Stories
From Friday, Monday and Tuesday, the 9th, 12th and the 13th respectively I had the opportunity train 32 energetic Partners in Sexual Health Workers. In that three days we had nine sessions, some of the topics that we imparted were: Young people and money, Funding funeral, Risky business and Boosting an income, Digging deeper and Ageing grace respectfully. Digging deeper session was an eye opener to many as we were dealing with one's personal budget, 90% of them was their first time making a budget or budgeting. One of the participants said "budgeting can help you set long-term financial goals, keep you from overspending and help one to shut down risky spending habits" PSH health promoters are mostly youth so one did states the fact that our parents were so secretive when comes to finances and did not see a need discussing finances with us, as kids that on its own influenced how we manage our money today. The participants shared how the training opened their eyes and learned a lot about saving and investing, the importance of planning and saving enough to provide adequate income in retirement while avoiding high levels of debt that might result in insolvency. We had an impactful session where other topics sparked debates. Participants actively engaged, asking questions and sharing their experiences. Thank you Avocado Vision for allowing us and giving us the opportunity to empower our communities.
This was our Module 5 session at Hammarsdale community hall,This module was a hit with this group,they came up with so many ideas of how to start their own businesses using their Talents and skills,the highlight was a young man who said He will be "revamping" people's old tekkies or sneakers by drawing on them and adding whatever the customer would like added to their shoes,so that they look new.That is a Talent plus skill that can make him a lot of money and he will be able to sustain himself.The challenge I had was that some of the materials haven't got enough certificates or handouts,I only realized when I got to the session.
On the 8th of June 2023. We had a privilege to empower our community with financial skills and financial knowledge. The training session took place at Meriting Ext. 1, Rustenburg the North West part of RSA. Our participants were mixed group in terms of age. we had senior citizens, middle aged and young people. We did Money fo sho! and we covered topics like Managing my money, Risk and Credit & Banks and Saving. The most loved topic was Unexpected events. The level of participation was heart warming and participants asked relevant questions. Ms. Rebecca Pitse a 79 year old pensioner thanked Avocado Vision and Clientele for the training and also challenged the participants to practice what they are taught as this is life changing! she further explained "Financial skills training is needed by everyone, including womenpreneur because not only they have to be able to manage their personal finance, they should also manage their business finance. Financially literate people are more likely to get access to external funding and to develop their business". What a great session we had! Thank you Avocado Vision and Clientele for empowering us to empower other.
The session took place at local Library on the 07/06/2023, question were raised regarding the tax returns efiling,tax on property and other types of taxes.what was the main questions was when it comes to children and money,participants notice the imporance of teaching their children about and at what age. Overall the participation was super and the energy levels were high. As participants had to share their experiences of how some end up in debts due to not having a proper budget and tracking their expenses.
On the 24th of May 2023. I had an opportunity to train Men and Women in Blue Uniform. These Police Officers work hard to keep South Africa safe. The amazing part about this particular group is that they worked night shift previous night and when they knocked off they went straight in to the Financial skills training. Their participation was great and asked relevant questions. They were engaged and involved through out the session(s).Training was held at Madikwe, North West Province of RSA. The Topics were My Budget : Digging deeper and Ageing Grace respectfully. The most interesting part was Budget tips and finding money in your budget and Pension vs Retirement annuity. Sthembiso Ngamlane a young Constable appreciated the training and shared how the training opened his eyes and learned a lot about saving and investing. He continued saying "From day-to-day expenses to long-term budget forecasting, financial skills training is crucial for managing these factors. It is important to plan and save enough to provide adequate income in retirement while avoiding high levels of debt that might result in bankruptcy and defaults". We had a great time with Police Officers. Thank you Avocado Vision and Sanlam for empowering us to empower others.
This group I trained in Hammarsdale,they attended From Money fosho until module 13 without fail,what stood out for me,was the fact that they were quiet different from the groups I've trained before,some groups will always ask what time are we finishing because they need to be home by a certain time because their children will be back from school and so on,this group made means for their children and they stayed everyday until we were done.Wuen we did savings and investing,they showed an interest in the Retail savings bond and 2 of them have invested in it.They were very active in class and did their homeworks, so much information was shared,especially when we did scams and fraud,they had a lot to share,some of it very sensitive because 1 learner shared His story,how he was scammed, but He was grateful for the information He received in the classroom,He promised to share with others as well.On our second to last day of training,there was another training happening in the same venue,where learners will get stipends every month,but these learners told the Facilitator that they wanted to finish their course with Avo,then start attending with them, this made me so proud,and it showed that they appreciated the information they recieve in our sessions.Lastly,their punctuality was just awesome, we always started at 9am sharp without fail.
On the 30th of May 2023 I trained a group of people who are very hungry for information. The session was held Waterloo, KZN, at their community hall. By far, it was the best group I have ever trained for Avo. They participated enthusiastically, asking questions, sharing their experiences and providing answers, advices and solutions to various issues. During the unexpected events they came up with some hilarious but realistic circumstances, like, unplanned pregnancy, which also sparked a debate between men and women, and the issue of finding out that the child you have been supporting for many years is not yours, resulting in heart and hospitalisation. At the end of the session, they all requested that I need to come back with more trainings. Thank you Avo, for giving us the opportunity to uplift our communities.
On the 17th of April 2023, I had the opportunity to train a group of very dynamic and energetic people that are living with different disabilities ranging from speech,blind,deaf, poliomyelitis,aphysia,epelectic,etc. These learners where already part of a group that I was training on NQF Level 5, Supply chain management Learnership programme funded by National Skills Fund in partnership with Disability Economic Empowerment Trust and DPSA ( Disabled People South Africa).The session was based on a Module called Money fo Sho covering topics like, managing my money,managing risk,banking and saving and managing credit. The session started with a very high note, active participation and participants engaging and asking very relevant questions especially on the topic of budgeting and credit vs cash and consequences of therefore. These participants are now already in the workplace and receiving stipends. They have been giving me feedback indicating that now they arleady started to use the budgeting tips that they received in the session and are already making more research with the different banks on saving and investment options. The are indicating that the sessions are very informative and they are an eye-opener to a number of things that were discussed in the sessions. They thank Avocado Vision for bringing these types of trainings to them as most often feel neglected and not given and trainings as the disabled community. They are requesting that Avocado Vision please bring training of this nature to the rest of the disable community. Thank you very much Avo!!!!
On Thursday and Friday the 11th and 12th respectively, I had the opportunity to work with 32 Community Works Program officials (formerly referred to as EPWPs). Over the two days we had four sessions, MM 10-13. In all four sessions, it came as a shock how stigmatic the topics we were discussing were! Ranging from module 10s young people and money to module 13s funding a funeral. The Stigma came from the fact that people in this community are very touchy about discussing finances, more so discussing it with children or in the presence thereof. Once the ice was broken through game play and scenario reenactment, everyone softened up and participation was plenty. At the end of the sessions, participants pleaded that we return with more training as soon as it becomes available and they are grateful that they had been able to debunk financial myths and fears.
