IWD Update: Delhi

**This week we'll be featuring stories from around our programmes showcasing their celebrations on International Women's Day 2010**

Delhi
Every year on 8th March in India we all have events organized to celebrate womanhood. This year perhaps was different as it marked the centenary year of International Woman’s day started in 1911.

In order to mark the event, we at Naz Goal Delhi was invited to be part of the elaborate celebration at one of the banks at Standard Chartered. Ms. Sharon, manager Standard Chartered Vasant Vihar, the Bank's all women’s branch, invited Goal girls for a tour of the Bank.

Manasi, Deepti and Sharon welcomed all the girls. The girls felt special because of the luxurious cab to carry them to the Bank and back.

For many of the girls this was the first chance they have ever had to visit a private bank on their own. The girls learned a lot from the two talks from woman from the fields of academics and beauty treatment. Rajshri and Tessa two heads of the bank spent time discussing their likes, dislikes, their aspirations etc. They also gave them a token gift of leather pad and photo frame.

Manasi and Deepti made an excellent presentation about bank to the girls. The girls had maximum queries when Manasi operated an ATM. They were all delighted to see that money can come out within fraction of seconds. It was an excellent opportunity to meet all the woman employees of Standard Chartered Bank, who have managed to reach to that cadre.

Some comments from the girls:

“Most of things were new for us. We learned so many things today. Personally it is a very nice experience.”

“I felt special. I do not know, how to express in words”

“I learned that we should keep our money in the bank, as our money would be safe and bank will give some interest on it”.

“I was happy to be given so much of importance by all the woman in the bank.”

We're a Global Sports Forum Winner!

We're so proud that Goal India won a trophy at least week's 2010 Global Sports Forum held in Barcelona. Our founding partner IFNA was on hand to accept (that's CEO Urvasi Naidoo, above, with Jordi Hereu, the mayor of Barcelona, and Gary Hall, US Gold Medalist in Swimmer).

We won the Sport and the City Award for initiatives designed to strengthen social cohesion and integration between urban communities and minorities.

Congrats to IFNA, Naz, and all the girls in India for this award!

International Women's Day

First off, happy International Women's Day! If you're new to this site, welcome to our blog. Here we update you on stories from Goal girls around the world, interesting news on the programme (and on girls in general) and updates from our volunteers.

Here are a few quick links to help you navigate around:

About us

News about our launch in Nigeria

Stories of our girls in India (and videos too!)


Contact Us by email, or follow us on Twitter or Facebook

Goal launches in Nigeria!

Standard Chartered Bank will launch its award-winning Goal programme in Nigeria, aiming to reach 10,000 girls in 2010 with football training and life skills and financial literacy education on Monday, International Women's Day. The Youth Empowerment Foundation has been selected as the first implementing partner in the country and will begin by rolling out Goal in Lagos and Abuja.

Standard Chartered established Goal in India in 2006 with the aim of empowering adolescent girls - a group with the potential to make positive change in their communities. In October of last year, Standard Chartered committed to a large scale global expansion of its Goal programme, aiming to empower 100,000 adolescent girls over the next four years. Goal covers the key life skills such as communication, accessing resources, and financial literacy. The Nigeria programme will have a special focus on HIV and AIDS and women’s health.

Standard Chartered believes that women are key drivers of economic success in our markets. Their potential often goes untapped, in spite of the fact that a number of studies have shown that programmes focused directly on women and girls impact much larger groups of families and communities. For example, Nigeria loses an estimated $1.7 billion in growth per year from girls whose economic potential is untapped.

Goal will be run by the Youth Empowerment Foundation, an NGO that has worked to implement projects for youth and adolescents across Nigeria for seven years. In addition, Bank employees will volunteer with the project.

Christopher Knight, Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria says Goal offers many opportunities for the business and the community. “Our sponsorship places us in a unique position as the Bank that builds local capacity for sustainable growth. By empowering adolescent girls, we are also showing we are Here for good in our community. Goal is a splendid initiative to discover and nurture potential future female high flyers.”

“What an exciting way to celebrate International Women’s Day by announcing the launch in Nigeria” said Jaspal Bindra, the Bank’s CEO for Asia and executive sponsor of the programme. “We look forward to bringing our unique programme of life skills, financial literacy, and sport to young women in one of our most dynamic African markets.”

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, a 17 year old Goal Champion from Delhi, had this to say about the programme: “When I joined Goal, my father was against my joining the programme, but now his opinions have changed. I feel so proud. Someday, I will prove to him that I am no less than my brothers.”

Global Girl News: 25 February

• How can businesses tap into female talent and female consumers? This is really women news,  but still check out some great videos from top women in business adnf government on the effect of women at work in developing countries. 

• Two super cool girl focused projects we heard about this week: football for girls in Ghana and using mobile technology to empower female students. (Thanks @KeshetBachan)

• This week we met Nick Gates from Coaches Across Continents, a great organisation working on sport for development (just like us!). 

• By the way - this photo is a teaser for some BIG NEWS we're announcing on International Women's Day...any ideas?

Global Girl News: 19 February

• Bhuvana at Women Deliver sent us a great piece from the New York times on how sports for girls "pay dividends" as they become women.

• sOccket is a super cool idea. Three girls from Harvard created a soccer ball (football) that captures energy when the ball is kicked so it can be stored and used.

• Deloitte is sponsoring the first ever Street Child World Cup, which launches in South Africa next month.

Volunteer Story: Meenakshi

(Meenakshi, front and centre, at a recent training of trainers) 

Meenakshi has been a volunteer on Goal in Delhi since the early days. In addition to her demanding day job at Standard Chartered, she has tireless given her time and effort and is now one of our Volunteer Coordinators.

We asked Meenakshi to tell us what she liked about Goal and here's what she had to say:

One of the most rewarding bits of work that I have completed in my 20 years at Standard Chartered is working with Goal. Money is a great testament to success. Smiles are more rewarding, though. To be at the helm of a team that makes these smiles show on otherwise despondent faces - is life changing.

It would be grossly unfair to say that the Goal program was for the sole benefit of the community. We had more learning as a team - learnings which we aim to imbibe in our working with great zest. We often get lost in the banal "everydays" of life - where we are going, what we are trying to achieve often blurs amidst procedures and routines. Goal taught us the essence of focus - of an untiring resolve to become better. The spirit to improve, in every circumstance, in the the face of every adversity. Our team realizes that we will take Standard Chartered several paces forward by adopting the same I-will-not-give-up attitude. Strife is the purpose, strife is the glory.

The openness to learn from unknown "Strangers" - clients, other teams, superiors, subordinates - the way our Goal beneficiaries did is an attribute we need to hone more. Often there is reluctance in conceding to a better way of doing things, a resistance to acknowledging ignorance. Goal taught us how easy it is to grow - admitting the need to learn and the need to know is perhaps the biggest battle won.

But it all pales in front of the overarching joy at seeing young girls breaking shackles of outdated traditions, economic backwardness and social oppression - and their metamorphosis into confident, self-reliant and happy members of the community. The feeling that they belong, the same way that we do. Goal has been humbling, extremely valuable and largely unforgettable expereince . It was truly a pleasure and an honour to be associated, I wish our "Goal" does not stop here and lead us all to greater heights!!