Street Child United is delighted to announce a new partnership with Visa to deliver financial literacy workshops as part of the legacy of the Street Child World Cup 2022.

The Finance Education Programme is a 10-month programme that will launch in March 2023 around the world. Workshops will be delivered bi-weekly, led by Street Child United (SCU) and SCU Young Leaders, using curriculum created by Visa. The course is an opportunity for all the young children who participated at the Street Child World Cup 2022 to acquire financial understanding and knowledge to support their wider education and personal growth.

The course will combine practical money skills and financial resources using a combination of tools including modules from the Pre-K to 12 Grade curriculum; a specialised financial football game; and a comic book series with easy-to-understand tasks for participants to complete. Countries that have signed up to take part in the programme include teams from: Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, Egypt, England, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Mauritius, Nepal, Palestine, Pakistan, Peru, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Uganda, USA, and Zimbabwe.

The programme will not only benefit the young children who take part, it will also upskill the team leaders. The ‘train the trainer’ approach will see SCU Young Leaders work alongside team leaders to deliver the sessions; equipping them with the tools and knowledge to assist other children in their respective programme/organisation.

SCU Young Leader Sadock John from Tanzania reviewed the materials and stated:

“I would have really benefited from these resources when I was a young street child. As an aspiring business owner all I wanted to do was learn, but these sorts of opportunities were never presented to me. I was fortunate to teach myself about money and saving but most the kids I see don’t even know where to get started and these materials will help change that.”

Explaining the importance of the programme from Visa’s standpoint, Carl Manlan, Vice President, Inclusive Impact & Sustainability said: “At Visa, we believe that financial education is critical in helping provide a gateway to economic livelihood. By gaining digital skills and knowledge of the formal financial system, we can help ensure individuals – especially young people – are brought along the digital journey the world is experiencing.

The initiative will also support SCU’s wider legacy work ‘One Million and One,’ a campaign to secure a birth certificate for one million and one street-connected children by 2026. Knowing that a birth certificate is an essential document required to open a bank account, Visa employees will be offered the chance to support the campaign by donating $55 to Street Child United (enabling one person to gain an identity) on Giving Tuesday each year for three years.