By Seleoe Nonyane
Visionary Mentors will host an 11-months financial literacy programme for children aged seven to 18, from February to December 2023.
The programme will equip children with the concepts of investment, saving, money management and entrepreneurship.
In an interview with theReporter this week, the financial mentor at Visionary Mentors Nchakha Monyane said they will meet with the children twice a month and mentor them on how to save, invest, start their own business and manage their money.
He said that they will also assist those without bank accounts to open them and monitor its usage with the help of their parents until the end of the program.
He said the programme is the first of its kind to be hosted by Visionary Mentors and that they are planning to hold it on an annual basis.
“Money Savvy kids” is the motto of the initiative, which Monyane said they started because they wanted to change the children’s outlook regarding money, by starting them as young as possible.
“We believe that the younger they start the better, creating awareness on issues of money management from a young age will help the children avoid mistakes that we made when it came to money.
“For some of us, exposure to money was started when we were in tertiary as we were excluded from financial discussions; this is why we are running this programme – to change all that,” he said.
He said the programme is also important in the sense that nowadays, kids can become instant millionaires especially through social platforms. So, knowledge of proper financial management will help them thrive.
Monyane revealed that space is only available for 10 children; he believes that the smaller the number the more impact it will make.
“Since it is the first one, we want to give it our full attention, and achieve all the goals that will have set for ourselves.
He also said they have hosted workshops in the past, although they were a bit shorter, and they have since received positive feedback from parents.
He said their programmes are only hosted Maseru for now, because the last time they took them outside Maseru the turnout was not great and they even had to cancel some of them.
However, he said that they are working on findings ways to make the programme popular in other districts as well. They are looking into the possibility of giving it the widest publicity.
The programme will cost M4400 for the 11-month duration and if paid in full the parent will receive a 15 percent discount. The fee amounts to M400 on a monthly basis.
Interested parents can register their children on +266 63145902/58879040.
