Staff of Standard Chartered Bank Ghana have carried out an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign at the Madina market in Accra.

The campaign also provided staff the opportunity to talk to traders, drivers and commuters about the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), introduced by the United Nations.

Over 150 staff of the Bank, drawn from its various branches in the Greater Accra Region, were led to the market by the Director of Business Clients, Yvonne Owusu-Adjapong and Head of Wealth Management, Setor Quashigah.

During the campaign, staff engaged in healthy and open discussions with drivers, commuters, traders and shoppers alike, about the dangers posed by HIV/AIDS and its effect on productivity.

Over 12,000 pieces of both male and female condoms were distributed together with some educational leaflets.

Head of Wealth Management, Setor Quashigah, said the Bank’s sustainability agenda enjoined staff among other things, to share their expertise, skills and resources with people.

To date, the staff have been able to reach over 130,000 people directly with the message on HIV/AIDS and all our staff are equally schooled on the subject matter, she added.

Director of Business Clients, Yvonne Owusu-Adjapong, said the SDGs, the new set of Development Goals, was to serve as the standard for development for the world for the next 15 years.

She said the Goals seek to eliminate poverty, inequality and tackle climate change.

“The bank has joined forces with the United Nations and other corporate bodies to spread word about these Goals so that everyone in the world would know about them and commit to supporting efforts at making them a reality,” she said.

The HIV/AIDS Awareness and Project Everyone campaigns were in support of the Bank’s ‘Africa Employee Volunteering month’, during which staff are encouraged to offer volunteering time, skills and resources in support of the Bank’s community investment programmes.

The focus is on financial education, campaign against avoidable blindness, HIV/AIDS awareness campaign and care for the environment.

Each member of staff is expected to take three paid working days off to volunteer their services towards the community investment programmes of the Bank.

The ‘Africa Employee Volunteering Month’ spanned 21 September to October 20.

Staff of the Bank had already embarked on volunteering activities to the Odorgonno Senior High school, Abossey Okai Spare Parts market, and raised funds through a walk in Accra to fight avoidable blindness.