One day training on financial and economic empathy with Enfants du Mekong’s staff in Paris. Enfants du Mekong has been using our family budget, students and small business training programmes since 2007. Today, we gave one another an update on what training have been used in the various countries where Enfants du Mekong operates.
To start with, French staff became South East Asian families for a couple of hours. They set up a small business, and tried to generate enough benefit to live on it. They also had debts to pay back, and their children requested money for various expenses. In the debriefing, participants acknowledged how stressful it is to live hand-to-mouth.
After an update on the various training sessions run in Cambodia and Philippines, participants brainstormed on how local staff and volunteers can increase the impact of the programme. They also listed what might prevent them and how to address these potential obstacles, whether they may be lack of knowledge on budget for example, lack of time or motivation. Next step: digest today’s session and work together to increase families’ financial resilience.
