ANZ joins hands with Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation

This is a bold step for ANZ to create closer connections with the local community. By joining hands with Blue Dragon, the bank can support vulnerable street children with free daily meals, education opportunities and many other useful social activities.

ANZ Vietnam chief executive officer Tareq Muhmood said: “In order to grow sustainably in markets where we operate, we must have greater coherence in how we think and act, and invest in our community.”

“At ANZ, we believe not only cash support but all of the staff’s contribution make the difference. These underprivileged children deserve proper meals and necessary education and this is what we aim to provide and help them realize their future dreams. And Blue Dragon is our choice of partner as the foundation proves a great record of charitable work over the past ten years,” Muhmood said.

Chief executive officer and co-founder of Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation Michael Brosowski said: “We applaud the efforts of ANZ to support disadvantaged children in Vietnam by working in partnership with Blue Dragon. This partnership will create meaningful activities for our children that will help improve their lives."

Earlier this year, ANZ Vietnam launched its flagship MoneyMinded Program to help create pathways to long-term prosperity through developing practical and innovative financial skills programs for local students. One hundred and sixty-one students from FPT University have benefited from the program.

ANZ was among the first international banks to operate in Vietnam, establishing its first office in 1993. ANZ has ten branches and transaction points in Vietnam offering a full range of services including Retail Banking, Commercial Banking for small, medium and emerging businesses, as well as Institutional Banking.  In  September 2012, ANZ was ranked as the lead bank globally in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index

Blue Dragon reaches out to youth in crisis throughout Vietnam. Its residential facilities, centres, and programs give children and youth a new chance in life: the chance to have a home, a good education, and happy, stable living conditions. Blue Dragon aims to break the poverty cycle by offering opportunities for education and training, life-learning activities and direct care to street kids, children with disabilities, child victims of trafficking and the rural poor.