SPOTLIGHT:

FINANCIAL LITERACY PROGRAM

FIVDB’s flagship Financial Literacy Program is a jump-start to empowerment and financial inclusion for over 100 girls in Hadiapalong, a village in the Cox’s Bazar district.

Girls ages 13 to 18 who participated in the three-month program learned about savings, negotiation skills and salesmanship from FIVDB facilitators, who led interactive classes three times per week at a field office. Each girl received skill training in a trade of her choice – tailoring, livestock raising and vegetable gardening were popular – and developed her own business plan with support from the facilitator and her peers. Finally, every student was given a stipend from FIVDB to serve as seed capital for putting their plans into action. Three months after the first class graduated from the Financial Literacy Program, 99 of 100 students’ businesses were self-sufficient.

The girls aren’t completely on their own - FIVDB remains in contact with the girls during their first year of business to provide support and answer questions as needed. But many of the girls said that they also discuss their businesses with each other. “I can talk to my new friends about my business if I have questions,” one 16-year-old participant said at a feedback session. “We talk about other things, too.”

The Financial Literacy Program goes beyond a traditional microcredit approach to financial inclusion by providing girls with not only skills but a support network of trusted peers and staff. Combined, graduates of the FLP are empowered to generate more sustainable livelihoods.