JAIZ Bank, CANs Park, Others Partner On COVID-19 Palliatives

• Target vulnerable Nigerians for succour

BY COBHAM NSA, ABUJA – With all eyes on the new normal way of discharging its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Jaiz Bank Plc is strengthening partnership with CANs Park Ltd and other stakeholders in reaching out to the most vulnerable of society.

To achieve their laudable dreams of positively impacting the lives of ordinary citizens, the Bank and its partners have created a platform for relief providers to seamlessly access and grant relief to the needy and economically challenged Nigerians.

A statement by the bank in Abuja on Tuesday said delivering on its CSR, the focus at the moment is providing palliatives to cushion the adverse social and economic effects of the raging virus on Nigerians and the country in general.

According to the bank, under the platform tagged RISE, meaning (Relief Intervention and Symptoms Evaluation), relief seekers now have an easier and more secure way of reaching relief providers with their requests.

It described the RISE platform as a web and USSD application that connects relief providers to relief seekers within their specific locations, adding that it is designed to aid effective observance of social and physical distancing among relief seekers.

Consequently, the bank explained that the platform will help reduce mass gathering for relief distribution while also supporting the gathering of data on crisis-related needs and intervention requirements, as well as assisting organizations to effectively organize records of their efforts as a unit.

The package is to also ensure relief seekers can solicit required materials that would be delivered after they have been matched to a relief provider within their locations.

Additionally, through a simple USSD request or requests sent via smart phones of people in need, the platform will match requests geographically to organizations that can fulfil such requests promptly.

Besides, the bank hinted that this new process will not only eliminate guesswork from the relief provision process but also allow organizations to easily sort, respond, record and refine the relief support they are providing to the needy.

Similarly, relief providing bodies are required to do a simple sign up on the platform that uses demographic data and connects relief providers with relief recipients that match their location and category of relief provision.

Furthermore, providers can also indicate when they are out of stock or cannot deliver on a request and the platform will automatically rematch the request with any available provider.

So far, the RISE Platform has been launched in Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while more states will soon come on board when all necessary plans are fully in place.

The Bank further explained that to make the initiative successful, organizations and individuals providing support for the needy can do so through this platform, especially against the backdrop of the rampaging pandemic,

Also, post-COVID19, the platform’s App will continue to serve as a platform for organisations to reach vulnerable individuals.

“We are also leveraging a volunteer network currently driven by the YALI Network, which will handle matters relating to the delivery of relief materials for providers who desire to remain anonymous and information gathering for locations wherein the inhabitants may not be able to navigate the platform to make requests”, the bank said.

The statement said the RISE platform can be accessed by visiting the URL: www.rise.com.ng or by dialling a USSD code (for only the recipient). Organizations and individuals that are interested in supporting the platform as relief providers can Sign up through the URL: www.rise.com.ng/providers