Financial education. Helping girls build better futures.

Education drives economic empowerment and social mobility. Our Financial Education Initiative aims to increase both the financial capability of girls and their awareness of their social and economic rights.

Financial Education for Girls

Financial Education aims to provide relevant and timely financial education to girls and young women at key points in their lives, as part of a program to support girls with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to tackle decisions along their life's journey, whether this is personal, professional or in continuing education.

"Access to financial and social assets is essential to helping youth make their own economic decisions and escape poverty."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon

Responsible financial services include education and Financial education enables economic empowerment. As a global financial institution, we see first-hand how important financial skills are to enable people to actively participate in the economy and society. Many young people aged 14–25 in developing countries are already economically active but without any basic education in the key tenets of finance. They are therefore not only less likely to maximize the benefits from their economic activity, but also risk making decisions that may result in debt and further poverty over time and into adulthood.

Given that girls in developing countries still struggle to overcome many barriers to education compared to their male counterparts, focusing on financial education for girls in particular can mean transformed futures. Empowered girls can manage their own savings, spending, and make decisions about their future endeavours in life.

By increasing both the financial capability of girls as well as awareness of their social and economic rights, they can better fulfill their potential and take advantage of economic opportunities as they transition into adulthood. Furthermore, financial education for girls also mitigates their vulnerabilities such as sexual and domestic violence, school dropout, illiteracy, early marriage, and pregnancy.

Financial Education 2014 – 2021

1556

schools have benefited from our support

4133

teachers have been trained

146k

adolescent girls worldwide have benefited from financial education and life skills classes

Financial Education Initiative: Building on Success

In 2008 we launched the Global Education Initiative which targeted school-aged children in selected countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region. Between 2008-2014, the Initiative developed strong partnerships whose programs reached over 100,000 students in over 400 schools in 38 countries. More than 15,000 teachers were trained in subjects ranging from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and IT to child-friendly teaching methodologies. Based on this success, in 2014 Credit Suisse launched a Signature Program focusing on Financial Education for Girls.

The Financial Education for Girls program, previously known as the Global Education Initiative, aims to increase girls' financial capability and awareness of their social and economic rights, and to help girls build better futures for themselves.

The program is active in countries and locations where girls and young women are particularly disadvantaged because of their gender, socio-economic background and cultural environment and where there is a lack of funding and support. It is complemented by regional financial education initiatives supporting young people in the communities where we live who will benefit from improved financial education.

Learn more about the Financial Education for Girls program in the fact sheet (PDF).

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Room to read

As a global financial institution, Credit Suisse sees first-hand how important financial skills are to enable people to actively participate in the economy and society. Financial education enables economic empowerment; many young people aged 14–25 in developing countries are already economically active but without a basic education in the key tenets of finance. They are, therefore, not only less likely to maximize the benefits from their economic activity, but also risk making decisions that may result in debt and further poverty over time and into adulthood. Girls in developing countries, in particular, face many more barriers to education compared with their male counterparts. Financial education can therefore be transformative for girls.

The Financial Education for Girls program is currently implemented by Girl Rising in Ghana and Mexico, Plan International in China and Brazil, Room to Read in Tanzania and through Teach for All partner organizations – Teach for Cambodia, Teach for Colombia and Teach for Uganda. Aflatoun International is our technical expert, supporting the partners with curriculum contextualization and delivery methodology. The current program phase (2021-2024) aims are:

Over 150,000 girls receive Financial Education through Life Skills programs;
Girls demonstrate a measurable, positive change in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors relating to financial literacy;
Educators' capacity to deliver high-quality financial and life skills education is increased (Partners will report on numbers as well as qualitative information);
Families, community members and local authorities champion FE & life skills for girls

Financial Education for Girls partners

Aflatoun International

Aflatoun's social and financial education empowers children and young people worldwide to make a positive change in their lives and communities, enabling them to create a sustainable future. It teaches children and young people about their rights and responsibilities, encourages them to save money and resources, and start social and financial enterprises, turning dependence into independence.

Aflatoun's educational program was refined over ten years of rigorous research globally. Following a ten country global pilot project, the program has been scaled to 116 countries, reaching 4.1 million children and young people each year. Aflatoun International creates high-quality curricula, for different age groups, which can be contextualised to local needs and specific circumstances, and are implemented by its partners. In addition, educators are provided with training to teach the Aflatoun child-centred, active learning method, which can be taught both in classrooms and out of school.

Aflatoun's work is grounded in the belief that all children around the world, including the most vulnerable ones, should have access to high-quality social and financial education allowing them not only to survive but thrive in the 21^st century.
Plan International

Plan International UK strives to advance children's rights and equality for girls all over the world. The organization recognizes the power and potential of every single child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it's girls who are most affected.

As an independent development and humanitarian charity, Plan International works alongside children, young people, supporters and partners to tackle the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. Plan International supports children's rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and enables children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. The organization drives changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using its reach, experience and knowledge.

For over 80 years Plan International has been building powerful partnerships for children, and they are active in over 70 countries.
Room to Read

Credit Suisse and Room to Read's relationship began in 2005 with post-tsunami efforts in Sri Lanka and India. Room to Read joined the Financial Education for Girls program in 2017 thereby strengthening the financial education component of its 3-year Girls' Education Program (GEP) curriculum at selected schools in Sri Lanka and Tanzania. From 2022, based on the success of the work, the organization is now aiming to integrate financial education into a new revised GEP curriculum across all its operations.

Room to Read and Credit Suisse: Ten Years of Partnership: 2005–2015 (PDF)
Teach for All

Teach for All, a long-standing partner of Credit Suisse, joined in 2021 and is supporting three network partners to deliver financial education for girls – Cambodia, Colombia and Ghana. Teach for All aims to capture and share learning with all network partners for the future integration of FE into their programs.
Girl Rising

Girl Rising joined the FEI in 2022 and will deliver the program in Ghana and Mexico. The organization works with local partners by providing customized tools and curricula to build confidence and agency in girls and to change attitudes and social norms so that entire communities stand up for girls and against gender discrimination.

Corporate Citizenship. Empowering People.

Together with our employees we work with selected partner organizations to help strengthen our society and to address social issues. Together, we strive to build a more inclusive future where all people can access the resources and develop the financial, entrepreneurial and other skills to thrive in the economy and society. As part of this commitment we set three focus themes: Financial Inclusion, Financial Education and Future Skills.