Photos: StanChart to empower 1,000 girls through Goal initiative

Standard Chartered Bank Ghana, has launched an initiative aimed at empowering young girls in the country.

The initiative, dubbed Goal, is one of Standard Chartered global community engagement programmes that focuses on using a combination of sports and life skills training, to empower and equip adolescent girls.

It equips them with confidence, knowledge and skills needed to be integral economic leaders in their families, communities and societies. Goal utilizes play-based games to reinforce messages.

Goal was first launched in 2006 as a pilot in Delhi and reached 70 girls. By 2016 Goal has reached over 285,000 girls across 17 markets the bank operates in.

Speaking at the launch at the Right to Dream Academy in Old Akrade in the in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region, Mansa Nettey, Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Bank Ghana, said, it is the first step to empowering up to 1,000 girls in the country this year.

“Today we take the first step to empower up to 1,000 girls this year through the goal programme. We believe that investing in the education of adolescent girls has an incredible multiplier effect on their communities and societies.”

Gifty Twum Ampofo, Deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection speaking at the event noted that the major “problems we have in Ghana and Africa as a whole is the psyche of young ladies. Usually, we have a lot of development partners and most often than not, they wait till the females are grown already".

She applauded the Goal imitative and noted that "when I see an organisation like this one preparing the young ladies to gain confidence, to live beyond all superstitions in society...to come out to prepare them with their psyche to know that they are for change, they are for the younger generation, then we know that the problem of society is about to be a thing of the past.”

Mrs Felicia Gbesemete, Member Board of Directors of Standard Chartered Bank also commented that, Ghanaians, after benefiting from education, have a duty to also impact future generations.

“We have a duty as citizens who have benefitted from education to impact future generations. Beyond educating girls we need to empower and equip girls with the confidence and skills they need to become leaders in their communities and the nation,” she said.

The Goal initiative is delivered through local partners and implemented at the community level through young coaches. In Ghana, the initiative has partnered with Right to Dream Academy to implement the Goal programme.

Robin Bourne Taylor, Managing Director of Right to Dream Ghana said, “Right to Dream believes that optimism and determination is the key to progress. We believe that everyone has the right to dream. The Goal programme is about empowering young ladies to inspire girls in their communities and country.”

The girls at the launch engaged in several fun-pack activities including a special football match between Right to Dream Ghana and the Goal team.

See photos below: