Erisa Langari Zadeh, Officer, PMO & Membership Engagement, Alliance for Financial Inclusion

“Mummy, what’s your job? What do you actually do at work?”

My son’s question was hard to answer. How could I explain what AFI does? How to talk about financial inclusion in a way that makes sense to a young child?

For those of us working in financial inclusion, its nature and benefits seem obvious. It is about opportunity, protection, and fairness. It means making sure everyone, especially those often left behind, can access and use a full range of financial services in a responsible and sustainable way. It is about empowering people to participate fully in society, and build more secure futures.

But while we generally think about financial inclusion in the context of adults (farmers, small business owners, informal workers…), children grow up inside these systems. They’re curious and observant. They see how money is managed at home, and feel how crises affect their families.

Educationalists know the benefits of ‘grabbing them while they’re young’ – the younger learners are, the more receptive they are. And we have much to gain from targeting financial education at young children. In doing so, we can help them to:

• Build financial confidence: learning the basics of budgeting, saving, and planning.
• Understand fairness and access: realizing that not everyone has the same opportunities — and why that matters.
• Imagine solutions: developing a mindset of empathy, creativity, and community problem-solving.
• Break generational cycles: empowering the next generation to make smarter, more informed financial decisions.

My son’s question prompted me to look at how members of the AFI network are working to make financial inclusion relatable for children. I found some inspiring examples:

The Central Bank of Uzbekistan’s approach to building financial literacy involves edutainment — a blend of education and entertainment, for example through World of Finance, an interactive game/platform which provides a foundational course on financial literacy for young learners.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe organizes financial literacy outreach for primary school children, helping them to understand what banks are, and how to use money, through quizzes and learning activities.

The Central Bank of Jordan makes use of fun activities like board games and drawing competitions to encourage young children to partake in financial literacy lessons in schools, children’s centers, and orphan care associations.

In Ecuador, the Superintendencia de Economía Popular y Solidaria (SEPS) organizes an annual Global Money Week reaching over one million children and young people. Through training sessions, games, videos and interactive media, children learn about money management, and how to distinguish between wants and needs.

In Fiji, financial education (learning about personal money management and investment) is now part of every student’s school journey from Year 1 to Year 12, and is embedded in Maths, English and Social Studies curricula.

These are just a few of the many innovative and enlightened approaches to financial education of primary-school children, taking place around the world.

Ultimately, what I’ve realized through looking at these various initiatives, is that while it’s useful to teach children what a bank or an account is, the real value comes from helping them to see that money, when used wisely and shared fairly, can be a force for good.

And for that, I’m thankful for my son’s curious question.