- Joint initiative of UniCredit Bank in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Visa, Association Think pink – Together we are one with the support of media houses Klix.ba, Bljesak.info, Dnevni Avaz, Azra magazine, Bonjour.ba, IMG group, Europlakat, banjaluka.net
In order to strengthen women’s health and fight against breast cancer, this year UniCredit in Bosnia and Herzegovina continued its pink mission and remained committed to action through the initiative “My support circle”, emphasizing the importance of health and prevention, but also providing opportunities for all to contribute to raising awareness of this vicious disease. In the previous period, all users of UniCredit Visa cards had the opportunity to support the initiative by using Visa credit cards UniCredit Bank, given that for each payment with these cards, UniCredit Bank in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Visa allocated 1 BAM to the fund “Together we are one”, and collected an amount of over 54,000 BAM.
The funds raised provided free mammography examinations throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, in compliance with prescribed hygienic and epidemiological measures. During the 11 Health Days, additional consultations with gynecologists were introduced and education on other women’s cancers was provided, and more than 80 women got a free PAPA test. Two breast cancers were detected, and more than 50 women were referred for additional examinations, in accordance with the detected changes in the tissue, which is a confirmation of the importance of prevention and timely response that saved the lives of these women.
Nela Hasić, Regional Director of the Association “Think pink – Together we are one” said on this occasion: “Although at the end of last year we hoped and expected that the situation in 2021 regarding the pandemic will be better. Unfortunately, the current year was extremely severe, which prompted us and gave us the strength to continue our mission even more resolutely, because breast cancer is, unfortunately, still the disease that takes the most lives among women. Although most preventive health examinations in the country have been postponed, as part of the project “My support circle” and thanks to the support of UniCredit and Visa, during September and October 2021 we organized and held Health Days throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina and continued to support those that needed these examinations the most. I truly thank UniCredit Bank in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Visa for recognizing the importance of this mission this year as well and supporting our activities as socially responsible companies.”
Maida Slatina Mehmedagić, Business Development Manager at Visa for the South East Europe region, said: “We are very pleased that this year, with the support of the Association “Think pink – Together we are one”, we have managed to reach a large number of women and provide them with preventive medical examinations or an opportunity to act or take an important step towards healing through the My support circle initiative. I would like to thank our partners from UniCredit Bank and Visa card users who supported this joint mission with great dedication to return health to the top of the list of priorities. Visa’s goal is to connect. That is exactly what we did, we acted in solidarity and I hope that we have contributed to a positive change in the community of which we are part.”
Through a series of activities since the beginning of the initiative, UniCredit in Bosnia and Herzegovina wanted to draw attention and raise awareness of the importance of prevention and care for women’s health. As a sign of support and a reminder, the recognizable light blue color of the bank was replaced during October, and the corporate materials and mobile applications of m-ba and m-bank were painted in pink. All employees in the branches and headquarters of UniCredit Bank a.d. Banja Luka, wore a pink ribbon and thus expressed their support for this initiative, while the employees of UniCredit Bank d.d. Mostar marked the last Friday in October by wearing pink to work and contributed to raising awareness of the importance of women’s health.
We note that the UniCredit Bosnia and Herzegovina team on the platform www.raceforthecure.eu also raised significant funds and supported the Race/Walk for healing, which was held on October 3. We ran and walked on behalf of the Pink Mission in all cities where UniCredit operates in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Several employees of UniCredit Bank a.d. Banja Luka dedicated its participation in the Banja Luka Marathon to this initiative, part of the staff of UniCredit Bank d.d. Mostar formed its teams and headed to the mountains, where they climbed Velika Vlajna, the highest peak of Čabulja (1780 m), while some employees participated in the final event and the symbolic walk along Wilson’s promenade in Sarajevo.
Anita Grabner, Member of the Management Board of UniCredit Bank a.d. Banja Luka in charge of Human Resources on the occasion of the activities within the initiative “My support circle” said: “As a woman, I have the need and responsibility to emphasize how important it is for each of us to take care of our health. I am proud that our employees once again supported the “Support circle” and showed a high sense of solidarity with vulnerable categories of society. I am glad that UniCredit Bank a.d. Banja Luka, as part of this important mission aimed at preserving health, sent the message that health and prevention come first. We believe that we would do good, it is important that we do good, and as part of UniCredit we always strive to recognize important actions and do the right thing.”
“It is our responsibility and mission to act socially responsible and raise awareness of the importance of this topic. The Support circle is an opportunity to respond to the needs of our society, and to raise awareness of the importance of health together with our employees and clients. By allocating funds for this purpose, we give the possibility of prevention that saves lives. Life is important to all of us, and with such initiatives we confirm that we are part of the solution!”, added Amina Mahmutović, President of the Management Board of UniCredit Bank d.d. Mostar.
About UniCredit Bank
With total assets of 6,336 million BAM and capital of 960.9 million BAM, the Bank manages a network of 70 branches and covers the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is why UniCredit Bank is available to every client in every major city and town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. (data from June 30, 2021.)
About UniCredit Group
UniCredit is a strong pan-European group with a simple commercial banking model and fully integrated Corporate and Investment Banking, offering its broad franchise to customers a unique business through a sales network in Western, Central and Eastern Europe.
UniCredit offers local expertise as well as international reach and monitors and supports its clients around the world, providing clients with access to leading banks in its 13 markets as well as in 16 other countries. UniCredit European Banking Network operates in Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
