Putting young entrepreneurs at the center of Covid recovery plans in Türkiye
on 22 Feb 202210 February 2022 Istanbul, Türkiye– Standard Chartered is today announcing the renewal of the Futuremakers ‘MSME Development Programme’ with Youth Business international, in Türkiye for a further two years. The programme was first launched in 2021 in response to COVID-19 to support economic inclusion for young micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) owners across Türkiye. In its first year, over 700 people accessed training sessions. Over 290 young people benefiting from targeted support, learning many new skills to strengthen and rebuild their businesses, including financial management, leadership, learning mindset, resilience and problem solving.
Using the skills gained on the programme, young business owners were able to positively impact their businesses with 98% of those targeted stating that they have improved their business-related knowledge and skills. Canan, a 29-year-old Futuremaker from Istanbul said: “Thanks to the network of participants from various sectors and businesses, we have gained a different perspective and greater opportunities. We support each other in different ways such as learning from each other’s experiences and providing contacts of related business partners to grow our businesses.”
The programme delivered in Türkiye by Habitat Association, is part of an initiative led by Youth Business international taking place in seven countries, and is funded by the Standard Chartered Foundation, the lead delivery partner for Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, a global initiative to tackle economic inequality and promote greater economic inclusion for disadvantaged young people in our communities. Employees from Standard Chartered in Türkiye will continue to support the delivery of the programme alongside Habitat, using volunteering leave offered by the Bank to share their skills, expertise and insights from the world of business.
Youth Business International and Standard Chartered Foundation are working together to provide in-depth support to 3,755 young entrepreneurs and crucial support to 28,500 young people wanting to start or strengthen their business. Priority will be given to traditionally disadvantaged business owners including rural, female entrepreneurs, business owners with disabilities and visual impairments and those excluded from formal financial support.
Kaşif Atun, CEO, Türkiye at Standard Chartered said: “It is vitally important that we continue to support those who have been hardest hit through the pandemic. I am incredibly proud of our team in Türkiye for dedicating their time to support growing businesses and young people as they navigate through challenging times. I had the opportunity to engage with the entrepreneurs supported by this programme, and it was impressive to see their resilience and determination to succeed”.
Sezai Hazır, Founder & Chair of Board, Habitat Association said: “While the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the world in terms of public health, the economic problems brought by the pandemic continue to deepen. SMEs and entrepreneurs, who are disadvantaged in many respects compared to big companies, need to make radical changes in their working systems in order to survive during the pandemic period. In order to increase the resilience of SMEs and entrepreneurs, to create sustainable and inclusive business models, and to realize the ideas of entrepreneur candidates, people need to improve their ability to make accurate and fast decisions, solve the cash flow problem, create different business models, and give more importance to digitalization.
As Habitat Association, we supported more than 1000 SMEs and entrepreneurs across Türkiye with finance and digital-oriented trainings, various accelerator programs and grant support within the scope of the “Transforming MSMEs Program”, which we implemented in partnership with Youth Business International last year. The “Transforming MSMEs Program” will continue to support entrepreneurs, entrepreneur candidates and SMEs with the new activities we added in 2022.”
Anita Tiessen, CEO of Youth Business International, said:
“I’ve been inspired by the impact of the Futuremakers Programme supporting a wide variety of young people to turn their ideas into successful businesses. Younger people were among the hardest hit by the pandemic, but the struggle is far from over for many and I’m delighted that YBI with Standard Chartered Foundation’s new funding will help us expand and continue this crucial work to ensure young entrepreneurs.
From its establishment in 2019 until June 2021, the Bank contributed USD57 million to Futuremakers programmes, including COVID-19 economic recovery, reaching more than 477,000 young people across 35 markets globally. To date, the programmes in the Europe and Americas region, which include Türkiye, have helped 10,557 youth to access economic opportunities and unlock their potential. 209 young people on programmes in the EA region have set up their own small and mid-size enterprises, and 62 young entrepreneurs have accessed a share of almost USD296,000 in grant and seed funding.
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For further information please contact:
Kate Matthews
Communications Manager, Europe
Standard Chartered
+44 20 7885 7899
kate.matthews@sc.com
Note to Editors
Habitat Association
Habitat Association is an NGO which develops and conducts social impact-oriented and capacity-building projects in coherence with the digitalizing world. Habitat is based on strong partnerships aiming sustainable development in fields of technology, entrepreneurship and financial awareness among all segments of the society. It was founded in 1997 by the youth who first came together in 1995 at Copenhagen Social Development Summit and then in 1996 at United Nations Habitat II Summit. Founding vision of Habitat was binding the youths of the world and Türkiye together. In line with this vision and with purposes of building the capacity of the youth and going into international partnerships, Habitat has developed many projects and programmes.
Young Business International
Youth Business International (YBI) is a global network of expert organisations helping young people around the world to start, grow and sustain businesses, leveraging entrepreneurship to create decent work and drive inclusive economic growth, whilst transforming livelihoods and strengthening communities.
Our efforts are particularly focused on disadvantaged young people, equipping them to build the skills, confidence and connections they need to beat the odds and become successful business owners. By operating at the crossroads of business and social development, we support the entrepreneurs that are shaping the future, working to solve some of the greatest challenges of our time, and creating opportunities – not just for themselves but for us all. www.youthbusiness.org
Standard Chartered Foundation
The Standard Chartered Foundation (SCF) is a charitable organisation that tackles inequality by promoting greater economic inclusion for disadvantaged young people, particularly girls, young women and people with visual impairments. Its programmes focus on education, employability, entrepreneurship and include projects that support economic recovery for communities impacted by COVID-19.
Established in 2019, SCF is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity number 1184946) and is the lead delivery partner for Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, a global initiative to tackle inequality. www.sc.com/scfoundation
Standard Chartered
We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 59 of the world’s most dynamic markets, and serving clients in a further 85. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.
Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges.
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