To give disadvantaged children the opportunity to access financial knowledge early

Following the passion of teaching financial skills to children

Despite being very busy with work and taking care of three school-age children, Ms. Do Thu Nga still tries to arrange time to teach Cha-Ching classes.

As one of more than 20 volunteer teachers who have been involved with the project since its inception, Ms. Nga always gives priority to this job because it not only suits her strengths but also gives her an opportunity to impart knowledge and skills to children, especially those in less fortunate circumstances.

Cha-Ching financial management classes usually take place on weekends, so more or less, the volunteer teachers have to sacrifice time with their families or their own work. Participating in teaching Cha-Ching for Ms. Nga in particular, as well as most volunteer teachers, comes from the desire to share and the love of volunteer work for the community.

Having taught many Cha-Ching classes, Ms. Truong Nguyet Anh - a volunteer of the project - always feels the joy and excitement every time the children are exposed to new financial knowledge. The children's enthusiasm in learning, speaking and absorbing knowledge is the motivation that encourages her during her time teaching at Ai Linh Charity School (HCMC). Even though the class can take place right in the school yard, without tables and chairs, every weekend the children still diligently go to school. Sometimes, they even do not hesitate to lie down on the floor to do their homework.

Similar to Ms. Anh, the more she was attached to the classes, Ms. Do Thu Nga was more and more moved by the students' spirit of learning despite the difficulties. She always remembered the classes at La San charity school, opened by priests for orphans and children in difficult circumstances in Ho Chi Minh City. Although it was called a school, the facilities were very simple and located deep in a small alley. The children had to walk a long way to get to school.

“I was deeply moved when I heard children as young as 7 or 8 years old share how they make money by collecting scrap metal, selling lottery tickets, etc. They even confided in me that they would save money in a Cha Ching piggy bank to help their parents or save money for college., Ms. Nga confided.

For the Cha-Ching volunteers, the love the children give them is a great spiritual “gift”. As for Ms. Truong Nguyet Anh, she feels inspired, studying and working harder every day.I believe that the children's innocence, naivety, love of discovery and eagerness to learn have given me and the volunteer teachers a lot of positive energy, helping us dispel fatigue after a stressful and hard working week.", Ms. Anh confided.

As for Mr. Phung Sy Tung, working as a volunteer for the Cha-Ching project helps him clearly feel the value that the project contributes to the community.When teaching at SOS Children's Village Nha Trang, I noticed that some children are very financially conscious, conscious of saving early for future plans. I believe that for such children, just needing to create a foundation of knowledge and good orientation will open up opportunities for a better life regardless of their starting point., Mr. Tung emphasized.

Sow knowledge, give children confidence to step into life

Cha-Ching is Prudential's financial management education project for children aged 7-12. The project officially started in Vietnam from the 2019-2020 school year in primary schools. Entering its 5th year, Cha-Ching has reached more than 100,000 students and 3,000 teachers in more than 300 primary schools in 7 provinces and cities.

Realizing the need to popularize knowledge for children in special circumstances who are not included in the formal general education system, the project established a team of volunteer teachers from Prudential staff to lead free Cha-Ching classes from 2022.

To date, the Cha-Ching volunteer team has contributed more than 220 volunteer hours, teaching Cha-Ching to more than 600 students at charity schools, social protection centers, as well as classes for children of Prudential customers, employees and consultants across the country.

In particular, this unique initiative was highly appreciated by Prudence Foundation (the co-founder and developer of the project), and became a typical model for replication. Accordingly, Prudential Cambodia adopted the model to learn and implement for the Cha-Ching project in its country.

“I think the Cha-Ching volunteer teacher model is very suitable for Prudential Cambodia. Not only do they contribute to the education of children, but volunteers who teach Cha-Ching also have the opportunity to improve and apply their knowledge.financial literacy into life. This two-way learning process creates a beneficial experience for both volunteers and students,”Leakhena Seang,Cha-Ching project management representative at Prudential Cambodia, shared.

The effectiveness of the project was noted in the “Evaluation of the Cha-Ching Curriculum” conducted by Dr. Adele Atkinson, a senior independent consultant specializing in finance, after the project was implemented in its 9th year. In Vietnam, the report showed that children's understanding of financial skills increased by an average of 34% after the Cha-Ching course.

“My two children have become more aware of money after participating in the Cha-Ching program. They understand that money comes from their parents' work and love their parents more. They even occasionally make handicrafts to sell, know how to support orphans, save money for school fees and lucky money, and even ask their mother to open a savings account for their university education., Ms. Do Thu Nga shared more.

As Prudential's key project in the Education pillar, Prudential hopes that Cha-Ching will equip children with the necessary skills and knowledge to create a solid foundation for future generations as part of Prudential's long-term commitment to developing a sustainable and prosperous community.