Introduction
On 12 August 2026, Benadetta Makina, a Cohort 36 fellow from Malawi, walked into a room of students at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences ready not to lecture, but to listen. Her outreach, conducted under the KAFI Financial Literacy Leadership Fellowship, centered on a single, focused theme, the importance of saving, but the way she chose to deliver it, through open group discussion rather than a one directional talk, shaped everything about how the session unfolded and what students ultimately took from it.
Choosing Dialogue Over Lecture
From the outset, Makina structured her outreach as an interactive group discussion, a deliberate departure from the more conventional lecture format financial literacy sessions can sometimes default to. This approach allowed knowledge and experience to move in both directions, with Makina sharing guidance on saving while students contributed their own perspectives and questions throughout the conversation. That exchange gave the session a collaborative quality, transforming what could have been a straightforward presentation of facts into a genuine, shared exploration of why saving matters and how young people specifically might build a lasting saving culture for themselves.
This choice mattered particularly given the setting. University students often arrive at financial literacy sessions having already formed opinions and habits around money, shaped by years of managing allowances, part time income, or family support. A lecture format risks treating these students as blank slates, while a discussion format acknowledges the financial experience they already carry, inviting them to build on what they know rather than discard it in favor of an entirely new framework.
The Case for Saving, Laid Out Clearly
Within this discussion, Makina and the students worked through several concrete reasons why saving deserves serious attention, particularly at this stage of students' lives. They discussed how saving helps people prepare for emergencies, providing a financial cushion against the unexpected costs that inevitably arise. They explored how saving supports the achievement of specific financial goals, giving structure and purpose to what might otherwise feel like an abstract, disconnected habit. The conversation also addressed how saving reduces dependence on borrowing, offering students a path toward financial independence that does not rely on debt to bridge gaps in income. Alongside these practical benefits, the group examined how saving helps develop broader financial discipline, and how it can create genuine opportunities for starting small businesses, turning accumulated savings into capital for future entrepreneurial ventures.
Central to this entire discussion was a message Makina emphasized directly, that saving does not require a large income to begin. She encouraged students to understand that starting with small amounts, sustained through consistency over time, could meaningfully build toward the same outcomes as saving larger sums, removing the common assumption that saving is a practice reserved for those with more substantial financial resources.
Students Speak Honestly About What Gets in the Way
What distinguished this session from a purely informational talk was the space Makina created for students to speak candidly about the obstacles they actually face when trying to save. Students actively participated throughout the discussion, sharing specific challenges including limited income, unexpected expenses, and unnecessary spending, three interconnected pressures that together make consistent saving genuinely difficult for many young people balancing academic life with modest financial resources.
By allowing these challenges to surface openly within the discussion, rather than assuming students already understood how to overcome them, Makina ensured the conversation addressed real, lived financial circumstances rather than remaining confined to general principles about why saving matters. This grounded approach likely made the session's broader message considerably more relevant, since students were not simply being told to save more, but were engaging in a genuine conversation about the specific barriers standing in their way.
Engagement That Exceeded Expectations
Makina described the overall discussion as very engaging, noting that she was encouraged by the students' willingness to both learn and share their own experiences throughout the session. This level of engagement speaks to the value of the interactive format she chose, one that invited students to see themselves as active participants in the conversation rather than passive recipients of financial advice delivered from the front of the room.
A Facilitator Who Grew Alongside Her Audience
Reflecting on the outreach afterward, Makina was candid about how the experience shaped her own development as a Community Finance Leader. She noted that the session improved her confidence in communicating financial literacy concepts and engaging directly with young people, a skill that will likely serve her well as she continues facilitating similar sessions going forward. Beyond her own growth in confidence, she arrived at a broader insight about the nature of effective financial literacy work itself, recognizing that such education becomes considerably more effective when delivered through practical, interactive engagement rather than through a straightforward lecture.
This reflection captures something important about the design choices underlying her entire session. By choosing dialogue over lecture from the outset, Makina was not simply making a stylistic choice, she was applying a principle she came away from the experience believing more strongly than before, that genuine engagement produces deeper understanding than passive information delivery ever could.
A Session That Sparked Serious Reflection
Assessing the outreach's overall impact, Makina expressed belief that the session succeeded in encouraging students to think more seriously about their own saving habits and financial goals. This outcome reflects the cumulative effect of the session's structure, moving from a clear explanation of why saving matters, through an honest discussion of the real challenges students face, and ultimately toward a renewed sense of purpose around building saving habits despite those challenges.
That shift, from awareness to genuine reflection, often represents the most meaningful outcome a single financial literacy session can produce. Students leaving with a stronger sense of why saving matters and a clearer eyed understanding of the obstacles they will need to navigate are considerably better positioned to translate that reflection into lasting behavior change than students who received only abstract encouragement without acknowledgment of their real circumstances.
Documenting a Conversation Worth Remembering
The photos and video captured during the outreach and group discussion serve as more than a simple record of attendance. They document a session built on genuine exchange, students speaking openly about their financial struggles, Makina responding with practical guidance grounded in an understanding of what young people are actually navigating. This kind of documentation can extend the reach of the session's core message beyond the room itself, offering a resource that can be shared with students who were unable to attend or referenced in future outreach efforts.
Meeting Students Where Their Financial Lives Actually Are
What distinguishes Makina's approach as a Community Finance Leader is her recognition that university students occupy a distinct financial position, often managing limited, irregular income for the first time while facing genuine pressure from unexpected expenses and the everyday temptations of student life. By centering her outreach around this reality rather than a generic financial literacy curriculum, she ensured her guidance on saving felt directly applicable to the specific challenges MUBAS students were already navigating.
As Makina continues her work within Cohort 36, this outreach at MUBAS stands as a clear demonstration of how interactive, honest dialogue about saving, one that makes room for genuine struggle alongside practical guidance, can move students from passive awareness toward serious personal reflection on their own financial futures.
Her approach also offers a useful reminder for other fellows working within university settings, that students often arrive already carrying real financial experience, however limited, and that the most effective sessions tend to build on that experience rather than override it. By treating students as active contributors to the conversation rather than passive recipients of instruction, Makina positioned her outreach to resonate well beyond the immediate discussion itself.
Report Summary
Benadetta Makina, a Cohort 36 fellow from Malawi, conducted a financial literacy outreach at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences on 12 August 2026, focused on the importance of saving, under the KAFI Financial Literacy Leadership Fellowship. Structured as an interactive group discussion, the session covered how saving helps prepare for emergencies, achieve financial goals, reduce dependence on borrowing, build financial discipline, and create opportunities for starting small businesses, while emphasizing that saving does not require a large income to begin. Students actively participated, sharing challenges including limited income, unexpected expenses, and unnecessary spending, grounding the discussion in real, lived financial circumstances. Makina described the session as highly engaging and reflected that the experience strengthened her own confidence in communicating financial literacy concepts, while reinforcing her belief that practical, interactive engagement produces more effective financial education than lecture based delivery. She concluded that the outreach successfully encouraged students to think more seriously about their own saving habits and financial goals, supported by photo and video documentation from the session.
