After an initial 255 Persons With Disabilities (PWD)’s and from the marginalised community were trained by Maybank Foundation for its pilot R.I.S.E. (Reach Independence and Sustainable Entrepreneurship) Programme in the Philippines, 1,000 more are being targeted to benefit as the programme goes nationwide, covering Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao in addition to Metro Manila.
Maybank Foundation has extended its R.I.S.E. programme in the Philippines to impact beneficiaries nationwide, including the Visayas, where it targets to build capabilities of 250 PWDs through a structured training and mentoring programme in key cities. This follows the huge success of the pilot programme conducted last year which saw 255 participants successfully go through a similar training.
First stop for the R.I.S.E. Visayas trainings was Iloilo City, which saw around 50 selected PWDs coming together for a three-day entrepreneurship and financial training session. This will be followed by a six-month mentoring period where the participants will be trained, coached and mentored to develop their entrepreneurial skills in order to help them achieve higher income levels and improve their overall standard of living.
The programme which was launched at the Diamond Jubilee Hall, Iloilo City, saw Maybank Foundation CEO, Shahril Azuar Jimin and The Hon. Jose Espinosa III – Mayor, Iloilo City welcoming the participants who arrived for the programme.
“When R.I.S.E. was first launched in Malaysia in 2014, we saw 280 participants succeed in their businesses in which each participant achieved a remarkable 411.7% average income increase. In Phase 2, 1,866 participants who were trained across Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines achieved an average income increase of 356.4%, 351.8% and 565% in those countries respectively,” Shahril continued.
He further added, “Given the huge success of the programme, we are now in Phase 3 of the programme, which will now reach out to 4,000 people in four countries namely Malaysia – 800, Indonesia – 2,000, Philippines – 1,000 and Laos – 200 as pilot, of which 70% will comprise PWDs.”
Financial inclusion is still at a relatively low level in ASEAN, especially among the disabled and marginalized. Taking on this advocacy is Maybank’s way of driving the bigger regional agenda of championing financial inclusion across ASEAN.
The R.I.S.E. programme seeks to implement economic empowerment and financial inclusion among differently-abled communities. It aims to have at least 40% of its participants gain an income increase of 100% within three months. Since going full-blast nationwide in the Philippines beginning November 2017, 10 batches of trainings have been completed, impacting the lives and families of 454 participants in 10 different locations in Metro Manila & Mindanao (Davao). Significantly, the average income increase for the top 40% is at 305.8%.
Shahril reiterated, “Our commitment to supporting and empowering the disadvantaged, especially PWDs, is very much in line with Maybank’s mission of humanizing financial services. We believe that in helping all segments of the community to gain financial independence, we can contribute to the overall prosperity and sustainability of society.”
Tacloban is the next stop for R.I.S.E. in the Visayas, with its training schedule confirmed for 15 to 17 August 2018 at the Tacloban Training Center. On 7 to 9 September 2018, the second training in Davao City will be held at the Sunny Point Hotel.
Maybank has been operating in the Philippines for 21 years since 1997. It presently has 74 branches nationwide, of which 30 are in Metro Manila and the rest are strategically located in key cities of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Maybank has 2 branches in Iloilo City.