September 14, Doha, QNB, One of the World’s Strongest Banks, has launched a major Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative to educate children on how to better understand banking and manage their finances. “The Money Made Easy” Book, is a simple and easy guide to money and the economy for children aged nine and above and has been distributed widely across schools in Qatar.
“The Money Made Easy” Book concept was unveiled during a Press Conference at the Al Sharq Hotel and Resort and will become an integral part of QNB’s comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility Programme in 2014/15.
Speaking at the press conference, Mr. Yousef Darwish (GM Group Communication) said that QNB has consistently proven itself to be a socially responsible bank, committed to empowering youth and supporting education initiatives in line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030.
“QNB has made a longstanding commitment to support education in Qatar, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030’s pillars of human and social development. We believe that financial education is important to our younger generation because it empowers them to have control over their personal finances and make wise decisions on how to spend and save their money”, he added.
Speaking on behalf of The Supreme Education Council, Fawzia Al Khater, Director of the SEC Education Institute said:
“SEC is keen to build social partnerships with all government and non-government organizations within our society, to encourage their role to build, educate and enhance our student’s careers and personalities.
We also acknowledge QNB’s initiative in publishing the money book that educates children about money matters and we are looking forward to building a solid partnership to help our students at all levels.”
Commenting on the QNB contribution to Financial Education, Yousef Fakhroo, Head of CSR said:
“The “Money Made Easy” Book has been distributed to 40 independent schools and 16 major private schools across Qatar and its introduction has been received positively by teachers, children and parents alike. Working with The Supreme Education Council, we will continue to roll out distribution to reach as many children and educational establishments as possible. This Book will hopefully have a significant impact on our younger generation’s ability to manage their personal finances wisely and responsibly”.
The “Money Made Easy” Book is available to children of all abilities and discusses and highlights money matters relevant in many aspects of every-day life. This is done by a series of illustrations and case studies and uses simple but easily understood language. Split into a number of educational chapters, including the history of money, handling budgets, the role of banks and fiscal policy, the “Money Made Easy” Book is available in two versions, Arabic and English. A highlight of the
Book is a “Play and Discover” section where children are asked to interact and engage in a series of entertaining puzzles and challenges.
To support the launch a “Money Made Easy Book App” is being produced to promote an interactive and entertaining approach to this important financial education subject. It will hopefully be available to download on iTunes in November and will include animated parts of the book and some games. The app will be bilingual and available in Arabic and English.
Recently, QNB has sponsored the first two issues of a related financial educational publication entitled “Tajwoury”, aimed at improving youth literacy. In addition, QNB has sponsored playgrounds and funded several public school graduation ceremonies around the country. Being a good Corporate Citizen and demonstrating its support of the education sector is an important driver in the CSR Programme undertaken by the biggest bank in Qatar.
The “Money Made Easy Book” was created by QNB and Planet News Business, a leading publishing firm with offices in Doha and Beirut specializing in education. A group of researchers, banking professionals, educators, translators, illustrators, designers, and editors are responsible for developing the book and introducing the concept into schools.