Baiduri Bank, in partnership with the Brunei Darussalam Red Crescent Society (BRC), hosted a colloquium themed 'Volunteering Weaves Us Together.' The event took place yesterday at the Baiduri Community Space, in celebration of International Volunteer Day.
Present as Guest of Honour was Yang Mulia Awang Haji Zakaria bin Haji Serudin, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
International Volunteer Day, mandated by the UN General Assembly and observed annually on 5 December, serves as an opportunity for volunteers and their organisations to celebrate their contributions, share their values, and promote their work.
Delegates from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Brunei Darussalam engaged in insightful sharing sessions, discussing their experiences gained from volunteering.
The colloquium also included a panel discussion featuring some of Brunei’s most prominent volunteer leaders in Dr Hjh Helena POKSJ DP Hj Hurairah, Mohammad Ahsmeer Imtiaz Ahmad, Haji Abu Zar and Izyan Osman, moderated by Aspadiyah Mohd Sah, Co-Founder of the Young Professionals Network Brunei.
BRC Secretary-General Haji Muhammad Suhaimi Haji Ibrahim said: “We’re honoured to be able to host our ASEAN peers, to exchange ideas and solutions. Today, we celebrate the significant impact our initiatives have on the community. Volunteering is the glue of the community – it unites people from diverse backgrounds through the shared objective of giving back and making a difference.
During her welcoming speech, Mena Keomany, a volunteer delegate from Laos, remarked: “Each volunteer here today represents a beacon of hope, a force for good, and a testament to the fact that individuals, when united by a common purpose, can achieve extraordinary feats.”
Commenting on this partnership, Ti Eng Hui, CEO of Baiduri Bank, said: “The act of volunteering brings great value not only to the cause, but to the volunteers as well. It empowers them with a greater sense of purpose and accomplishment as they witness the impact of their efforts on the community.”
“We encourage our employees to actively contribute their time and efforts through our own volunteering programme, Baiduri Cares, while our Employee Wellness Initiative provides additional volunteering opportunities for our employees as part of our holistic approach to promote wellness in the workplace,” he added.
Baiduri Bank recently strengthened its strategic partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, focusing on the further development and enhancement of Mengalinga – a mobile application that provides a platform to promote volunteerism. This initiative forms a key aspect of the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy.
Other notable CSR initiatives that the Bank has undertaken include 'Let’s Give Back This Ramadhan', eco-markets, zero waste educational workshops for schools, and the introduction of Maribali, an e-Marketplace for local MSMEs. These initiatives demonstrate Baiduri Bank's commitment to community development and social responsibility, fostering community spirit and driving positive change.
Mengalinga is a free to download mobile application available on the Play Store or App Store. For more information on Baiduri Bank’s CSR initiatives, visit
www.baiduri.com or follow us on social media.
