05 August 2015

Maybank Foundation to expand RISE Programme

Following the success of Maybank Foundation’s pilot phase of its RISE (“Reach Independence & Sustainable Entrepreneurship”) programme, the Foundation today launched its Phase 2 which aims to reach out to 1,800 people in three countries, 70% of which will comprise Persons With Disabilities (PWDs). This time round, Maybank Foundation is now implementing this programme on a larger scale covering not only Malaysia but also Indonesia and the Philippines. 

The RISE program is designed to train, coach and mentor participants to develop their entrepreneurial skills resulting in higher income levels thus improving their overall standard of living. The pilot programme involved 280 participants in early September 2014 and targeted underprivileged households comprising PWDs, single mothers and marginalized persons. It included training in entrepreneurship and finance as well as mentoring and monitoring. The pilot phase was successfully completed in April 2015, and resulted in a 375.9% average income increase per participant.

The launch of Phase 2 was officiated by Maybank Foundation Chairman, Tan Sri Dato' Megat Zaharuddin Megat Mohd Nor, and CEO of Maybank Foundation, Shahril Azuar Jimin.

In his opening speech, Shahril said “Owing to the success of the initial project, the Foundation believes that the time is right that we expand the programme not only in Malaysia but to serve our communities in Indonesia and the Philippines. Phase 2 of the project will entail 1,400 participants in Malaysia and 200 each in Indonesia and the Philippines. The number of participants will follow the same ratio of the pilot, which is 70% PWDs and 30% marginalised. In future, we hope to further expand this project across the pan Asian Region.”

The event also saw 38 participants of the pilot phase receiving special commendation for achieving the most consistent performance in their respective areas of micro-businesses.

“We congratulate the participants from the pilot phase as they now are able to enjoy increase in their income, and because of this increment, their dignity and confidence have improved and they are now able to provide for themselves. They can now take care of their families and give back to society. They now have the skills to create sustainable wealth, as well as afford better food, medical care and education for their children and have more choices in life,” added Shahril.

Maybank Foundation Chairman, Tan Sri Dato' Megat Zaharuddin Megat Mohd Nor said “The encouragement that we have from the success of the pilot program means that we are able to move ahead with the second phase of RISE program with great confidence such that we can

continue to touch and have an impact on the very community that we serve. Now, with the success of the pilot program and through the learnings that we have gained, I am proud to announce that we will be taking this flagship program to beyond Malaysian shores. In our quest to be truly pan-regional, Maybank Foundation will expand this program in Malaysia and implement it in other ASEAN countries, starting with Indonesia and Philippines.

“Corporate responsibility is an integral part to our business. The principle of “Putting People First” is an ethos that runs deep in every Maybanker. This means that here in Maybank, we are cognisant of our role that we need to play in being at the heart of our community.

We remain steadfast in our commitment to drive financial inclusion to all segments of society, because in doing so, we believe in uplifting the lives of people who will otherwise have little access or ability of enjoying banking and financial services so that they can enjoy financial facilitation to be able to lead better lives. It is a role that Maybank firmly believes in and we will continue to play our role to enable society with great enthusiasm in line with our mission to humanise financial services,” added Tan Sri Megat.

The Entrepreneurship training under the RISE programme gets participants to build innovative sales strategies into their business ideas, resulting in businesses, which are more resilient by giving our participants a competitive edge over others in similar businesses. It also has a large customer focus, teaching participants how to acquire and retain large customers to significantly increase their incomes. The Finance segment further enhances their business management skills by teaching participants good financial habits and how to mitigate business risks, allowing them to sustain their business success.

Under the RISE programme, Maybank Foundation works with People Systems Consultancy, who takes the lead role in the programme as well as with Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat and 30 reputable NGOs. The foundation will similarly work with other NGOs in Philippines and Indonesia.

Maybank Foundation undertakes sustainable CR initiatives of the Maybank Group regionally in line with its mission of humanising financial services. The Foundation focuses on 6 key areas, namely Education, Community Empowerment, Healthy Living, Environmental Diversity, Arts & Culture, and Disaster Relief. In all six areas and in every country it operates in, Maybank is focused on activities and fundings that would create meaningful, measurable and sustainable impacts that differentiate it from its competitors and complement its mission to humanise financial services.