Introduction
Amy Misora, a Cohort 40 fellow from Zimbabwe, had originally planned a broader community outreach for her KAFI Community Finance Leader Project. When circumstances shifted during the implementation period, she made a decision that would define the entire six day project that followed, rather than waiting for a new outreach opportunity to materialize, she turned to the audience already in front of her, her own workplace at Imba Matombo Boutique Hotel in Glen Lorne, and a conference taking place there at the same time.
Turning a Setback Into a Strategy
What emerged from that pivot was what Misora came to call her Go-To-Them approach, delivering financial literacy directly into spaces where people were already gathered rather than asking them to attend a separate community meeting. Over six days, from 1 to 6 September 2026, she worked under the theme Beat the Debt Trap: Borrowing Smart and Building Alternatives, reaching colleagues and conference attendees through a series of structured sessions built around one central question, when does borrowing help, and when does it quietly become destructive.
This adaptation carried real practical advantages. It reduced the logistical burden of organizing a separate event, gave her access to an audience already assembled, and created room for spontaneous discussion woven naturally into people's existing routines. It also demonstrated something Misora would later identify as one of her project's central lessons, that effective leadership depends less on rigid adherence to an original plan, and more on the ability to recognize opportunity within changed circumstances while keeping the underlying objective firmly intact.
Rather than treating the disruption to her original plan as a setback to be minimized in her reporting, Misora treated it as the defining feature of her project's approach, choosing to name it directly and build her entire methodology around it. That transparency about the pivot itself, rather than simply presenting the adapted outcome as though it had always been the plan, speaks to a broader honesty running throughout her reflection on the project.
A Simple Framework for a Complicated Decision
At the heart of Misora's presentations sat a deliberately simple decision making tool, STOP, THINK, CALCULATE, DECIDE. Before borrowing, she encouraged participants to stop and ask whether they genuinely needed to borrow at all, to think carefully about what was actually driving the financial need, to calculate precisely how much they would ultimately repay, and only then to decide whether borrowing represented the best option actually available to them.
This framework ran through every session that followed, giving participants a consistent, repeatable process they could apply to any future borrowing decision, regardless of the specific circumstances prompting it.
Six Days, Building From Awareness Toward Action
Misora structured her project as a deliberate progression rather than a single session repeated. Day one was devoted to preparation, reviewing KAFI's requirements and building a presentation grounded in practical examples relevant to working adults. Day two brought the first workplace presentation to her colleagues, introducing the concept of the debt trap itself and exploring how repeated borrowing can erode financial stability over time, covering why people borrow, the distinction between needs and wants, and the mechanics of interest and repayment.
Day three moved deeper into the true cost of borrowing, using a practical loan example to demonstrate a formula participants could apply directly, amount borrowed plus interest plus fees equals total repayment obligation. This session pushed participants to look beyond the amount they would receive from a lender and toward the full, often underestimated cost of repaying it, addressing penalties, loan rollover, and the particularly dangerous pattern of borrowing from one source simply to repay another.
Day four shifted toward alternatives, introducing a financial planning structure moving from income through essential expenses, savings, debt repayment, and finally discretionary spending. Misora emphasized that saving does not require large amounts to begin, that consistency and discipline matter more than the size of any individual contribution. Day five extended the project beyond her immediate workmates entirely, reaching conference attendees through a presentation titled From Borrowing to Financial Resilience, encouraging participants to prepare for emergencies through saving rather than defaulting automatically to high cost credit. Day six closed the project with reflection, reviewing what had been learned from delivering financial literacy within a professional environment rather than a traditional community setting.
What the Sessions Left Behind
Across the full project, Misora tracked impact along three dimensions. On knowledge, participants gained clearer understanding of the difference between borrowing and genuine affordability, the importance of calculating total repayment rather than focusing only on the amount received, and the protective value of both budgeting and emergency savings. On attitude, she observed a shift away from treating borrowing as an automatic first response to financial pressure, replaced instead by a habit of exploring alternatives first, a message she distilled into a single guiding phrase, before you borrow, explore your alternatives. On practical impact, participants left with tools they could apply immediately, the STOP-THINK-CALCULATE-DECIDE framework, simple budgeting principles, and a habit of asking sharper questions before accepting any form of credit.
Working Within Real Constraints
Misora was candid about the challenges her adapted approach introduced. Limited time during workplace activities meant every presentation had to stay tightly focused and practical. Participants arrived with widely varying levels of financial knowledge, requiring simple language and relatable examples throughout. Given the sensitivity of personal financial information, she relied on general and hypothetical examples rather than asking participants to disclose their own circumstances. And without a dedicated budget for community mobilization, she built her entire project around gatherings that already existed, rather than requiring new ones to be organized specifically for her outreach.
Lessons That Extend Beyond a Single Project
Reflecting on the experience, Misora identified adaptability as her most significant leadership lesson, recognizing that effective leadership sometimes means adjusting course while holding firmly to the underlying objective, rather than treating an original plan as unchangeable. She emphasized that financial education proves most effective when grounded in real, practical situations rather than abstract theory, and observed that existing gatherings, workplaces, conferences, meetings, any setting where people are already present, can function as genuinely effective platforms for financial literacy work. She also stressed the importance of keeping financial conversations non judgmental, recognizing that people arrive with vastly different financial circumstances, and that a respectful environment encourages genuine participation rather than defensive silence.
Perhaps most centrally, she took away a conviction that small financial decisions matter considerably, that building genuine financial resilience does not require large sums of money to begin, but starts instead with better decisions, consistent planning, and disciplined habits practiced steadily over time.
A Plan for What Comes Next
Misora was clear that her project would not end with the conclusion of her final presentation. She committed to continuing to share financial literacy knowledge with colleagues when appropriate, encouraging ongoing workplace discussions around budgeting and responsible borrowing, and promoting a savings first mindset within her professional network going forward. She also expressed intent to participate in future KAFI initiatives and support future fellows by sharing the lessons drawn from her own project experience, extending her impact well beyond the six days documented in her formal report.
Community Finance Leadership Without a Crowd
What distinguishes Misora's approach is her demonstration that community finance leadership does not require a large public gathering to produce genuine impact. By transforming her own workplace and a conference already underway into platforms for financial literacy education, she showed that meaningful outreach can begin wherever people happen to already be, rather than waiting for ideal conditions or a dedicated community event to materialize.
As Misora continues her work within Cohort 40, her Beat the Debt Trap project stands as a clear example of how adaptability, paired with a simple, repeatable decision making framework, can turn even a change in circumstances into an opportunity for genuine, lasting financial literacy impact.
Report Summary
Amy Misora, a Cohort 40 fellow from Zimbabwe, delivered a six day Community Finance Leader Project titled Beat the Debt Trap: Borrowing Smart and Building Alternatives at Imba Matombo Boutique Hotel in Glen Lorne, Harare, from 1 to 6 September 2026. After her original community outreach plan became unavailable, she adapted her approach to reach colleagues and conference attendees directly through her workplace, using a Go-To-Them strategy built around the STOP-THINK-CALCULATE-DECIDE framework for borrowing decisions. Sessions progressed from understanding the debt trap and calculating the true cost of borrowing, to budgeting and building savings alternatives, culminating in a conference presentation on financial resilience. The project improved participants' understanding of loan affordability, total repayment costs, and emergency savings, while shifting attitudes away from treating borrowing as an automatic first response to financial pressure. Misora identified adaptability, practical relevance, and non-judgmental delivery as her key leadership lessons, concluding that community finance leadership does not require a large public gathering, and committing to continue promoting responsible borrowing, budgeting, and saving within her workplace and wider professional network going forward.
