Stories
On the 25th of June, the Department of Education and Wellness Programme hosted us in Bloemfontein for Workplace Sanlam Financial Literacy Training, the modules done are Budgeting as well as Saving and Investing. The participants are full time, Contracts and internship employees. Some do their budget however the environment has a very big impact on people’s lifestyle and standards of living. The income is enough for majority of them however the spending habits flags more unnecessary costs therefore we discussed how one can cut on unnecessary costs and boost their income so that they are able to save a certain percentage monthly. The second module was all about savings and investing, we discussed different types of savings and investments accounts and how each has it’s own interest rate as well as how they differ according to Financial service providers. On that note, many questions came related to a specific investment which is investing and buying shares through easy equities more over what could be the way forward if they find other options of investing with better benefits we then discussed the period of stock and shares exchange. The session was productive and everything was well organised.
On the 8th and 9th of July we had the Hollard training called streetwise finance in Northern Cape, a place called Warrenton Ikhutseng. The Modules covered are Budgeting, banking and saving, insurances and retirement funds. The group is an NPO focused on youth development in different sectors. On the Budgeting topic one of the participants have started a small business on poultry to boost his income however looking at different types of income he already is receiving 3 incomes but the income is not enough due to the profit goes back to expanding the business so its a short term goal situation in months to come the business will generate enough and his income will be enough. Savings and banking the highlight was most did not know the interest rate on lending and on savings therefore we discussed deeper on that. Different types of insurances we did role plays of different individuals selling the insurances as the product. Lastly we dwelled more on retirement, because they are not working for an organisation with retirement benefits all of them do not have retirement funds however we discussed further how they can open annuities as indiduals with any FSP of their choices and of course looking and comparing the terms and conditions of the agreement contract.
Truffle MFS took place at Villiersdorp community Overberg region in the rural areas of the Western Cape, I was invited by the Department of Health since they heard about the financial literacy I've been doing quite some time in different Towns, the training was such an interesting and new experience which led them to request more trainings such as Insurance which isMon Module 6 in one of the projects we do, and I'm looking forward to work with them due to the challenges they face, the Head of Center Mrs Blagnaut said most of the the people they are in need of these kind of trainings, She said most of their clients has money which they don't know how to use it,in all Iwas there at the right time, thank you to Avocado and the team
The training was conducted on the 9th and 10th of July 2025 at Hammarsdale Community Hall. It was on various Sanlam Money Modules.The participants comprised mostly of Community Leadership and Assistant Teachers as it was during school holidays. They came in numbers as they were so eager to gain essential knowledge and skills to make informed and effective financial decisions, more so because they were aware that the training is aimed to build capacity within communities to better manage personal and household finances, and to serve as agents of financial education in their respective spheres of influence. Out of the five modules that were done, the most popular modules were the ones on Managing Risk and Money and the Tax Man. The participants were actively involved in calculating UIF deductions from different salary levels as per handout provided in the training and gaining hands-on experience in understanding how the system works. A key highlight was the discussion and clarification of various tax types, who pays them and how they are applied. This demystified many misconceptions around taxation and empowered attendees with practical knowledge. At the end of the session , participants shared their gratitude to be part of the training emphasizing that it has boosted their confidence in handling personal finance and they expressed their appreciation for practical examples and simplified explanations. There was a request for more sessions as they were more groups which could not be trained but unfortunately I had to tell them that we have reached our target for the year but we will consider their request for next year. This was one of the best groups I have trained, the interaction was amazing!
Training young people on personal finance is always enjoyable mainly because they engage more. I trained a group of learners from ABET, it was interesting and fruitful because not only was the session about personal finance but we touched a lot on starting their own businesses as they do different skills in an effort to start their own businesses, we were able to translate the training to business finance, it was important for them to understand that discipline in personal finances will lead to making good financial decisions in their businesses.
On the 11th of July, I had a rare opportunity of training people with disabilities on Sanlam Money Fo Sho. They were accompanied by their facilitator and the project director. The session was amazing; they participated with passion and enthusiasm. There was a time where we debated about gambling as one of the wants, we need to cut down on or stop. One gentleman shared a sad story of his relative who is addicted to gambling hence he believes gabling should be stopped. Another gentleman had different view, saying we need to have self-control in everything we do including gambling. We had so many interactions, which made the session amazingly interesting.
The Months of June and July were really fruitful in terms of the people I trained.I trained both in Colleges and the community,The 7th of July was most memorable because I went to train in a community that I once trained in,had to leave because it looked like people were finished or they were just not interested. The community of Hammarsdale,when I arrived Monday the 7th,there was a long line of people queued up to attend the sessions.If I'm not mistaken,there was over a hundred of them,I had to count 32 to enter the hall,the next 32 had to write down their names to attend on the Wednesday (I had asked my colleague Nozipho Khuzwayo to train them) and the 3rd set of 32,were to attend the following week (Had asked my colleague Pamela Myeni to train them) as Nozipho and I had depleted our targets. When I trained my 32 participants,I discovered that I had the EA's in my session,Assistant Teachers.The way they were so interested in topics such as UIF,Tax,Pension fund,Retirement Anuities.it was my first time having people whom we spend more time on the UIF activity (calculating Nobantu's UIF)I could also judge from the questions they asked that they were asking so that they know and understand,not just asking to pass the day.I really enjoyed the last 3 days at Hammarsdale,it's so rewarding to us trainers to get people who actually connect to the topics and find it relevant and beneficial to them to be a part of the training. We also had a few Teachers in the traing,permanent teachers.
Spent the last 8 days coaching 24 Green Business Value Chain entrepreneurs in Matatiele and its surrounding villages (Mvenyane, Masupha, Moiketsi, Sibi, Colana, Mxegwini (Mount Frere), eMapheleni (Mount Ayliff). What a humbling experience. Listening to their childhood stories and how that has shaped the men and women they are today and the type of business owners they will be, one could not help but be proud to be supporting them on their journey to grow their businesses. I was left with lots of hope and excitement after each and every session. Thank you AvoVision for providing me with this opportunity of interacting with such an amazing group of entrepreneurs.
