DTB celebrates International Women’s Day with Kizingo Community Women in Malindi

Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited (DTB) today joined the Kizingo Community Women group to plant more than 3,000 fruit trees in Kizingo, Malindi, in celebrations marking International Women’s Day and the bank’s Much More Than Trees initiative.

The trees will be nurtured by the local community women group, with the idea being that they are a long-term investment that should eventually turn a profit and help empower the women and the community at large.

We are glad to partner with Kizingo Women Group in Malindi to plant a variety of fruit trees as we aim to empower them economically and improve their environment. #internationalWomensDay #IWD2019 #AchieveMore. pic.twitter.com/wruLcgVMYk— DTB Kenya (@DTBKenya) March 8, 2019

The event was presided over by DTB’s General Manager for Corporate Banking Shahzad Karim at Kizingo Farm and hosted by Kizingo Community Women and Kikuba Limited.

Ms Karim, who is also the patron of the Much More Than Trees initiative, said the bank subscribes to the Women Empowerment Principles developed by UN Women, whose theme for this year is ‘Think equal, build smart, innovate for change’.

She said the idea to plant fruit trees was borne out of a need to have the bank involved in getting a long-term initiative going.

“There will, in the end, be a profit for the community from the sale of the fruits, which is the kind of impact that every business hopes to make in the long-term. It is not only beneficial at a personal level but at a business level, and we know very well that we cannot thrive if the communities that we serve do not thrive,” she added.

Under the Much More Than Trees initiative, DTB has undertaken a variety of activities to empower communities by contributing positively to their environmental, economic, health and social attributes.

DTB is part of the Aga Khan Development Network, which believes that good environmental stewardship is key to national development and that the present generation owes it to future generations to make Mother Earth conducive for all communities to thrive.

DTB’s journey to improve the environment and communities it operates in was birthed on International Women’s’ Day, 8th March 2018. The idea was a result of DTB women joining hands under the leadership of Shahzad Karim to act as agents of change.

As a signatory to the UN Women Empowerment Principles, the Bank focused its efforts towards Principle No.6: “Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy”.

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