Lahore: The recent devastating rains and flash floods have inundated vast areas across Pakistan. The Bank of Punjab (BOP), a market leader in Corporate Social Responsibility, has once again been at the forefront of carrying out flood relief activities as it solemnly believes that it’s mandatory upon each and every citizen of the country to be actively involved in the rebuilding and rehabilitation of our flood affected brothers and sisters. The bank recently launched its employee volunteering program called BOP Madadgar which has been designed to give our employees an opportunity to participate in uplifting society and doing good for the public at large.
BOP, under the flag of BOP Madadgar, is constructing permanent basic shelters using eco-friendly building materials in the flood-affected areas. These shelters are durable and have inherent climate-resilient properties, enabling them to withstand flooding. Additionally, these shelters are extremely low cost, easy to construct, and with virtually zero carbon footprint. The houses have the flexibility of being disassembled and moved for making permanent construction.
BOP raised over Rs3 billion in various flood relief funds which is probably the highest amount any bank collected from general public.
On October 11, 2022, Mr. Zafar Masud (President & CEO – BOP) along with senior members of the management visited the camp site of BOP Madadgar’s maiden flood relief activities in the Rojhan city. The President oversaw the construction activities being done for the flood affectees. He met the BOP Madadgar team along with artisans involved in the construction work. He also met the flood-affected families which have shifted to the shelters provided by the bank.
The local administration has identified 25 families who are being provided shelter homes through the BOP Madadgar Program. The staff volunteers, from D.G. Khan and Multan, after being provided with necessary training by artisans from Heritage Foundation are constructing the shelters in Rojhan.
The bank is also supporting the construction of zero-carbon shelters in Pono village of Mirpurkhas, Sindh for which the work was started before the flooding. The houses built with the support of BOP withstood the floods and provided shelters to people who lost their homes. Due to the efforts of the bank, the local villagers now refer to their village as BOP Pono village.
Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Zafar Masud (President & CEO – BOP) said, “Today, we have come to Rojhan city for the inaugural project of BOPMadadgar. BOP’s branch in the city has also been damaged but the staff is present today to support the flood affectees.”
He further added, “BOP will further expand its rehabilitation activities in other provinces of the country. I’m thankful to artisans of the Heritage Foundation for coming all the way from Karachi to participate and train our staff and local population in the construction work. BOP will further expand the scope of this campsite by providing healthcare facilities, Dastarkhwan project, etc. The members of the 25 families have also participated in the construction of shelters so that they can help others in building similar shelters and earn livelihoods as well. Overall, it has been an emotional, yet rewarding, experience for all of us at BOP.”
