Guyana Bank for Trade & Industry Ltd. (GBTI)

2005-12-29 - GBTI Donates Hampers and Shares Christmas Joy at the Nazareth Home

On Thursday, 29th December, 2005, the GBTI Choir took food hampers on behalf of the Bank to the residents of the Nazareth Home for the Elderly. This annual activity is made possible with contributions from the Bank and staff, as part of the Bank’s programme of activities for sharing the joys of the season with various members of the community.

The Choir sang Christmas songs and shared refreshments with the residents, who were quite thrilled with the presentation.

In presenting the hampers on behalf of the Bank, Ms. Roxanne Welcome, Senior Supervisor, explained that the Bank has had a long association with the Home, going back to the era of Barclays Bank, where staff have joined together at Christmas to be with the residents. She indicated that the staff aim to upkeep the tradition, which makes the event a well supported one.

Ms. V. Weekes, Administrator of the Home, expressed the appreciation of the residents for the donation of the hampers, and congratulated the Choir for their wonderful renditions. She also closed off the activity with a word of prayer and a blessing.

Members of the Vreed-en-Hoop community enjoyed an entertaining Christmas Concert hosted by our Vreed-en-Hoop Branch on Saturday, December 17 at the forecourt of the Branch. The concert included singing by the GBTI Choir along with dances, poetry and drama by churches and schools from within the community.

At the start of the programme, Mrs. Norene Lee, Branch Manager welcomed the audience while Mr. Sean Noel, Junior Manager-Research and Planning conveyed a message on behalf of the Management of the Bank. The thoroughly enjoyable programme lasted for over two hours and was well received by the very appreciative audience.

Our Anna Regina Branch held its Annual Children’s Christmas Party on Saturday, December 17 for eighty-five members of its Early Savers Club and other children from the community. The children enjoyed a wide variety of party games organised by staff, face painting and a chance to have fun with Santa Claus.

Children from the Parika Community enjoyed a Christmas Luncheon at our Parika Branch on Saturday, December 17. The activity catered for fifty children between 5 and 11 years old and lunch was served by the staff. They were also pleasantly surprised by the arrival of Santa Claus, who distributed toys and engaged them in games.

This is the first time the Branch has held a Christmas activity for children and it plans to make the Christmas Luncheon an annual event.

2005-12-15 - Launching of the GBTI 2006 Almanac - 'Making a Difference For Our Environment'.

GBTI launched its 2006 Almanac “Making a Difference for Our Environment – Towards a Better Quality of Life” at a ceremony on December 15 at its Water Street Branch. The theme was chosen to emphasize the importance of the environment and young people were invited to share through art, their efforts at preserving the environment. Close to 200 entries were submitted from around the country, of which six were selected to appear in the Almanac and, along with twelve other outstanding ones, to be displayed in the Bank during December and January.

Mr. Sean Noel, Junior Manager of the Research and Planning Department chaired the programme where Mr. John Tracey – Director-Credit spoke on the necessity to care the environment for the present and future generations and expressed the Bank’s support for such practices.

In her address, Ms. Sharifah Razack, Director of Education, Information & Training of the Environmental Protection Agency, stressed the need for conservation efforts to begin in homes and schools while Mrs. Bernadette Persaud, Senior Lecturer of the Division of Arts, University of Guyana, commented on the excellent quality of the paintings and commended the students for their talents.

Ms. Collette Lyken, Assistant Manager, also presented 500 Almanacs to the Municipal Governance & Management Programme on behalf of the Bank, to assist with their conservation programme within the municipalities around the country.

The Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited is very pleased to join with our young people in highlighting the need to preserve the environment, and we hope that our 2006 Almanac will increase awareness of the need to adopt environmentally sustainable practices in our daily lives.

2005-12-07 - Regent St. Branch Treats Children of the Red Cross Convalescent Home

On Wednesday, December 7, 2005, staff of the Regent Street Branch provided a mid-afternoon snack to the children of the Red Cross Convalescent Home and in the spirit of Christmas, presented each child with a toy.

The Home caters for children in difficult circumstances and currently has twenty-seven residents between the ages of 6 months and 5 years. This is the third consecutive year the Branch is treating the children.

Our Vreed-en-Hoop Branch celebrated its 6th Anniversary on December 6th with a day of activities to treat its customers. Tokens were given to customers conducting transactions during the day while the Branch hosted a cocktail in the evening for customers and members of the community.

On November 17th and 24th, the Bank presented prizes to the winners of the Primelife Prize Giveaway Competition 2005. The Competition awarded lucky account holders who performed transactions on their account between January 1st and October 31st, 2005.

Vreed-En-Hoop Branch Presents 2005 CSEC Book Awards

Our recognition of academic excellence continues as our Vreed-en-Hoop Branch presented book awards to the Best Graduating Student and the Best Graduating Business Student of the West Demerara Secondary School for the 2005 CSEC Examinations.

