HSBC empowers 1,000 school children through entrepreneurship education programme

CSR PROJECT: HSBC, together with Young Entrepreneurs Sri Lanka (YESL), recently launched "Future First" which is aimed at developing the entrepreneurial skills of students in selected schools, mainly populated by underprivileged children.

This is part of the global USD 10 million, five-year initiative (2007-2012) of the HSBC Global Education Trust, implemented through the participation of country coordinators where HSBC has a presence, to provide education, healthcare, counselling and shelter to hundreds of thousands of street children, children in care and foster children.

Future First projects for individual countries were identified globally through an annual bidding process conducted by the HSBC Global Education Trust Fund by when the country coordinators had identified a suitable project in their respective areas before submitting it for review. The first round of bidding for Future First project funding was completed in March 2007 and the HSBC Global Education Trust approved projects from three countries of which Sri Lanka was one.

The other countries that won funding for their projects were India and France. The project in Sri Lanka involves 1,000 students from Sivali Central School, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike Vidyalaya, Sri Parakkramabahu Viduhala, Narahenpita, Methodist's College, Mutwal, Thalahena KV, Negombo, Sri Sadharmodaya Viduhala, Moratuwa, Methodist Vidyalaya, Dehiwala, Rainbow Centre, Bentota, Herman Gmeiner School, the Sarvodaya Centre in Borella and the SOS Children's Village in Piliyandala.

The duration of this project runs for three years, and will be broken into three main levels - the Elementary, Middle school and Senior school programmes. HSBC has collaborated with YESL and Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide, in the implementation of this project. JA is the world's largest and fastest growing organisation dedicated to educating young people about business, economics and free enterprise.