More than a hundred OCBC Bank staff from both Malaysia and Singapore recently travelled north to Perak to help upgrade a 66-year-old school in Sitiawan that was in urgent need of refurbishment.

OCBC staff repainting the school’s mural with paint brushes and their sheer flair for art.

They decided to put on their worker’s suits and literally got their hands dirty to upgrade the school, SJK (C) Simpang Lima. In previous years, the Bank staff got together to upgrade other schools in various parts of the country.

Led by senior management staff Mr Lim Khiang Tong, Head of Group Operations & Technology, OCBC Group; and Mr Lim Yau Seong, Head of Operations and Technology, OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad, the bankers set out on their annual community development initiative with little construction know-how but plenty of enthusiasm.

The staff volunteers, who were guided by professionals, contributed their labour by working to improve the school’s facilities. This included on-site improvements such as reconstructing the school’s logo, repainting interior and exterior walls, doors, grilles and gates, courts, benches, and canteen tables; and beautifying the surroundings.

Wheel-barrow in hand, Mr Lim Yau Seong, Head of Operations and Technology, OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad doing his part to upgrade the school’s premises.

That aside, they installed nettings for all classrooms to prevent the intrusion of birds. Other works included installation of racks and awnings, cleaning up the storeroom, cement repairs and provision of daily necessities for needy students.

Among the items contributed by the Bank to the school and its students were a PA system, a one-year supply of exercise books, plastic chairs, cabinets, Tshirts and track bottoms, a table tennis table, other sports equipment and stationaries.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr Lim Yau Seong said the staff banded together each year to step outside their comfort zones in order to help those in need.

“Our team spent the entire Saturday here assisting the school community in their quest to gain better facilities for this school. We are eager to see the outcome so that the students and teachers can have a more conducive environment to study, work and play.

“We also extended financial contributions to three families for their daily necessities to reduce their burden and improve the living conditions for them,” he said.

The RM90,000 cost of the programme was borne entirely by the staff who raised the funds through food fairs and personal contributions.

In thanking OCBC Bank for its contribution, SJK (C) Simpang Lima headmistress Mrs Lim Eng Kee said the school is grateful to the Bank for not just raising the funds to make the facilities improvement programme possible but also putting in the efforts personally.

“We are thankful to the OCBC Bank staff who came in large numbers to help us upgrade the school and make it a much better place for us to conduct lessons,” she said.

Mr Lim Yau Seong added that he felt blessed seeing the staff working closely together as a team as they immersed themselves in activities unfamiliar to most bankers.

“Some of us have experience in building-related projects through our annual OCBC Operations & Technology community development activities in other locations such as Bandung (Indonesia), Kota Bharu, Sepang, Bentong and Pulau Betong in Penang, but we still have a lot to learn and that includes the finer points of collaboration, teamwork and understanding site work. At the end of the day, it was all truly worthwhile and we certainly had lots of fun amidst the hard work,” he said.