Stories
During our Clientele Money "fo" Sho training sessions, we were fortunate to be invited in a town called Warrenton by an NPO called Afri- Motion that deals with socio economic challenges to come train their community members. They where referred to us by some people in Kimberley whom we trained before and saw the impact and value of these Financial Literacy Programmes. I was surprised by the turnout and eagerness of this community to receive such skills and knowledge. Most of them indicated it was their first time to be exposed to a budgeting template and could not wait to use it on their daily lives. One participant had a funeral at home in that period and didn't know how to go about planning it. Having done financing a funeral topic in class has helped her to understand the process and the costs associated in planning one. The following week, the participant that had a funeral came back in one of our sessions and thanked us for the information and knowledge we gave her and how it has assisted her and the family during that difficult period.
On 20 June 2025, Avo vision hosted a money for sho workshop for Sarafina community, The participants thoroughly enjoyed the insightful discussions, with a lively debate on distinguishing needs from wants. Bokamoso was particularly moved by Tshepo's scenario, realizing how wills can be vulnerable to tampering, which can put families at a disadvantage. She expressed heartfelt gratitude for the valuable knowledge gained.
On 19 Junie, Avo vision hosted a money for sho workshop for the Promosa community, The financial workshop left a lasting impact on the community, with Clement Pietersen being particularly thankful for the in-depth look at bank accounts and the importance of staying safe from phishing scams
On the 4th of June 2025, I trained the staff of Qalakabusha Correctional Centre at Empangeni on Module 2, Saving and Investing and Module 12, Buying the big ticket items. The session was very interactive, as some of the participants had real life experiences, which helped those who are still planning to save, Invest or buy a car /house. They will now be able to make informed decisions. with their money. One gentleman shared how he got into debt by being offered a car deal with no deposit when he knew that he couldn't afford it, the finance team added more months for him to pay at low instalment, which made him pay more interest. This made others decide to save for the deposit and settle for an affordable car.
Workplace Sanlam training took place in different towns around Free State which include 2 different Municipalities(Mantsopa and Motheo). The experience of training about Budgeting, Boosting income and Managing debt was incredible as the individuals relate more to the topics as they are their life situations they are going through. Firstly their budget in terms of the income is average to good however they shared that as one earns better the lifestyle changes too and that results to seeing their INCOME as not enough however we shared how one can overcome that by looking into cutting unnecessary costs and prioritising needs, wants and saving in order. Secondly the managing debt module highlight was they have been through the blacklisting process and also took initiatives to undergo debt reviews but some were not successful to be cleared even though they paid up their debts installments that's when we discussed further on how to differentiate between registered FSP's and the SCAMS. Lastly the Boosting income exercise by sharing ideas cards people shared how their see their potential, skills and knowledge and we're eager to try side hustling and not depend only on their salaries.
Had 3 sessions for the Clientele ENRICHED Money FO' SHO during the month of May&June. Groups trained were all from CWP Programme in Dihlabeng Municipality. The age cohort of most of the employees is within the space of allowing them entry to get other opportunities. People do have goals however their range of Income is not enough to accomplish them, looking at their budgets they do not have enough expenses to cover which leaves them with only the option of "Boosting their income" therefore we discussed ways and ideas to consider when doing so. Another module that stood out is Financing Funerals as we discussed unexpected events and how one can prepare for them and in this module we were all about "Funerals" and that's when individuals shared their ways of preparing for such and I can name through Policies, Undertakers and Societies and we realised they all all important uniquely so, the discussion led to engaging about underwriters, crossovers exclusion as well as benefits according to the Provider's terms and conditions.
On the 7th of June 2025, I was asked by Busisiwe Ntuli, Induna of Tshehlophe in Mdumezulu, the deep rural part part of Umbumbulu, KZN, to come and enlighten her community as they lack financial knowledge. The session was held at her home in a rondavel house. They welcomed me with open arms and enjoyed the session. They enjoyed the game of needs and wants and promised to spend wisely when they get money. They also enjoyed the planning of the funeral, their funeral were very cheap as most of the thing were done locally, like the graves which are dug in their yards and big rondavel where they gather for funerals and other events. The dusty road with pot holes was a challenge, but the community was very welcoming. Induna requested that I come back for other members of the community who couldn't attend because there was a big function in the neighbouring village.
On the 18th of May 2025, I trained the community of Mfume, South of Durban, KZN. The session was held at Mfume Primary School and the recruitment was done by Buyisiwe Linda who is the member of the South African Positive Women Ambassadors. She managed to recruit 32 participants as they always work with the community. The Community loved the session in such a way that some of them shared their experiences of Road Accident Fund issues and insurance companies that refused to pay when their loved ones passed away. This sesssion was like an eye opener to most of them, as they had limited knowledge when it comes to financial issues. They enjoyed the activities, most of all they enjoyed planning for a funeral, they came up with many ideas and they managed to save a lot of money by planning cheaper but dignified funerals. If given another opportunity, I'd definitely go back this community, because they participated with open minds and enthusiasm. I'm grateful to Avo for giving me the opportunity to meet different types of people, sharing ideas of managing money better.
On the 14th and the 16th of May 2025, I trained my Health Promotion Officer Students on modules 11, 12 and 6. This was a good opportunity for them to prepare them for the workplace to learn about managing their finances. They learned about different insurances and how to choose the types of insurances they need. which will help them to choose wisely when they start their careers and make them grow money wisely. I also trained them on buying the big ticket items, so when the time comes for them to buy a car or a house they would know that the price of the house appreciates and the price of the car depreciates. In this topic they learned how to master their financial problems and understood that one cannot spend more than they earn. These sessions had a great impact on my students, because they will rectify the bad credit history habits of their parents. we are building a credit savvy generation that will know how to handle their finances. The next module we did was based on how to chose the right insurance and the importance of choosing only the insurance they need. This was educate them more on how important insurance is and why it is important. In the end they learned that having an insurance is important to avoid losing paying a lot of money in cases of unexpected events. As most of them already have young children, I also trained them on how to teach children about money. Soon I will be educating them on money fo sho, to ensure that they are financially fit when they start their employment journey.
I had the privilege to train ex-addicts at the community youth centre were finances came to the picture that led them to drugs due to their families financial background. The attendance was satisfactory as expected.
