The Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI) has partnered with Aflatoun International to deliver financial education for children and young people in Papua New Guinea.
Both CEFI and Aflatoun signed a virtual Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday May 14 which will see both organization working together in partnership to achieve the objectives and goals of the MoU.
Aflatoun an international organization works with a strong network of Non-Government Organization and governments to deliver social and financial education to millions of children and youths in the most effective way possible around the world.
Executive Director Mr. Saliya Ranasinghe when giving a brief back ground on CEFI told Aflatoun CEO Mr. Roeland Monasch that financial literacy has been a forefront of CEFI’s activities as it was an entry point for financial inclusion in the country.
Mr. Ranasinghe further stated that CEFI has reached over 250,000 people in the country with its Financial Literacy Training and Training of Trainers programs and the results has seen over a thousand certified trainers specialized in training financial literacy training or adult training.
He said CEFI’s recent partnership with the Department of Education to introduce financial education into school curriculum will further strengthen the partnership with Aflatoun to deliver financial education for children in PNG schools.
Mr. Ranasinghe also announced that CEFI’s Financial Inclusion and Capacity Development Manager, Jill Pijui and three officers from the Department of Education will attend Aflatoun’s annual conference on financial education in Cebu, Philippines later this year.
CEO Mr. Roeland Monasch said Aflatoun was thrilled to work with CEFI to assist and facilitate the delivering of financial education in the country.
“I’m very excited to discuss and sign this partnership with you today (Tuesday May 14). At Aflatoun we strongly believe that children, young people and youths need to learn about finance as soon as possible,” Mr. Monasch said.
“We like the approach to work with you in a way where we can assist, facilitate, but you (CEFI) are in the driver’s seat, that’s very important.”Mr. Monasch stressed.
“We provide content and help local contextualization, but it’s the organizations on the ground who know what’s needed, who know what is appropriate, who need to take the lead and are in the driving seat to facilitate, that financial education should facilitate towards financial inclusion,” he added.
The overall goal of the MoU is to build a collaboration between CEFI and Aflatoun International which both parties agree to;
- Rely on the mutual desire to apply the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of Child
- Work together to advocate for the need of social and financial education for children and young people
- Collaborate to develop social and financial education for children and young people in Papua New Guinea
To ensure the achievement of the goals, the parties agree to join forces in the following areas.
- Supporting the development of a social and financial education programme for children and young people in Papua New Guinea
- Exchanging of educational materials on Social and Financial Education as well as contacts
- Planning for concrete collaboration and activities on the basis of an annual action plan agreed upon by both parties
- Developing (contextualized) curricular and methodological content for Social and Financial Education based on Aflatoun International curricula
- Training of trainers and educational pedagogical workers
- Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of social and financial education of children and young people
- Cooperate in exchanging and promoting best practices and experiences in the field of social and financial education
Photo caption: CEFI Executive Director signing the MoU document during the brief virtual signing ceremony with Aflatoun CEO Mr. Roeland Monasch.