In a concerted attempt to empower Sri Lankan women Sarvodaya-
Fusion in partnership with HSBC has launched Personal Financial Literacy Education
Programme for women starting June 2021.
“In its essence, financial literacy can be defined as the understanding of how money works and
this includes generating, investing, spending, and saving money in ways that ensure a person’s
financial stability – an essential life-skill that becomes even more significant in challenging
times. This knowledge is the basic building block that enables women to become more
independent, and lead more fulfilling, secure lives,” said Stuart Rogers, Interim CEO and Head
of Wholesale Banking HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives.
The ongoing crisis in the country, due to the pandemic has affected both working and non-
working women. They are currently forced to manage in an extremely challenging environment
with wage gaps and gender inequality. Through this programme, non-working women will be
educated and made aware of how to manage their household expenses and look for more
avenues to earn an extra income apart from the main income received by their spouse.
Similarly, working women will learn how to make their way up the financial ladder, with smart
investments and savings. Individuals can visit the Sarvodaya-Fusion Facebook Page for more
information on registrations. Individuals can register to the program via:
https://forms.gle/aMqgKXznmtFSpKt47 or visit Sarvodaya-Fusion Facebook page for more
information.
“We are excited to partner with a leading global financial entity such as HSBC to educate and
enable women of Sri Lanka to take stronger control of their finances. We are convinced that
these two key segments of the population should have access to not only financial services, but
to recognize themselves as economic agents that can make a change in their families and
society through their everyday choices,” said Rohan Pandithakorralage, Chairman, Board of
Advisors, Sarvodaya-Fusion.
The engaging Zoom based webinars of one and half hours each cover the main aspects of wise
spending, managing debts, earning an extra income, saving as a habit, and making smart
investments. The sessions are delivered by utilizing appealing elements such as webinar polls,
icebreakers, chats, Q & A sessions and online feedback gathering surveys to ensure maximum
engagement and interaction.
“We have seen how financial health has significant ramifications in society, particularly during
the pandemic. It’s important for us that we provide women across Sri Lanka with access to the
right skills, attitude and tools required to manage their finances and make the most of their
money. These carefully crafted webinars dispense the practical knowledge needed by women to
manage their money with confidence and, grow their economies,” Rogers continued to state.
Sri Lanka’s adult literacy was 92% in 2018, but the country’s financial literacy rate measures at
just 35%. Although this is still the highest out of South Asia, the high print literacy rates do not
necessarily correlate to financial savviness. Still, the ability to read and write does provide the
basis on which one can build, access and use financial services.
Therefore, it is critical to encourage both working women and non-working women to have a
stronger grasp of their finances to benefit themselves, their families and society at large, as well
as contribute towards reviving the country’s economy, even at an individual level. Additionally,
basic financial literacy among households can also lead to healthier family welfare.
Consequently, improving financial literacy and financial capability among all community
segments irrespective of age, sectors, and gender would lead to higher levels of economic
wellbeing of the individual, their family and the country at large.
With this ethos, the Personal Financial Literacy initiative was launched by Sarvodaya-Fusion as
a corporate social responsibility (CSR) project under HSBC’s Future Skills charity program.
Over the past few years, the programme has targeted low-wage workers, undergraduates and
entrepreneurs. The initiative aims to provide different sectors in the community with the
necessary awareness on handling their finances, ranging from personal financial management
to managing business finance.
ABOUT SARVODAYA-FUSION
Sarvodaya–Fusion, is the ICT for Development (ICT4D) arm of the Sarvodaya Movement.
Through a continuous process of learning, engagement and collaboration with Government,
Corporates, Industry, and the communities, the organization tries to identify and fill the social
and economic gaps in the country as an ICT enabler, by minimizing knowledge and opportunity
gaps. Sarvodaya- Fusion has been carrying out many such initiatives, partnering up with state
agencies, multilateral organisations, and corporates including Ministry of Education, ICTA,
World Bank, UNDP, Microsoft, HSBC and Facebook over the last decade.