Alliance Bank Partners Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots For Financial Literacy & Biodiversity Challenge Programme

KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 (Bernama) -- Alliance Bank Malaysia Berhad (Alliance Bank) and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Malaysia, a youth-led action programme, will collaborate on financial literacy and biodiversity awareness for schoolchildren over the next two years.

According to a joint statement, the partnership, formalised today with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two parties, would begin with the 2025 AEIOU Financial Literacy and Biodiversity Programme in Sabah.

The transformative initiative aims to nurture young leaders with practical money management skills and ecological awareness, and under the theme “AEIOU for Responsible Living: Smarter Finances, Caring for Nature, Greener Choices”, the programme would engage 160 pupils from 20 schools in Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, and Tuaran.

“The programme will be conducted through an immersive blend of physical and virtual workshops, project-based learning, and interactive simulations,” the statement read.

Alliance Bank Group Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Dr Aaron Sum, was quoted in the statement as saying that, “By teaching schoolchildren to make smart financial choices while understanding their impact on the environment, we’re shaping a generation that’s not just money-wise but planet-wise too”.

Meanwhile, Roots & Shoots Malaysia President T.P. Lim said Roots & Shoots Malaysia had worked closely with local NGOs and corporate partners in Malaysia to co-create programmes for young people that connect the head to the heart, leading to long-term behavioural change, for the past ten years.

“In this unique collaboration, we are excited to work with the talented team from Alliance Bank and thrilled to have biodiversity knowledge being introduced to young school children in such a fun and engaging way,” he said.

 According to the statement, AEIOU, a flagship CSR programme by Alliance Bank, was first introduced in 2015 and had engaged over 150,000 primary school children over the span of seven editions, offering financial literacy workshops, biodiversity game simulation, and ‘Biodiversity Challenge’.

The use of comic storytelling, virtual currency, and eco-preneurship simulations further enhances engagement, making learning both meaningful and memorable.

Schoolchildren could also continue their journey even after the conclusion of the AEIOU Challenge, as the financial education videos and comic strips were readily accessible via the AEIOU Mobile app, in line with the Education Ministry’s 2027 School Curriculum framework, which promotes the importance of lifelong learning.

“The enhanced version of the AEIOU programme not only reinforces essential academic concepts but also fosters ethical decision-making, environmental stewardship, and entrepreneurial thinking. Schoolchildren will learn how their daily choices, financial and otherwise, affect the health of ecosystems and the sustainability of their communities. 

“The top 10 teams will be invited to present live at a final showcase event, where winning projects will receive recognition and winning prizes to bring their ideas to life. The AEIOU Financial Literacy & Biodiversity Challenge Award ceremony will be held on 28 July 2025,” the statement added.

-- BERNAMA