Meet Charity, from Zambia

"My name is Charity M. A. Hachijika. I was born on 17 March 1997 and I am the seventh born in a family of nine. I live with both of my parents in the capital city of Zambia and I doing my grade nine at Libala Basic School.

I really enjoy playing football and traditional sports. Before Goal, it was difficult for me to communicate openly and tell my friends that I loved football because football in my society is known to be a sport for boys only. But that changed when Goal came to my school. It has helped me to develop my inner ability in sports and encouraged me to open up to my pals. I got encouraged to express myself. One of the topics we had recently was "Knowing Yourself" and this topic has transformed my life. I have also learnt to interact with different people despite their backgrounds. 

Goal has helped me to be open whenever I am facing a challenge or going through hardships in any area of my life. I don't regret ever becoming a part of the Goal programme."

Standard Chartered launched Goal in Zambia in December 2011, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and EduSports. There are many more girls like Charity, to whom the Goal programme is making a difference. We have 800 girls currently enrolled in the programme, which is expected to reach 2,000 this year, and we look forward to hearing from more of the girls very soon!