Standard Chartered Bank has planned 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.

“Standard Chartered realises that women are key drivers of economic development in its markets,” said Peter Sands, group chief executive, Standard Chartered, at a meeting of the World Bank Private Sector Gender Leaders Forum.

“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,” he added.

The global expansion of Goal will target girls in Jordan, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Nigeria 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 five million families and community members.

Geoffrey Buchanan, chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Bank Jordan, said: “We are very pleased that the group has chosen Jordan as one of the countries in which the programme will be expanded.”

“Currently, we are in the process of identifying an NGO partner with deep local knowledge of the local community to deliver the programme alongside staff volunteers,” he added.

Buchanan continued: “We are keen on rolling out Goal in Jordan as this community investment initiative uses sport and life skills education to transform the lives of adolescent girls.

“The programme empowers disadvantaged girls living in urban settings for personal and economic development, providing knowledge and offering a safe place to play.”

Goal covers four core content areas – communication, health and hygiene, rights, and financial literacy – that are delivered along with sport training by NGO partners, each with deep local knowledge of their communities.

In India, Standard Chartered works in partnership with the Naz Foundation using netball as the sport component.

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 per cent of it into their families.

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. – TradeArabia News Service