Standard Chartered Bank Scores More Goals for Girls

 
 FLiP friend Alisha Fernandez Miranda, who works in Community Investment for Standard Chartered Bank in London, writes to us with good news.  Standard Chartered Bank has committed to a large scale expansion of its Goal programme, aiming to empower 100,000 adolescent girls over the next four years. Goal will bring its combination of sport training and life skills education to five countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

The announcement was made last week by Peter Sands, Group Chief Executive, Standard Chartered, at the second meeting of the World Bank Private Sector Gender Leaders Forum.  He commented, “Standard Chartered realizes that women are key drivers of economic development in its markets. Goal gives young women in deprived communities the skills and confidence they need to fulfill their full potential and support their families, communities, and economies for years to come.”

The global expansion of Goal will target girls in India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Jordan with a training programme including sport, financial literacy, health and hygiene, communication skills and rights. In addition to direct participants, the expansion is expected to reach an estimated 5 million family and community members.

A number of studies have shown a strong return on investment for programmes focused directly on women and girls. In India for example, where Goal began as a pilot in 2006, an estimated $32.6 billion in growth per year is lost due to girls out of school. Further, it’s been shown that when women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families.

Standard Chartered is now in the process of identifying NGO partners with deep local knowledge of their communities to deliver the programme alongside staff volunteers. 

At its core, Goal is about transformation and building self-confidence, empowering girls with limited opportunities in the past to create a better future for themselves and for their families. Congratulations to Alisha and her team on scaling up and scoring more goals for girls!

To learn more about Goal, visit www.goal-girls.com.