The awards were presented by Mrs. Patricia Clarke, Branch Manager at the School’s Graduation Ceremony on November 17, 2005.

Over the last six years the Diwali Cultural Evening has become a tradition for our Anna Regina Branch and attracts huge support from communities along the entire Essequibo Coast.

This year’s event was held on October 26 with a three-hour programme that included dances, singing and drama. The audience of approximately 1,100 persons was extremely appreciative and many said they are eagerly looking forward to next year’s programme.

On September 27, 2005, senior officers of the Regent Street Branch conducted a Career Guidance Session with eighty-five (85) Fifth Form students of the Annandale Secondary School.

At the session, presentations were made by Mrs Carol Seeraj, Branch Manager, Ms Roxanne Welcome, Senior Supervisor and Mr Brian Sukhai, Junior Supervisor on topics including how to prepare a curriculum vitae, conduct in interviews and careers in banking. They also highlighted the personal qualities, attitudes and communication skills that employers look for in potential employees and gave the students hints on dressing successfully for an interview.

The students and teachers who participated in this session were very appreciative of the discussions as they were able to gain an insight into the employment world.

GBTI participated in GUYEXPO 2005 which was held from September 22 to 27 at the Sophia Exhibition Complex. At the Bank’s booth located in the Main Auditorium, visitors were able to learn about the various services we offer, query the requirements for accessing loans, participate in demonstrations on how to use the ATM Machine and Telephone Banking and browse our Website. Some customers also made withdrawals from their accounts using their Kaieteur Classic Debit Card.

Additionally, the Bank launched a “Best Kept Home & Yard Competition” for its Low Income Loan customers at the Expo and staff were actively involved in promoting this along with two other ongoing competitions, namely the Primelife Prize Giveaway and the 2006 Calendar Competition.

Our participation in Guyexpo 2005 provided an excellent opportunity for customers to meet staff and for us to meet a wide cross section of existing and potential customers and obtain feedback on our services.

Over the last four years the Bank has supported the activities of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs in celebration of Amerindian Heritage Month by facilitating school tours for students from hinterland communities. On Tuesday, September 13, a group of nine students from Akawini Primary School and Wakapao Primary School in Region Two visited the Bank as part of their tour of the city.

The students first met with Mr. Sean Noel, Junior Manager – Research & Planning who gave them an overview on the development of banking and its importance to the economy and the livelihood of citizens. They were then informed about the services we offer and how banking is done by Mrs. Vidya Singh, Senior Manager – Operations and Mr. Raymond Forde, Officer-in-Charge, Deposit Accounts.

In recognition of their outstanding achievements at the Secondary Schools Entrance Examination, the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited presented Bursary Awards to eleven members of its Early Savers Club on September 1, 2005.

Mr. Sean Noel, Junior Manager-Research & Planning chaired the programme who, in his opening address, encouraged the awardees to be thankful for the vital role of their parents and teachers and urged the adults to provide a positive environment that will allow children to realise their dreams. He also pledged the Bank’s continued support towards providing more opportunities for members of its Early Savers Club.

Mr. John Barnes, Senior Manager-Inspection Division congratulated the awardees on behalf of the Management and Staff and noted that besides rewarding excellent performance, the monetary awards also seek to encourage some degree of thrift among our young people.

The Ministry of Education was represented by Mrs. Chandrakala Ramsammy, District Education Officer – Primary, who urged the students to make optimum use of the knowledge and advice imparted by their teachers while encouraging the parents to support their children. She also congratulated the Bank for its initiative to reward students for their academic performance.

The Bursary Awards were presented by Ms. Collette Lyken, Officer-in-Charge – Human Resources & Administrative Department and the Awardees for 2005 are:

Our first Community Business Workshop for the year was hosted by the Parika Branch on August 24, 2005. This was the second part in a series of Workshops designed to offer guidance to our customers in the communities where our branches are located.

At the commencement of the Workshop, Mr. Esau Dookie, Regional Chairman-Region Three addressed the participants and highlighted some of the areas for investment available in the Region. He also congratulated the Bank for its ongoing support of the commercial sector within that Region and encouraged the participants to make use of the material presented.

The participants of the Workshop included medium to small scale entrepreneurs who benefited from information on prudent cash management, debt management techniques and the benefits of bank financing. The facilitators for this session included Mr. John Tracey, Director-Credit, Mrs. Bebi Wharton, Branch Manager, Mrs. Carol Seeraj, Manager-Regent Street Branch, Mr. Sean Noel, Junior Manager-Research & Planning, Ms. Marlyn Li, Senior Supervisor and Ms. Ashmini Das, Marketing & Public Relations Officer.

