SBM Bank has recognized three women in healthcare as part of the celebrations for this year’s International Women’s Day. The bank celebrated these women by highlighting their efforts and gifting them with blankets, lunch boxes and other gifts for their places of work.
According to Magdalene Mulandi, Head of Marketing Communications SBM Kenya, the bank has been working with MSMEs by providing capital financing, including small clinics and hospitals. “We continue to highlight women in different spheres of business across our platform to highlight their efforts. They have defied the odds and begun their businesses, while making an impact to society. We look forward to continue telling the stories of these remarkable women,” she added.
The three women celebrated by SBM are all specialists in their areas of expertise, including Dr. Lucy Manyara, owner of The Family Eye clinic, Dr. Edna Kamau of Upperhill Gastroenterology and Dr. Joy Moreh of the Nairobi IVF Center.
While Ms. Magdalene admits that most businesses have been affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, she has emphasized the bank’s flexibility with its clients. She reiterated on the bank’s effort to customize service for each customer, while supporting their projects and companies. In the health sector, SBM will celebrate women-owned clinics which also have a majority of female staff.
The Bank plans to celebrate women in different businesses throughout the month through their Merchants of Hope campaign on its social media platforms every Saturday. The bank targets small businesses to help them reach more customers by promoting their businesses online.
In a bid to improve on flexibility and effectiveness, SBM has developed a mobile to bank approach, which helps small businesses to directly deposit collected funds into their account. Regular banking services and affordable loans has been a big influencer to the uptake of SBM bank customers. For small businesses that require equipment to work or equipment for expansion, SBM has rolled out a plan that would resonate with the business plan of different proprietors.
Last year, SBM celebrated women by holding a small cocktail where they hosted a number of women like Pinky Ghelani, and held conversations about the influence of women in different areas. This year, with the health directives in place limiting social gatherings, SBM decided to do something for their customers, especially to make them feel as part of their brand.
SBM has worked with women to encourage them to branch out and innovate new ideas of business. The bank has been able to remain relevant in the market by doing constant customer training for different customers, like digital marketing, Human Resources, taxing, etc.
Dr. Manyara, who has been banking with SBM Bank for her business, noted that the Bank’s reliability has been a key factor in the success of her business. She further noted that there has been an increase in the number of women in the ophthalmologists in the country, with a promise to continue making an impact to patients and society.
SBM Bank Kenya continues to shed light on women in business, who have gone ahead to challenge the gender inequality and lead and own their businesses.