Zambia
Introduction
Obed Chisanga, a Cohort 38 fellow from Zambia, completed all ten KAFI learning modules and both quiz assessments before ever standing in front of a single student. But it was the conversation that followed, his Community Financial Literacy Campaign at Copperbelt University's Lusaka Campus, that showed him what all that learning was actually for. What he witnessed there was not passive note taking, but a student walking away having already turned a lesson into a shareholding.
Ten Modules, One Guiding Principle
Chisanga's fellowship journey moved him from acquiring financial literacy knowledge to applying it directly through a Community Financial Literacy Project, and the principle he carried forward most strongly from that entire journey was simple to state but demanding to practice: know how to use your money, and make your money work for you. Rather than treating his campus session as an opportunity to lecture, he approached it as a chance to stimulate genuine reflection, listening closely to how young people themselves understood and applied financial concepts within their own lives.
That choice shaped everything about how the session unfolded. Instead of simply delivering content and moving on, Chisanga created space for students to process financial ideas out loud, connecting abstract principles like budgeting and investing to the very real pressures of managing money as a university student living on funds sent from home.
A Principle That Became a Personal Turning Point
Among the students who engaged with Chisanga's campaign, one reflection stood out for how directly it moved from idea to action. This student initially internalized the core principle Chisanga emphasized throughout the session, that money should be put to work rather than simply spent. But his account went further, describing a genuine mindset shift around what it even means to earn money in the first place.
He explained a pattern common among students, assuming that money received from home could only ever cover daily upkeep, and feeling as though there was never enough. Chisanga's lesson reframed that assumption entirely. The student came to recognize that financial responsibility does not increase and then decrease with age, it only grows heavier. He pointed to the reality awaiting him beyond university, a future where earning a salary would mean covering rent, electricity, children's tuition, and countless other obligations that leave considerably less room for saving than a student's current, more modest set of responsibilities. His conclusion was direct: there is no perfect future moment when saving and investing will suddenly become easier. The right time is now.
What made this reflection especially powerful was what came next. After budgeting the money he received from home according to a clear plan, this student discovered that some money remained once his needs were covered. Rather than spending that surplus, he used it to purchase shares in Zambia Insurance Company, becoming a shareholder in the company. He described having previously carried a quiet sense of guilt whenever spending money on something like shares, uncertain whether that money was truly his to invest. Chisanga's lesson on what it actually means to earn money freed him from that guilt entirely, he had not taken anything that wasn't his, he had planned, budgeted, and saved according to that plan, and the resulting shares were the direct product of disciplined financial behavior, not something he needed to feel conflicted about. He closed his reflection with clear ambition, expressing intent to purchase shares not only in Zambia Insurance Company but also in Zambeef and Zambia Sugar Company going forward.
Naming the Cost of Borrowing to Belong
A second student's key takeaway centered on a different but equally consequential lesson, the danger of peer pressure and unnecessary debt. He distilled this into a clear, memorable set of principles, never borrow to maintain an image, never take on unnecessary debt simply to appear successful, and never use debt to finance a lifestyle beyond one's actual means. This reflection speaks to a financial trap particularly common among young people navigating social environments where appearance and image often carry significant weight, the temptation to borrow not out of genuine need, but to keep pace with peers.
By naming this pressure explicitly rather than assuming students would recognize it on their own, Chisanga's session appears to have given this student language and clarity around a pattern he may have previously sensed but never fully articulated, one that reinforced Chisanga's broader belief that financial literacy is ultimately about building the confidence to make independent financial decisions, rather than allowing social pressure to dictate spending behavior.
A Message That Stuck, Even Amid a Long Session
A third reflection offered a moment of honest, useful feedback. This participant acknowledged that the session ran long, yet still walked away with the same central principle Chisanga had hoped every student would carry forward, know how to use your money and make your money work for you. That this core message survived and stuck despite the session's length speaks to how clearly and repeatedly Chisanga anchored his broader discussion around this single, foundational idea, ensuring it remained the throughline students could hold onto even if other details faded.
From Assignment to Genuine Advocacy
Reflecting on the broader experience, Chisanga described his Community Project as becoming something considerably more meaningful than a fellowship requirement. It became, in his words, an opportunity to educate, inspire, and learn from others in equal measure. He arrived at an important understanding of his own role as a financial literacy advocate, recognizing that his purpose was never to instruct people on exactly how to spend their money, but rather to equip them with the knowledge and principles needed to make responsible financial decisions independently, on their own terms.
This philosophy runs directly through the reflections his participants shared. The student who purchased shares in Zambia Insurance Company was not told which company to invest in, he was given a framework for budgeting and understanding earned money clearly enough to make that decision confidently himself. The student who identified peer pressure as his key lesson was not lectured about specific spending choices, but equipped with a principle he could apply broadly across any future situation involving social pressure and debt.
Lessons That Extend Beyond a Single Campaign
Chisanga's broader reflection on his fellowship experience touched on the full range of financial competencies the program strengthened for him, budgeting, saving, investing, debt management, distinguishing needs from wants, entrepreneurship, digital financial discipline, and financial responsibility more generally. Beyond the technical knowledge, he emphasized that the experience meaningfully strengthened his confidence as both a community facilitator and a youth leader capable of guiding these conversations effectively.
He closed his reflection with a lesson he described as his greatest takeaway from the entire KAFI Fellowship, a simple but comprehensive guide: earn wisely, budget intentionally, save consistently, avoid unnecessary debt, invest responsibly, and make your money work for you. This distilled framework captures the same principles his participants echoed back to him in their own feedback, suggesting the message he set out to deliver landed with genuine clarity.
A Leader Ready for What Comes Next
What distinguishes Chisanga's approach as a Community Finance Leader is the way his own fellowship journey and his outreach work reinforced one another. Having moved through structured learning modules before applying that knowledge in a live, interactive campus setting, he brought a depth of preparation to his session that translated directly into the specificity and confidence of his guidance, evident in how precisely his students were able to articulate and apply what they learned.
As Chisanga completes his journey within Cohort 38, he describes leaving the fellowship not simply as a more financially informed individual, but as a stronger financial literacy champion prepared to carry these lessons into schools, universities, and communities more broadly, helping young people move toward genuine financial responsibility and economic empowerment.
Report Summary
Obed Chisanga, a Cohort 38 fellow from Zambia, completed all ten KAFI learning modules before conducting a Financial Literacy Campaign at Copperbelt University's Lusaka Campus, centered on the principle of knowing how to use money and making it work for you. Structured as an interactive conversation rather than a lecture, the session produced significant reflections from participants. One student described a shift away from guilt around spending, after budgeting money received from home and discovering a surplus, he purchased shares in Zambia Insurance Company and expressed intent to invest in additional companies including Zambeef and Zambia Sugar. A second student identified peer pressure and unnecessary debt as his key lesson, committing to avoid borrowing to maintain appearances or finance an unaffordable lifestyle. A third participant, despite noting the session's length, affirmed that its central message about making money work for you remained clear and memorable. Chisanga concluded that his role as a financial literacy advocate is not to dictate spending decisions, but to equip young people with the knowledge and confidence to make responsible financial choices independently, carrying forward a personal framework of earning wisely, budgeting intentionally, saving consistently, avoiding unnecessary debt, and investing responsibly.
