Standard Chartered launches women’s inclusion programme

KARACHI: Standard Chartered Bank on Monday launched the Goal Accelerator Programme in collaboration with Right To Play International Pakistan to create concrete pathways and steps for disadvantaged girls and young women to obtain decent employment.

The 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 become economically resilient. In Pakistan, Goal Accelerator will support 450 young women aged 17-35 years, who will be recruited from urban slums in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. For entrepreneurship participants, the minimum level of education required is Grade 8, the bank said in a statement.

For employability participants, the education threshold will be higher, at Grade 12.Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Pakistan Rehan Shaikh said, “Since 2016, we have partnered with 140 schools across Pakistan, equipping young girls and women with the skills needed to become economically independent.”

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

“At 24.5 per cent, 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.”