By Duncan Mlanjira
NICO Asset Managers donated K4.83 million to Hope for the Blind as continuation of the contributions the two partners has engaged in for the past six years towards paying tuition fees for vision-challenged students studying at Chancellor College (Chanco) in Zomba .
The K4.83 million that has been presented on Wednesday is for 4 of eight girl students that Hope for the Blind is currently managing as sponsors at Chanco and the other four are still in doing well in their respective secondary schools.
Chancellor College
Since 2014 NICO Asset Managers has been supporting these eight vision-impaired students through Hope for the Blind and the partnership was inspired to be continue by the girl students themselves for doing well in their studies right from secondary school.
NICO Asset Managers — a subsidiary of Malawi’s financial service provider giant, NICO Group — has also adopted one more student, Seunda Kaunda, who is currently in her second year at Chanco.
NICO Asset Managers Chief Investment Officer, Daniel Dunga said the education that these students are getting further enhances the notion ‘disability is not inability’.
Braille, vision-challenged students learning
materials
“An education is something that no one can take away from you — that is why we embarked on this partnership to sponsor student’s education,” Dunga said at the official handover of the sponsorship to Hope for the Blind.
“With correct opportunities, achieving goals is possible. Just as we say here at NICO, ‘It’s Possible’.
Dunga encouraged the students to continue working hard in their studies in order to equal or even better any other student there at the Chanco, an academic institution that has produced countless of vision-challenged graduates.
Hope for the Blind Executive Director, Hastings Bwande expressed his gratitude and said the donation will go a long way in assisting the students with their studies.
“This will be beyond beneficial to our to our students, as this money not only goes to tuition, but also for their boarding fees and food needs,” Bwande said.
He further appealed for more assistance from other well-wishers to assist more students in need of support for administrative costs.
Coronavirus alert
As a corporate citizen, Dunga said NICO is committed to ensuring that it plays its part in giving to the community it operates in.
NICO also has a programme running for five years at K6 million each in which it provides academic materials for deserving students.
Just last month, NICO Life and Nico Pensions donated K6 million to College of Medicine (COM) to acquire lap tops for 30 needy of its undergraduate students, who were facing challenges to access lessons in the wake of the tertiary institution being closed in observance of preventing COVID-19.
Also last month, NICO Life and NICO Pensions responded to a call for help from College of Medicine by donating personal protective equipment (PPEs), worth K6m to University of Malawi (UNIMA) as the constituent college was preparing for the resumption of physical academic classes as COVID-19 pandemic is slowly being contained.
Donating PPEs to UNIMA last month
In February this year, NICO Life and NBS Bank sponsored the official launch of the Student Society of Banking and Finance at the Polytechnic in Blantyre as a gesture of solidarity to foster a lasting partnership towards Banking and Finance degree programme.
Banking and Finance degree was initiated at the Polytechnic over three years ago and now that it has settled well, the students themselves decided to establish the society with intent of connecting well with the corporate world.
The Society prepares the students on ethics and morals as they looking forward to joining the financial service industry.
Sponsorship of Poly’s Student Society of Banking
and Finance