25 September 2016
Maybank Foundation expands R.I.S.E Programme to Labuan
Maybank Foundation has extended its R.I.S.E (Reach Independence & Sustainable Entrepreneurship) Programme to Labuan, targeting to build the capabilities of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), through a structured training and mentoring programme.
The launch which was held at University Malaysia Sabah was officiated by the Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan Member of Parliament, YB Datuk Rozman Hj Isli and Maybank Foundation CEO, Shahril Azuar Jimin. Also present were the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Negeri WP Labuan Director, Ishak Aku Abdul Rahman and General Manager of Maybank Labuan International (L) Ltd, Khairudin Abdul Rahman and Raymond Gabriel Executive Director of People Systems Consultancy that takes the lead training and mentoring role with RISE.
In his welcome speech, Shahril said that the R.I.S.E programme has already been successfully implemented in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, as well as in Indonesia. To date there have been 34 batches of participants trained in Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak as well as 6 batches in Indonesia. R.I.S.E is now being expanded to Labuan.
“Our expansion into Labuan is a result of the success we have seen in our programmes in the other locations where participants have experienced a significant increase in monthly income averaging some 351.5%, in Malaysia and 286.1% in Indonesia ” he explained. “But more importantly than just growing their incomes, this program has also transformed the lives of many people, by increasing their levels of confidence, changing their outlook on life, and helping them contribute to their families and communities. Some of our particpants who are disabled have even given jobs to other marginalised groups in their communities, even to those who do not have disabilities.”
Shahril added that the number of participants in Labuan will follow the same ratio of the training sessions at other locations, which is 70% PWDs and 30% from the marginalised communities. “Moving forward, we hope to further expand this project to other regions across Asia.”
As of September 2016, Maybank Foundation’s R.I.S.E. programme has impacted some 1,316 participants from the disadvantaged community, comprising 1,105 participants in Malaysia and 211 participants in Indonesia as part of Phase 2 of the programme.
The pilot programme (Phase1) of this initiative was held in early September 2014 and involved 280 participants which targeted underprivileged households comprising PWDs, single mothers and marginalized persons who were provided training in entrepreneurship and finance followed by a mentoring period of similar methodology. It was successfully completed in April 2015, and resulted in a 411% average income increase per participant.
Average increase in monthly income per participant after undergoing the training programme was about 351.5% in Malaysia, equivalent to an increase of around RM2,141.51 per particpant. Eligible participants from the programme were also awarded micro-financing by Maybank to further expand their businesses and boost their incomes to the next level and some particpants even opted for other Maybank financial instruments to help them with their own financial goals.
R.I.S.E has seen 22 sessions conducted in peninsular Malaysia, 9 sessions in Sarawak and 3 sessions in Sabah so far. In May this year, Maybank Foundation launched R.I.S.E in Kota Kinabalu, which saw some 30 participants attend a three-day Entrepreneurship & Financial Training session. This was followed by a six-month mentoring period where the participants were trained and coached to develop their entrepreneurial skills to help them achieve higher income levels and improve their overall standard of living.
The R.I.S.E programme in Labuan is jointly undertaken with the cooperation of People Systems Consultancy Sdn Bhd, a social enterpise based in ASEAN which takes the lead role in the programme. It is supported by Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Labuan and others NGOs namely Persatuan Ibu Tunggal Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan and Persatuan Sukan dan Rekreasi OKU Labuan.
The Entrepreneurship training under the R.I.S.E programme gets participants to build innovative sales strategies into their business ideas, resulting in businesses which are more resilient by giving participants a competitive edge over others in similar businesses. It also has a large customer focus, teaching participants how to acquire, scale and retain customers to significantly increase their incomes. The Finance segment further enhances their business management skills by teaching participants good financial habits and how to live towards achieving financial goals, allowing them to sustain their business success.
Maybank Foundation undertakes sustainable CR initiatives of the Maybank Group regionally in line with its mission of humanising financial services. The Foundation focuses on six 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 Foundation is focused on activities and funding that would create meaningful, measurable and sustainable impacts that differentiate it from its competitors and complement its mission to humanise financial services.
