STANDARD Chartered Bank will provide S$240,000 over three years to fund the "Friend-a-Senior" programme by the South East Community Development Council. The funds will go towards the training of 750 volunteers, who will then partner more than 450 seniors in the community. Under the programme, 180 of the bank's staff will train to be befrienders over the next three years.

Over the past five years, under the bank's community initiative Silver Lining, 5,000 bank staff have participated in projects such as exercise sessions, home refurbishment schemes and befriending sessions to touch the lives of over 8,000 seniors.