Standard Chartered launches Goal Accelerator Programme for women

KARACHI: Standard Chartered Bank on Monday launched the Goal Accelerator Programme in collaboration with Right To Play International Pakistan at the SC Pakistan Head Office.

The Goal Accelerator Programme is an evolution of the deeply impactful Goal Programme that was first launched in Karachi in 2016.

It is a sport-powered, gender-responsive economic resilience initiative with the aim to create concrete pathways and steps for disadvantaged girls and young women to obtain decent employment, earn an income and become economically resilient.

In Pakistan, Goal Accelerator will support 450 young women between the ages of 17-35 years old who will be recruited from urban slums in Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad.

For entrepreneurship participants, the minimum level of education required is 8th Grade. For employability participants, the education threshold will be higher, at 12th Grade.

On the occasion, Rehan Shaikh, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Pakistan said that today marks a significant milestone, not just for the Bank, but for the countless women who will benefit from the Goal Accelerator Programme.

“Since 2016, we have partnered with 140 schools across Pakistan, equipping young girls and women with the skills needed to become economically independent”, he added.

Currently, there are over 90,000 Goal beneficiaries who have benefitted from this programme and can now work towards shaping their own futures, he informed.

“We know that investing in girls’ futures and closing the gender inequality gap will increase women’s labour force participation rates, which is a matter of critical importance for Pakistan’s economic growth”, Rehan said.

At 24.5 percent, Pakistan’s workforce participation rate for women is one of the lowest both in South Asia and globally. Programmes such as Goal Accelerator will aid in bridging this gap, impacting not just the intended beneficiary but entire communities, he said.

Ali Khayam, Country Director Right To Play Pakistan said that this partnership between Right To Play and Standard Chartered has benefitted thousands of young girls over the last 08 years. Goal programme has empowered these girls teaching them core life skills and financial literacy, giving them agency over their life decisions, he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024