As part of their community outreach programme, staff of the Regent Street Branch painted pedestrian crossings at the following schools on August 21, 2005:

St. Margaret’s Primary School – Camp Street
St. Rose’s High School – Church Street
St. George’s Primary School – Church Street

The Branch is pleased to support the Police traffic Department’s Road Safety Drive

On August 21st staff of the Vreed-en-Hoop Branch repainted the pedestrian crossing in front of the Vreed-en-Hoop Primary School. This exercise was done in support of a campaign by the Police Road Traffic Department of Region Three to have all the pedestrian crossings in front of schools repainted for the commencement of the new school year.

On July 26, 2005, the Bank presented prizes to the winners of its Early Savers Annual Prize Drawing competition at its Water Street Branch. This competition has been a part of the Bank’s activities for the last ten years and it is greatly supported by members of the Early Savers Club.

Each year a random drawing is done and three winners are selected. The 2005 winners are:

1st Prize – Mountain Bike Mas. Beshan Sooklal
Anna Regina Branch
2nd Prize – Monopoly Board Game Mas. Ganesh Rampersaud
Student’s Reference Guide Water Street Branch
3rd Prize – Scrabble Board Game Miss Lakshmi Ramdat
Nancy Drew Novels Parika Branch

The Bank would like to thank all the members of the Early Savers Club who took part in the competition and congratulates this year’s winners.

2005-05-24 - Customer Appreciation Day and Customer Relationship and Award Ceremony

The Bank celebrated its anniversary with a branch wide Customer Appreciation Day and a Customer Relationship Award Ceremony at its Water Street location on May 24, 2005. The Award Ceremony culminated a festive day across the Branches, as thirteen (13) customers were honoured for their longstanding relationship with the Bank.

Mr. John Tracey, Director-Credit chaired the function, which was attended by members of the government, members of the diplomatic corps, customers, members of the Board and staff. Mr, Robin Stoby S.C, Chairman of the Board, gave a brief opening remarks where he stated that the longevity of the Bank is reflected in the list of awardees whose trust has motivated us to continuously strive for the provision of excellent service.

In his address, Mr. R. K. Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, noted that the Bank is exceedingly proud of the individual and business success of the awardees, whose tenure ranged from forty to seventy years, and more so of their commitment to and confidence in the institution. He further announced that the Board of Directors has taken a decision to grant a lifetime of free service to the individuals and organisations, while the companies will continue to receive quality support in their various projects.

Messrs. Stoby, Sharm and Tracey with the Hon. Prime Minister, Mr. Hinds

The feature address of the evening was given by the Honourable Prime Minister, Mr Samuel Hinds, who congratulated the Bank on its history and commended the decision to honour longstanding customers. He also encouraged financial institutions to extend their operations into the hinterland communities.

A video presentation on the History of the Bank and the introduction of a new advertisement for the GBTI Commercial Loan Plan concluded the official ceremony.

On Sunday, May 22nd staff of the Anna Regina Branch repainted two pedestrian crossings on the Anna Regina public road. These pedestrian crossings are used by students of C.V. Nunes Primary School, Cotton Field Secondary School and Anna Regina Multilateral School.

The Nirvana Humanitarian Society, a non-profit organisation, received a financial donation from the GBTI Parika Branch on April 24, 2005. The Society, which was established in 1997, is currently involved in the provision of meals, food hampers and school supplies to needy children and families on West Coast Demerara.

The donation will be used to assist with the construction of a learning centre where students will benefits from skills training.

Each year the Bank makes donations to several organisations that engage in activities that address the needs of the disadvantaged in our society. On Tuesday, 19th April 2005, GBTI held its Annual Donations Presentation Ceremony at the Water Street Branch, where financial contributions were made to seven (7) charitable organisations. In brief remarks Mr. Sean Noel – Junior Manager, Research & Planning stated that the Bank views its support of these organisations as an integral part of its corporate responsibility and is pleased to assist them, in a tangible way, to carry out their various programs.

The organisations that benefited from donations are Uncle Eddie’s Home, the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana, Dharmic Rama Krishna Primary School, Guyana Cancer Society, David Rose School for the Handicapped, Dharm Shala Home of Benevolence for All Races and Guyana Cancer Society.

GBTI’s Anna Regina Branch is one of 13 organisations that participated in the 5th Annual Career Fair held at the Johanna Cecilia Community High School on April 14, 2005. The Regional Education Office of Region 2 organises the career fair, which is aimed at providing career guidance and promoting job opportunities to Fourth and Fifth Form students on the Essequibo Coast.

GBTI donated a billiards table and accoutrements to the Guyana Prison Service on Thursday, April 14, 2005 at the Guyana Prison Sports Centre. At the presentation, Mr. John Tracey, Director-Credit said the Bank recognises the important role of the Prison Service and is pleased to offer its support.

Mr. Dale Erskine, Director of Prisons received the billiards table and thanked the Bank for this timely donation, which will enhance the recreational facilities at the Mazaruni Prisons.

