts Muskmelon were also at the event to sell their products.
For more information on the Bank’s CSR projects and initiatives, visit
www.baiduri.com, follow the Bank’s social media accounts or call its 24-hour Customer Helpline at 244 9666.
