Stories
A Financial Literacy training session was held on the 26th of August for the women staff members of the NGO called Siyabonga Helping Hands in Pietermaritzburg.This was a Money Smart Week campaign and the focus was on Boosting your income. The session provided a valuable platform for women to reflect on their financial circumstances, explore opportunities for additional income, and gain practical ideas for improving their household financial wellbeing. As managers of their households, participants were encouraged to look beyond traditional sources of income and consider how their existing skills, talents, resources and networks could be turned into additional income streams. The training introduced ideas around starting small businesses, offering services, selling products, using digital platforms, and developing side hustles that could complement their primary sources of income. Participants were encouraged to view additional income-generating activities not simply as a trend, but as practical way of strengthening household resilience and creating greater financial flexibility. The response from participants was positive. Many expressed their gratitude to attend the session and indicated that the content had gone well beyond their expectations. They appreciated the practical nature of the discussion and the opportunity to learn about different ways of increasing their income and improving their financial circumstances. Overall, the training was a meaningful and empowering Women's month initiative!
On the 24th and 26th of August, I had an amazing opportunity to conduct Money Fo Sho training by Clientele in the deep rural areas of Umbumbulu under the Umkhambathini Municipality, the where economic opportunities are scarce and access to financial education is limited. Despite the challenges faced by the communities, the enthusiasm and participation was remarkable in both sessions. One of the most eye-opening aspects of the training was hearing from women in the communities about their financial realities. Many shared that they had traditionally relied heavily, and in some cases solely, on men for their liveliwoods. As a result, they had rarely considered the possibility of building wealth independently or making meaningful financial progress with the limited resources available to them. The training provided a new perspective by helping participants understand the importance of financial independence, saving, budgeting, investing and managing risk so as to make informed financial decisions. More importantly ,it encouraged the women to recognise their own worth, capabilities, and potential to create better financial future for themselves and their families. Overall , the training was a meaningful and impactful experience. It demonstrated that even in communities where opportunities are limited, access to the right knowledge can inspire hope, build confidence, and create a foundation for lasting financial empowerment.
CLIENTELE MFS-I had an opportunity to conduct 10 sessions in communities. These sessions had a great and positive impact. Participants took these training as eye-opener. They learnt new methods on how to manage their finances. This opportunity helped participants to think critically about their goals. Most of them they don't normally write down their goals they often keep them in their heads, which they discovered that most of the time they don't achieve them. They realised the importance of writing them down. They also highlighted that budgeting is a planning tool for their finances. I had an opportunity to run session with two groups of young people who were newly employed. It was a great opportunity for them. They realised the importance of insurance and keeping their assets safe. It was interesting to see how they did a role play, they had different perspective on the funeral budget. After sessions 2 participants were able to save money and boosted their income by starting businesses. One participant started saving 10% of their income. They also mentioned that this way of learning about finances made every seem simple and easy to understand as they thought being financial literate is all about numbers.
Sanlam MM took place in different places of Boland and Overberg region, the training was such an inspiration for both region, learners has gained a lot of experience, where they learn how to save their money, how to boost their income, how to claim on their insurances and how to join it, especially people of Worcester Zwelethemba location where we were busy with module 6,people had lots of experience in terms of taking risk on giving other people their belongings to join the funeral policies, they have experience bad things which makes them to understand what is right after they received the training.In Villiersdorp we had one learner with disability, she is doing an amazing job, she has learned how to open her business and employe other people. CHALLENGES The challenges of both regions is: our people still needs to be educated in all what they have experienced, especially module 8 Tax man, many of them they never go and claim their money at Sars although it was deducted from their salaries, which the company never told them about it and they don't even know the RIP5, it was something new. Thank you Avocado and the Team. Money Smart Week It was a very exciting day to the Mama's of FLOURISH, they have learned how to live after season time, and how to run their businesses, one lady is doing an amazing job, she is blind but making beautiful carpets, and she is looking forward to get sponsor of the material.
