KAFI Financial Literacy Leaders Fellowship | Cohort 50 | Eswatini 🇸🇿
Sometimes, people do not struggle because they do not earn money. They struggle because they have never been shown how to make the money they earn work for them.
For Thobile Sikhanyiso Matse, a Community Finance Leader under the KAFI Financial Literacy Leaders Fellowship (FLLF), conversations about saving in her community revealed a reality that many people experience but rarely discuss.
They work, they earn, they spend, and before the next payday arrives, the money is gone.
During her community financial literacy outreach in Eswatini, Thobile discovered that many people viewed their salaries primarily as a means of meeting immediate needs. Some explained that they usually had money for only five days after payday, spending the remaining weeks struggling financially until their next income arrived.
But there was another misconception she encountered, particularly among young people.
Many believed that saving was something reserved for people who already had money.
Through conversations about the power of small, consistent savings and the importance of building wealth over time, Thobile began challenging this mindset.
The response was encouraging. Some young people expressed interest in opening savings accounts and committing to monthly savings.
Yet, beyond changing perceptions, the outreach began uncovering something even more powerful: financial education was helping people reconsider dreams they had almost given up on.
When a Lost Savings Dream Finds a New Beginning
One of the most touching encounters was with Nolwazi Dlamini, a young woman whose experience with group savings had left her discouraged.
Nolwazi had once participated in a community savings group with the ambition of raising capital to establish a poultry farm. Unfortunately, the group's treasurer disappeared with their collective savings.
The experience destroyed her confidence in saving, and she admitted that she had developed a dislike for the practice.
However, during her interaction with Thobile, she was introduced to the importance of safer savings options, including opening an individual savings account with a bank.
Her reaction was encouraging.
She welcomed the advice and expressed her intention to open a savings account immediately.
More importantly, the conversation helped revive her ambition of establishing a poultry farm.
A failed savings experience had almost ended a business dream. A financial literacy conversation helped her see another way forward.
Helping a Small Business Owner See Beyond Daily Cash
For Thulani Hlatjwako, a spaza shop owner, the outreach challenged how he approached money management in his business.
Like many small business owners, his major concern was having cash available to keep the business running.
He frequently allowed customers to borrow money or goods with promises to pay later. Unfortunately, some never returned the money, creating financial difficulties for his business.
Through the financial literacy lessons, Thulani began recognising how uncontrolled lending and poor cash management could undermine business growth.
He acknowledged that he had the potential to expand his business but had not taken saving seriously.
The conversation helped him reconsider his priorities. Rather than continuously making money available for informal borrowing, he became interested in setting aside funds to strengthen and expand his business.
Sometimes, business growth does not begin with more customers. It begins with learning how to manage the money already coming in.
A Young Woman, A Piggy Bank and a Bigger Dream
Another remarkable interaction was with Siphesihle Mashaba, a young woman who had recently completed high school and was awaiting tertiary education.
While waiting to begin her studies, she was taking on minor jobs to raise money for her education.
She had planned to save using a piggy bank, believing it would be sufficient for her needs.
However, the discussion introduced her to the importance of setting specific savings goals, establishing time frames and choosing appropriate places to keep her money.
Thobile explained that although piggy banks can encourage saving, keeping money physically accessible may expose it to theft or the temptation to spend.
She was encouraged to consider opening a savings account where her money could be kept more securely.
Siphesihle expressed gratitude for the lessons and recognised that the knowledge had come at an important point in her life.
For a young woman working towards financing her education, understanding how to save with purpose could make a meaningful difference.
Her dream is tertiary education. Her immediate challenge is raising the money. And now, she has a better understanding of how to approach that challenge.
Beyond the Community: What Thobile Discovered
For Thobile, the experience was not just about teaching others.
It was also an opportunity to learn.
Through her interactions with salary earners, young people and small business owners, she discovered how differently people perceive money and how their financial decisions are influenced by their individual experiences.
She realised that financial literacy is not simply about telling people to save. It requires understanding their circumstances, challenging limiting beliefs and introducing practical financial habits that respond to their needs.
The outreach strengthened her appreciation of the importance of community-based financial education and the responsibility of a Community Finance Leader.
The KAFI Impact: One Conversation Can Change a Financial Direction
The experiences in Eswatini demonstrate why financial literacy must reach beyond classrooms, workshops and formal institutions.
It must reach people where they live, work, earn, spend and make financial decisions.
For Nolwazi, it was about rediscovering a poultry farming dream.
For Thulani, it was about protecting business capital and preparing for expansion.
For Siphesihle, it was about building a savings plan towards tertiary education.
Different people. Different financial realities. One common need: the knowledge to make better financial decisions.
Through the KAFI Financial Literacy Leaders Fellowship (FLLF), KAFI Foundation is grooming a generation of Community Finance Leaders equipped to take financial education into communities and inspire practical financial transformation.
The vision is simple but powerful:
KAFI Trains. Certifies. Deploys. Places.
And through every community conversation, the movement continues to grow.
Because financial inclusion is not only about having access to financial services. It is also about having the knowledge and confidence to use them meaningfully.
From Eswatini to the rest of Africa, one Community Finance Leader can inspire a community, one conversation at a time.
COMMUNITY FINANCE LEADER PROFILE
Name: Thobile Sikhanyiso Matse
Country: Eswatini 🇸🇿
Programme: KAFI Financial Literacy Leaders Fellowship
Cohort: 50
