Big BIG news!

We've been teasing for a while now that we're going global with Goal, but now the news is official! See the press release below for more exciting details, and get in touch if you have ideas, questions, or comments.

Standard Chartered Bank’s Goal to empower adolescent girls through sport

Expansion of programme will deliver vital life skills to 100,000 girls over four years

London, 5 October 2009 – 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 yesterday 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.[1] Further, it’s been shown that when women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families.[2]

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. Rakhi, 17, a Goal Champion from Delhi said: “When I joined Goal, I never talked to anyone from the group. My father was against my joining the program, but now his opinions have changed. I am more confident and can talk to anyone without fear. My brother once remarked in front of some guests at home, that Rakhi will definitely achieve something in life. I felt so proud. Someday, I will prove that I am no less than my brothers.”

[1]Plan International, Paying the price: The economic cost of failing to educate girls [2008]
[2]Phil Borges, with foreword by Madeleine Albright, Women Empowered: Inspiring Change in the Emerging World [2007]

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Notes to editors:


About Goal

Goal is a Standard Chartered Bank community investment initiative which 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.

Since 2006, Goal has directly reached 500 girls, and touched nearly 25,000 families and community members across two cities in India. The programme plans to expand globally in 2010, reaching 100,000 girls in five countries.

For more information, see www.goal-girls.com



Standard Chartered – leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle East


Standard Chartered PLC, listed on both London and Hong Kong stock exchanges, ranks among the top 25 companies in the FTSE-100 by market capitalisation. The London-headquartered Group has operated for over 150 years in some of the world's most dynamic markets, leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its income and profits have more than doubled over the last five years primarily as a result of organic growth.


Standard Chartered aspires to be the best international bank for its customers across its markets. The Group earns around 90 per cent of its income and profits in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, from its Wholesale and Consumer Banking businesses. The Group has over 1600 branches and outlets located in over 70 countries. The extraordinary growth of its markets and businesses creates exciting and challenging international career opportunities.


Leading by example to be the right partner for its stakeholders, the Group is committed to building a sustainable business over the long term and is trusted worldwide for upholding high standards of corporate governance, social responsibility, environmental protection and employee diversity. It employs around 70,000 people, nearly half of whom are women. The Group's employees are of 125 nationalities, of which about 70 are represented in the senior management.

For more information on Standard Chartered, please visit www.standardchartered.com