FINCA DRC Uses Humor to Promote Financial Education
To help make the best financial choices for themselves and their families, FINCA DRC created and published 22 educational videos for social media. To boost engagement and in with the audience, FINCA DRC hired local comedians to ensure the videos were not only informative, but funny. With over 20,000 views in only one night, it is safe to say the videos are a hit. Many people in DRC are now laughing and learning valuable information about the impact financial choices can have on themselves, their family, and the community.
A Culture Shift – The Importance of Financial Education in The DRC
As a socially responsible organization, FINCA offers innovative and sustainable financial solutions to improve people’s lives. To ensure our 350,000 clients through 21 Branches and 1600 FINCA eXpress points, understand how our banking products can help, and to change the culture and values around savings, the education series focused on financial literacy. Topics covered include, why it’s necessary to regularly save for the future, differentiating a need from a desire, learning how to create a budget and track expenses, and how to utilize loans effectively to build wealth and stability.
The education trainings have been instrumental in helping women like Emilie Nzumba, shopkeeper, widow, and mother.
According to Emilie, “I was sensitized to follow a training in financial education given by FINCA last year. I did not see any importance on that because I had a bad perception of financial institutions. However, since I was trained, I have changed my way of life. I now manage my expenses very well and save more than I used to do before. With my savings from my small business income, I manage to feed my family, provide for other household needs, maintain balance in my business and pay my children’s school fees.”
The Story of an Entrepreneurial Woman
Like Emilie, Albertine Masuka has also benefited. She is a female entrepreneur and mother.
Albertine had this to say after taking the training; “Since I took this training in financial education, the concepts learned have completely changed my life and the way to manage my incomes. This change has been supported especially by lessons I learned on how to manage my money and mostly building a saving culture. I was struggling to cover my health care costs, but today with my savings, I have succeeded to get a license to open a small health center that helps a lot of communities in my neighbourhood as I live in peri-urban areas. I since have been able to buy more land in the provinces and continue with my agricultural activities. According to what I am today, I started sensitizing women in my community to help them benefit, like me, from this free training in financial education given by FINCA.”
By offering financial literacy tools that are culturally relevant, FINCA is changing perceptions on savings and with it helping to build economic resiliency in DR Congo. Click here to learn more