WORKSHOP OUTCOME REPORT: MONEY SMART WEEK (MSW) Programme Name: Money Smart Week Community Campaign Workshop Title: Boosting Your Income: Turning Skills & Talents into Sustainable Businesses Location: Kwa-Thema, Springs Target Audience: Local Women / Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs Total Impact: 64 Women Trained across 2 Cohorts (32 Participants per Group) Format: 1-Day Intensive Interactive Workshops Executive Summary As part of the nationwide Money Smart Week financial literacy initiative, a community empowerment workshop titled "Boosting Your Income" was successfully delivered in Kwa-Thema. The initiative targeted local women with the primary objective of driving self-reliance, local enterprise creation, and financial resilience. A total of 64 women successfully completed the training, divided into two manageable cohorts of 32 participants each to ensure personalized engagement, focused group facilitation, and active participation. Workshop Objectives The workshop was structured around practical, low-barrier strategies designed to help participants monetize existing capabilities. Key focus areas included: Talent & Skill Identification: Helping participants map out their personal strengths, practical skills (e.g., cooking, sewing, child-care, crafting, organizing), and existing resources. Basic Business Concepts: Translating everyday skills into market-ready products or services with simple value propositions. Costing & Pricing Fundamentals: Teaching participants how to calculate input costs, value their time, and set profitable prices. Cash Flow & Money Separation: Instilling the vital habit of keeping personal finances separate from business money. Market Access & Networking: Equipping participants to find local customers in Kwa-Thema using word-of-mouth, community networks, and basic digital channels. Workshop Methodology & Engagement The training utilized an interactive, adult-learning methodology suited for diverse educational backgrounds: Practical Exercises: Participants completed asset-mapping worksheets to identify at least two marketable skills they already possess. Case Studies & Group Discussions: Real-life township enterprise stories were used to illustrate how successful micro-businesses start small with minimal capital. Interactive Budgeting Exercises: Group activities focused on practical pricing scenarios, helping participants understand profit margins versus revenue. Key Impact & Outcomes Mindset Shift: Participants transitioned from viewing their skills as mere domestic chores or hobbies to recognizing them as income-generating business assets. Actionable Plans: 100% of the attendees drafted a basic business start-up idea based on their existing talents. Peer Support Network: Breaking the 64 women into two cohorts of 32 fostered strong peer-to-peer accountability groups among the Kwa-Thema residents. Challenges & Lessons Learned High Demand: Interest in the community exceeded the capacity of 64 spots, indicating a strong need for ongoing entrepreneurship training in Kwa-Thema. Need for Seed Capital / Starter Toolkits: While participants learned to start with what they have, access to basic micro-grant funding or starter equipment remains a key desire for faster business launch. Recommendations for Future Programs Follow-Up Mentorship Sessions: Organize a 30-day check-in session with the 64 participants to track progress on their business launches. Advanced Modules: Develop a "Level 2: Business Growth & Compliance" workshop for participants who successfully launch their enterprises. Linkage to Local Support Networks: Connect participants with local Enterprise Development centers, funding agencies, and community markets.
TRAINING REPORT: FINANCIAL LITERACY EDUCATION (MODULE 4) Module Title: Managing Debt & Credit Client Organization: Metagenics Date of Delivery: 21 August 2026 Target Group: General Workers / Employees Number of Participants: 7 Executive Summary On 21 August 2026, Module 4 of the Financial Literacy Education program, focusing on Managing Debt and Credit, was successfully facilitated for 7 general workers at Metagenics. The workshop aimed to equip participants with practical financial tools to break debt cycles, understand credit dynamics, and make informed choices regarding borrowing and repayments. Workshop Objectives & Module Overview Module 4 focused on empowering employees with essential debt management tools, covering the following key focus areas: Understanding Credit vs. Debt: Differentiating between productive credit and high-cost consumer debt. The True Cost of Credit: Analyzing interest rates, hidden fees, insurance add-ons, and total repayment obligations. Strategies for Managing & Reducing Debt: Practical methods (e.g., Debt Snowball vs. Debt Avalanche) to systematically clear outstanding balances. Consumer Rights & Credit Health: Understanding credit reports, credit scores, rights under the National Credit Act, and avoiding reckless lending traps. Methodology & Participant Engagement Interactive Discussion: Tailored for general workers using accessible language, real-life scenario analysis, and practical daily examples. Practical Calculations: Walking through sample statements to illustrate how interest accumulates on micro-loans, clothing accounts, and credit facilities. Action Planning: Guided self-assessments to assist participants in identifying their personal debt triggers and creating a step-by-step payoff plan. Key Outcomes & Participant Feedback Increased Awareness: Participants demonstrated a clearer understanding of how compound interest affects store accounts and short-term loans. Debt Prioritization: Attendance enabled workers to identify high-cost debt and formulate clear strategies for structured debt reduction. High Engagement: Despite a small group size (7 participants), the small-group dynamic allowed for high individual engagement, personalized answers, and focused group interaction. Recommendations for Follow-Up One-on-One Budget Coaching: Offer short, individual follow-up sessions for workers who require personalized debt-payoff plan reviews. Refresher Micro-Sessions: Encourage Metagenics management to schedule periodic financial wellness touchpoints or review sessions to ensure long-term habit retention.
