When we really want something, where does the journey towards it begin? By deciding what truly matters to us, setting a goal and making a plan to achieve it.

That is exactly the kind of journey the children in the village of Pavolche set out on on 12 August, together with Rumi Vitnyova from the Initiative for Financial Literacy Foundation (FLI). At the local community centre, she led the “Savings Journeys” financial education workshop, part of IFL’s educational guide “About Money and Other Important Things: First Steps.”

The world around us is full of things we might want, but we cannot – and do not need to – have everything. One of the children’s first tasks was therefore to think about their wants, learn to prioritise them and decide what really matters to them.

This was the starting point for their savings journey – a goal, a plan and concrete steps towards achieving it. Through practical activities and discussion, the children explored how to plan ahead, save with a purpose and make more thoughtful choices about their money.

Because knowing how to save is only the beginning. What matters most is for planning and saving skills to gradually become habits that help us achieve the goals that matter to us and use our money wisely.