In a collaborative exercise with the National Literacy Agency, for World Book Day celebrated on April 23, BNF Bank donated the second Maltese book from the series Karamellu tar-Raħal t’Isfel to primary schools St Thomas More College Fgura and Maria Regina College Mosta.

The books are primarily for readers aged between eight and 10 and form part of a collection of illustrated stories about children in a Maltese village in the 1950s. The stories have been acknowledged for their cultural value and their use of the Maltese language. The author, Charles Buttigieg, inserts himself in the stories as Nannu Karm.

During the presentation, the author read out one of his stories to the schoolchildren present, who were then encouraged to ask questions as a means of making the event interactive and provoke thought and the use of imagination.

Reading is a crucial element in one’s education and initiatives such as these emphasise it as an important tool in child development

The initiative is part of the bank’s commitment towards education, literacy and the promotion of the Maltese language and identity. Part of the bank’s ESG efforts focus on areas of need in the community, driven by branch managers who come across social projects through their relationships with customers.

BNF Bank Mosta branch manager Lorna Vella Aquilina said it was satisfying to see the children engrossed in the books.

“Reading is a crucial element in one’s education and initiatives such as these emphasise it as an important tool in child development.”

Francelle Delezio, BNF Bank Fgura branch manager, added that the collaboration continues to define the bank’s position in the community, “through which a number of schools and students will benefit”.