In response to a newspaper article highlighting the plight of the Plaisance Nursery School, which was severely damaged by the recent flooding, the GBTI Regent Street Branch donated a quantity of stationery and kitchen utensils to the school.

The handing over took place on April 12, 2005 at the school in the presence of the students, their teachers and staff of the Branch.

The Headmistress stated that the donation would greatly assist the school, as they had to dispose the majority of items used by the children.

2005-03-18. Anna Regina Branch donates textbooks to Abram Zuil Secondary School

On Friday, March 18th, 2005, our Anna Regina Branch presented a set of Information Technology textbooks to the Headmaster of Abram Zuil Secondary School, at a simple ceremony held during the school’s General Assembly.
This is the first time the school is offering Information Technology to students at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations and the Bank is pleased to assist in the provision of reference material.

In presenting the books, Mr. Mario Farinha, Branch Manager, advised students of the importance of Information Technology in today’s world and encouraged them to make full use of the available resources.

GBTI wishes to express sympathy with the suffering of members of the public who were affected by the flooding to the city and coastland due to the recent heavy rainfall. This disaster, which has produced high social and economic costs arising from the loss of crops and livestock, and individual dislocation, has been particularly devastating on the poor and vulnerable in the affected communities, and significant attention will therefore have to be paid to assisting these persons in rebuilding their lives.

The immediate priority is to get the excess water off the land and advancing the clean-up and sanitizing process in order that persons can safely occupy their homes and surroundings. We therefore hope that every available mechanism would be employed to assist in the speedy completion of this exercise.

We wish to applaud the efforts of Government and the numerous organizations that have responded swiftly in bringing various forms of relief and medicine to those affected, and commend those organizations and individuals who have made financial contributions to sustain the relief activities.

GBTI wishes now to present its donation of three million dollars ($3,000,000) to the National Disaster Relief Fund to assist in the relief efforts and the delivery of the many services required by the people at this time. We are aware that significant work will be required in rebuilding the social and economic livelihood of the people, and wish that our contribution be viewed for the commencement of a special fund for that purpose.

With this donation, the Bank has brought its contribution to this disaster to five million dollars ($5,000,000) as we had earlier made a contribution of $500,000 to the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce’s Fund for the Tsunami victims in Asia, which was diverted for local flood victims; cash and other support amounting to $1,000,000 was provided to 67 staff members directly affected; and this afternoon the Bank will make a donation of spray cans to the Ministry of Health to assist in the sanitizing and disinfecting activities in the affected areas.

The Bank recognizes its responsibility in assisting its clients affected by the flooding and will be examining various forms of support on a case-by-case basis. However, the involvement of the Bank of Guyana and the Ministry of Finance might be required where waivers might be needed to the financial regulations to enable us to offer such support.

We are confident that with the collective effort of governmental and non-governmental organizations, the impact of the disaster would be kept to a minimum and normal livelihood will return to the affected communities as soon as possible.

On February 24, 2005, GBTI donated a digital Xerox photocopier to the National Archives to enhance the information duplication, storage and organisation of important historical documents.

The Archives has seen its work hampered by the unavailability of such equipment and the bank is pleased to be able to respond to this need.

On February 7, 2005, the GBTI Parika Branch celebrated its sixth anniversary of service to the residents of East Bank Essequibo and the Essequibo Islands. The Branch was opened on February 7, 1999 and over the years has developed a strong and loyal customer base through a productive and ongoing partnership with the community. This year’s anniversary activities included the sharing of refreshments to customers during banking hours and an interactive session in the evening between customers, staff of the branch and senior members of management.

During February, the Corriverton Branch sponsored two sporting events – a Mashramani Table Tennis Competition and a Mashramani Football Match, organised by the Corriverton Mayor & Town Council Mash Committee.

The Table Tennis competition was held on Sunday February 13, 2005 with six teams - two each from Corriverton, Rose Hall and New Amsterdam. In the finals, New Amsterdam A defeated Corriverton A 2-1 to take the GBTI Trophy while Rose Hall A gained third place. The first and second place teams received team trophies while medals were presented to all players from the top three teams.

Two weeks later, a keenly contested football match between Skeldon and Hearts of Oak Masters was held at the Skeldon Community Centre Ground on Sunday February 28, 2005. The match kicked off at 16:00 hours following opening remarks from Mr. Michael Basant – Manager, Corriverton Branch, Mr. Byron Duncan, Sports Convenor for the M. & T. C Corriverton and Mr. Jamna Ghamandi, Deputy Mayor of Corriverton.

After 90 minutes of exciting football, the score was levelled at 1-1 and remained even after 30 minutes of regulation extra time. This led to a much anticipated penalty shootout that saw Hearts of Oak Masters triumphing 3-1 over their opponents.