The intervention, implemented under the bank’s Back-to-School Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, targeted pupils at IPHY Kiddies School, Ebute-Metta, and Rock of Ages School, Ikorodu, with 50 pupils from each school receiving the materials.
The beneficiaries were presented with school bags, exercise books, writing materials, mathematical sets and reusable water bottles—items intended to help them return to the classroom better prepared for the new session.
The initiative comes at a time when the cost of education continues to place pressure on household finances, with families having to contend with expenses ranging from school fees and uniforms to books, stationery and other learning materials.
For Alert Microfinance Bank, however, the programme goes beyond the distribution of school supplies, forming part of its broader approach to community engagement and social impact.
Speaking during the exercise, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Alert Microfinance Bank, Raji Saheed, said the bank considered the communities where its customers live and operate as key partners in its growth.
Saheed explained that the institution’s responsibility extended beyond financial services to initiatives capable of creating a positive and lasting impact on the lives of people within those communities.
“At Alert, we believe that our responsibility goes beyond providing financial solutions. The communities and businesses we serve are important partners in our growth, and we are committed to creating opportunities that positively affect the lives of people around them,” he said.
The bank’s Chief Marketing Officer, Alert Group, Kayode Abraham, said the decision to focus on education was informed by the importance of equipping children with the basic resources required for learning.
According to him, supporting pupils at the beginning of a new academic session could help reduce some of the pressures faced by families while giving children greater confidence as they resume classes.
“Education remains one of the most important investments we can make in the future. Through this initiative, Alert is supporting these children with some of the tools they need to learn with greater confidence as they return to school,” Abraham said.
He said the programme also reflected the financial institution’s philosophy of translating its relationships with customers into meaningful benefits for the wider communities in which they operate.
He described the approach through the bank’s message: “Bank with us, grow with us, give back together.”
At IPHY Kiddies School, the proprietress, Mrs Okeke Anna Ifunaya, welcomed the intervention, describing it as timely assistance for both pupils and their parents as they prepared for the new school year.
She said the educational materials would help pupils meet some of their immediate school needs while easing part of the financial burden on their families.
“We appreciate Alert Microfinance Bank for this thoughtful intervention. The materials will be useful to the children and will also provide meaningful support to their parents as they prepare for the new school session,” she said.
The management of Rock of Ages School, Ikorodu, also expressed appreciation to Alert Microfinance Bank, noting that the intervention demonstrated a relationship with the school and its pupils that extended beyond conventional banking services.
The school said the gesture would directly benefit the pupils and provide practical support as they resumed academic activities.
The Back-to-School initiative is part of Alert Microfinance Bank’s wider CSR and community engagement efforts, which the institution said would continue to focus on areas including education, financial inclusion, enterprise development and sustainable community growth.
The bank said its approach was aimed at combining financial empowerment with social responsibility, while fostering sustainable relationships with customers and the communities it serves.
By extending its support to pupils in different parts of Lagos, Alert Microfinance Bank said it hoped to contribute to creating an environment in which children could access some of the basic resources necessary for effective learning and development.