Training SAFRICAN in the community of Ratanda was a great experience, to also engage with new participants who are eployees of manucipality at Ratanda. We where able to complete our 3 day money fosho workshop training 160 participants in the 3 days that I was booked. Participants where so excited as we where doing the activities more especially budget plan was an eye opening to reflect 😔 and participants shares the experience on why they fail to mantain doing budget plan. Attendence was good and participation in all the workshops. After each day I was approached by the participants telling me that they need to start saving for their Goals and manage money properly
on 08 august 2026 i had money modules face to face class at honeydew. participants came in numbers and some had to arrange for next class as we already had full class of 32 participants. almost all participants were unemployed and saying theres no opportunities in their community, one of the module we covered was boost my income, it was so amazing to hear the business ideas and talents they have thou they never thought they can implement them due to various reasons such as luck of funding, fear, and many other reasons they gave. great news is after the session i ask them if they still feel if it was impossible to go for the business ideas and talents they have and most vowed that they are going to do more research and start soon, they realised they can start small while aiming high, even if they fail they just have to keep on trying and finding ways to make it success. i was so happy as many entreprenears where realised that day.
Bojanala’s Plight, Economic Survival and Renewed Hope Bojanala continues to face serious socio-economic challenges, including unemployment, rising living costs, over-indebtedness, limited savings, inconsistent service delivery and the growing threat of illegal mining across its local municipalities, including Moretele, Madibeng, Rustenburg, Moses Kotane and Kgetlengrivier. For many households, economic survival is a daily reality. Yet, within these challenges lies a powerful lesson: knowledge can become a tool for survival, dignity and transformation. Through the Avocado Vision and Clientele Money for ’Sho Financial Literacy Programme, communities received more than four days of training—they received practical knowledge that could influence financial decisions long after the programme ended. Across Kromkuil, Madibeng and surrounding communities, participants learned how to budget, manage money, avoid unnecessary debt, save, use formal financial services responsibly and make informed purchasing decisions. Personal testimonies from Pastor Ndlovu and Mme Anita demonstrated that financial transformation does not always begin with having more money; it can begin with using what you have more wisely. Pastor Ndlovu shared how, despite earning a steady income as a church leader, he often found himself struggling financially due to poor planning and untracked spending. He explained how he would prioritise church needs and community requests while neglecting his own household budget. After the training, he hopes to set clear financial boundaries, plan monthly expenses in advance, and separate personal and ministry funds. This shift can bring greater stability to his home and allow him to support others more sustainably. Mme Anita’s story was equally powerful. She arrived in Johannesburg with nothing but determination and began selling small items informally to survive. Over time, she learned to reinvest her profits, keep simple records, and avoid unnecessary borrowing. Through discipline and consistency, her small trading activity grew into a reliable source of income that now supports her family. Her journey reminded participants that resilience and resourcefulness can open real pathways to independence. An important lesson that resonated strongly with participants was the need to keep funeral expenses within a realistic household budget and avoid extravagance. Funerals are important occasions of dignity, remembrance and community support, but participants learned that honouring a loved one should not leave surviving family members burdened by excessive debt. The programme therefore offered an important alternative narrative to the economic pressures confronting Bojanala. Where unemployment and illegal mining can create desperation and risky choices, financial literacy creates awareness, discipline, hope and better choices. It does not eliminate poverty overnight, but it equips people to take greater control of their financial futures and make responsible decisions even during difficult times. We sincerely acknowledge Moretele Councillor Mothusi, who spearheaded the planning and coordination of the entire training programme. His leadership and commitment to bringing this intervention to the community played an important role in creating the platform for learning, participation and renewed hope.
