INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES
Helping communities thrive
We work with local partners and employee volunteers to deliver programmes focused on education, employability and entrepreneurship.
Empowering the next generation
We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to realise their potential. Yet globally, more than 200 million young people are out of work or live in low-income poverty, and that's just not good enough. The economic impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic has made this worse.
Futuremakers by Standard Chartered is our global initiative to tackle inequality by promoting greater economic inclusion in our markets. Futuremakers supports disadvantaged young people, especially girls and people with visual impairments, to learn new skills and improve their chances of getting a job or starting their own business.
In 2020, Futuremakers programmes reached more than 168,000 young people, and more than 366,000 young people between 2019 and 2020 across 35 markets.
USD75 million for young people between 2019 and 2023
We set out to fundraise and donate USD50 million for Futuremakers between 2019 and 2023 to empower the next generation to learn, earn and grow.
In 2020, in response to COVID-19, we committed a further USD25 million to Futuremakers to support economic recovery for young people impacted by the pandemic. This brings our total fundraising and donation target for Futuremakers to USD75 million between 2019 and 2023.
Between 2019 and 2020, USD50 million was contributed to Futuremakers through fundraising and Group donations.
Funds raised go to NGO and charity partners to deliver Futuremakers programmes. This includes the Standard Chartered Foundation.
About Futuremakers programmes
Read more about Futuremakers global community programmes focused on education, employability and entrepreneurship.
Unleashing the economic potential of girls
We know that investing in girls can result in increased prosperity and diversity. Giving girls the tools to shape their own future has an incredible multiplier effect on communities and societies.
Goal is our programme to equip adolescent girls with the confidence, knowledge and skills they need to be economic leaders in their families and communities. As part of Futuremakers, we are expanding Goal as our global education programme.
Since its launch in 2006, Goal has grown to become an internationally-recognised global movement operating in more than 20 countries. Through sport and activity-based learning, Goal delivers modules on financial education; communication skills; health and hygiene; and self-confidence.
In 2020, the programme reached more than 56,000 girls and young women, and more than 646,000 between 2006 and 2020. Our target is to reach one million girls between 2006 and 2023.
What's next?
Following lower numbers in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, we will focus on increasing the number of girls reached through Goal in 2021.
Visit sc.com/goal to learn more about Goal and download the curriculum
Preparing young people to be job-ready
Globally, more than 200 million young people are out of work or live in low-income poverty. Many disadvantaged young people lack the skills they need to get a job or to improve their circumstances, including knowing how to manage their financial future.
Youth to Work is a global programme that will develop opportunities that support young people to become job-ready. Youth to Work reached more than 19,000 young people through employability projects in 2020, and more than 21,000 between 2019 and 2020. Our target is to reach 100,000 youth, supporting at least 20,000 of these beneficiaries into work between 2019 and 2023.
What's next?
During 2021, we will continue to support employability across our markets, including through COVID-19 economic recovery projects.
Nurturing small business owners to succeed
More individuals and businesses have greater access to financial services than ever before. However, many micro and small business owners lack the financial management skills they need to grow their business.
Entrepreneurs for Growth builds on our existing financial education training for entrepreneurs and our Women in Technology (WiT) Incubators, which provide support, mentorship opportunities and access to resources, such as funding and banking products and services, to female entrepreneurs in the technology sector. In 2020, we reached more than 6,400 young people, micro and small businesses through entrepreneurship activities and more than 15,000 between 2019 and 2020. Our target is to reach 50,000 micro and small businesses between 2019 and 2023.
What's next?
In 2021, we will continue to support entrepreneurship across our markets, including through COVID-19 economic recovery projects.
Supporting communities through volunteering
Volunteering has a positive impact on our communities, employees and our broader business. That’s why we offer every employee three days paid leave to volunteer.
Volunteering provides an opportunity for our staff to share their time, skills and expertise with local partners working on issues that matter in their communities.
In 2020, our employees contributed more than 36,000 days of volunteering; over half of these days were dedicated to the environment, health and community outreach.
What’s next?
During 2021, we will continue to develop opportunities for employees to share their unique skills and expertise through Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, our global initiative to tackle inequality and promote economic inclusion.
Meet our employee volunteers
Creating a world free from avoidable blindness
Between 2003 and 2020, Standard Chartered contributed just over USD104 million to Seeing is Believing (SiB), its global initiative to tackle avoidable blindness and visual impairment.
SiB provided access to affordable and quality eye health services to people in low- and middle-income countries, reaching more than 250 million people through medical interventions, eye examinations, and eye health education and training.
We are building on SiB’s legacy through our support for the Vision Catalyst Fund, a proposed $1 billion global eye-care fund.
Our support for people with visual impairments continues through Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, our global initiative to tackle inequality and promote greater economic inclusion.
INSIGHTS See how we’re helping people, businesses and economies to prosper
More on our approach to banking
We’re committed to promoting social and economic development in our markets through our core business of banking