Photo : Collected
Standard Chartered Bangladesh and the Bidyanondo Foundation have partnered to provide 150 beneficiaries from marginalised urban communities with access to training opportunities, sewing machines, and the materials needed to begin their own tailoring businesses.
The project will empower the selected beneficiaries to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, while bolstering economic growth and social development for the targeted communities as a whole, says a press release.
The bank’s flagship community engagement programme, Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, is designed to help the next generation in their journey to learn, earn, and grow. Under Futuremakers, the bank has been initiating projects to tackle inequality and promote greater economic inclusion.
Khaled Aziz, Managing Director and Country Chief Technology & Operations Officer of Standard Chartered Bangladesh, said, “In Bangladesh, women’s participation in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector ranges from 9-13 per cent in public institutions and 33 per cent in private institutions. Through this initiative, we are working towards bridging this gap by promoting economic independence and empowerment.”
“It is critical to note that the impact of this initiative extends far beyond individual households – when women gain access to learning and growth opportunities, they become catalysts for development, both within the household and across the community,” he added.
Kishor Kumar Das, Chairman of Bidyanondo Foundation, said, “In the male-dominated world, low-income women suffer a lot from uncertainty in metropolitan areas. Initiatives are not taken to help them dream of some additional income for lack of capital.”
“I strongly believe that this initiative to empower hundreds of women, with and that the funding from Standard Chartered Bangladesh, will help them to initiate a new future. Bidyanondo Foundation is proud to work on this project. It is believed that more such partnership projects will be initiated in the future.”
As the nation’s long-term partner in progress, Standard Chartered has consistently been linked to Bangladesh’s inspiring story of growth and resilience. For more than 119 years, the bank has remained dedicated to driving commerce and development by investing in communities, expanding the reach and scale of services to promote greater inclusion, and creating new opportunities.
The Bidyanondo Foundation is a non-profit organisation registered under the Bangladesh Department of Social Services. The Bidyanondo Foundation works to help poor communities across Bangladesh and performs a variety of essential social welfare activities.
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