HOLLARD STREETWISE FINANCE IMPACT STORY It is with a full heart that I submit this report on the Hollard Streetwise Finance rollout across the Northern Cape for the July–August 2026 reporting period. Beyond the numbers — which I am proud to share are strong — this cycle carried some of the most moving training experiences of my career as a facilitator. I have tried, in the pages that follow, to do justice to the people we met, the courage they showed, and the difference this programme made in communities that too often feel unseen. PROGRAMME OVERVIEW The rollout took place over three consecutive engagements, each chosen to reach communities in the Northern Cape that face real barriers to financial information and inclusion. We moved from Roodepan, to Promise Land, and finally to a specialised session hosted in partnership with DPSA and DEET, two national organisations working with persons living with disabilities. The programme opened in Roodepan, a Kimberley community that is predominantly coloured and one that, in my experience as a facilitator working across the Northern Cape, continues to feel underserved and often overlooked when opportunities are handed out. Over two sessions we welcomed a rich mix of participants — energetic youth sitting alongside older community members who had waited a long time for a programme like this to reach their doorstep. A total of 64 participants completed training in Roodepan. What struck me was the intergenerational hunger for financial knowledge: young people wanting a foothold into better money habits before life's pressures set in, and older residents finally getting language and tools for financial decisions they had been navigating alone for years. It set exactly the right tone for the weeks that followed — a reminder that Streetwise Finance is not just a youth programme; it is a community one. PROMISE LAND — THE STORY THAT WILL STAY WITH US The following week we moved to Promise Land, a township area of Kimberley marked by shacks and hardship, where 230 participants came through our sessions — the single largest group of the entire rollout. If Roodepan set the tone, Promise Land is where this programme found its deepest purpose. Among the participants were young men widely known in the community as substance users — boys battling addiction to tik, nyaope, and other substances. I will be honest: I did not expect the level of engagement I witnessed. These young men arrived and gave the sessions everything. They asked sharp, relevant questions. They threw themselves into every activity. They grasped and applied every concept we placed in front of them, and did so with a sharpness that humbled me as a facilitator. “Thank you for bringing this opportunity to us. We never thought we would ever receive a certificate in our lives, not with the choices we've made.” — Participants, Promise Land After the sessions closed, several of these young men came to find me personally. They thanked me, thanked Avocado Vision, and thanked Hollard — not for a hand-out, but for a moment of dignity. For many of them, the certificate they walked away with was the first piece of paper in their lives that told them they were capable of something. That is not a small thing. That is the kind of moment that reminds all of us why this work matters, and it is a story I believe Hollard and Avocado Vision should be proud to have made possible. DPSA & DEET — A SESSION I WAS HONOURED TO DELIVER The rollout closed with an invitation from two national organisations, DPSA and DEET, who work with persons living with a range of disabilities. Here we trained 85 participants — among them individuals who are blind, others who use hearing aids, and others who are non-verbal. The host organisations made every provision necessary to ensure the session was fully accessible, and their preparation made a real difference. These participants are currently enrolled in a year-long national programme, working across local schools on set days each week — cleaning classrooms and school grounds, assisting teachers, and supporting kitchen staff — before returning to the classroom on scheduled dates for sessions such as ours. Working with this community has always been one of the honours of my career. People living with disabilities so often describe feeling forgotten, overlooked in rooms built for people without their challenges in mind. That was not the case here. They were sharp. They were engaged. They made the session entirely their own, and asked for more before we had even finished. The teamwork and warmth between participants — the way they supported one another through every activity — is something I have rarely seen matched in any training room, disability or otherwise. “One participant, who is non-verbal, was so determined to take part in the discussion that she kept trying to speak until she found a way to give us even a hint of what she wanted to say — and the room waited for her, with patience and love, until she did.” That single moment captured everything this programme stands for. The impact of that session did not end with the participants. My class assistant was so moved by the experience that she has since decided to enrol in sign language classes, so that she can communicate more fully with participants like these in future sessions. That is the kind of ripple effect that no target or spreadsheet can measure — but it is, I believe, exactly the kind of impact Hollard set out to create when this programme was designed CLOSING REFLECTION Across Roodepan, Promise Land, and the DPSA/DEET session, this rollout reached 379 participants against a target of 377 — but the number that matters most to me is not on this page. It is the certificate held by a young man in Promise Land who never expected to hold one. It is a woman in a DPSA session who refused to let silence stop her from being heard. It is an assistant facilitator now signing up for sign language classes because one afternoon in the Northern Cape changed how she sees her own work. On behalf of my team, thank you to Avocado Vision and Hollard for trusting me to carry this programme into these communities. It is a privilege I do not take lightly, and I look forward to continuing this work in the next reporting cycle. Ishmael Hangula Avocado Vision-Training Partner, Northern Cape
