Dhaka : Eastern Bank PLC (EBL), as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, has partnered with Friendship, a leading NGO in Bangladesh, to expand access to essential healthcare and safe drinking water for vulnerable communities across the country.

A Memoran-dum of Under-standing (MoU) was signed between the two organizations at EBL's head office in the capital. Ahmed Shaheen, Additional Managing Director of EBL, formally handed over a cheque to Runa Khan, Founder and Executive Director of Friendship, marking the beginning of the collaboration.

Under Friendship's Char Surgery Access Program, the partnership will bring specialist surgical care to isolated river island communities in northern Bangladesh. More than 1,000 surgeries are planned under the initiative, aiming to restore sight, mobility, dignity, and quality of life for patients who often have little or no access to specialized medical treatment.

Leveraging Friendship's floating hospitals - Emirates Friendship Hospital and Lifebuoy Friendship Hospital - along with satellite clinics and trained community medic-aides, the initiative will deliver life-changing procedures such as cataract surgeries, burn contracture repair, prolapse correction, Achilles tendon surgery, and other essential general surgeries.

In addition to healthcare support, EBL will fund the installation of two multi-source Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) in Shyamnagar, a cyclone-prone coastal region where freshwater sources are frequently contaminated due to salinity and climate-related impacts. Each plant will be capable of producing up to 1,000 liters of purified water per hour, serving around 400 families.

Senior representatives from both organizations were also present at the signing ceremony.