We have started working with the Acumen Fund, based in New York, who provide developmental training and opportunities in a variety of countries. Let me point you to their blog for a chatty overview of their activities… and to give an excerpt to show how we fit in!
“Early on the second day, a tall bespectacled lady stood and introduced herself. She was the leader of “the death squad” aka the Financial skills trainers.
But something was different here. First she was jovial—now most financial management lecturers always have this scrunched face as they slowly kill you with jargon and financial calculations.
Our dear lady thus introduced herself as Ms. Winnie Ouko. Along with the other trainer, Eliza Helweg-Larsen, Winnie was there to take us through a basic financial skills course. Our expectations for the session ranged from wanting to know how to read financial statements to how to heal from trauma inflicted on us by financial lecturers of days gone past.
The training was different from most financial training, as it was through a game, somehow akin to monopoly. Little did we know that Eliza was the co-founder and inventor of a family of simulation games to teach finance. Each group was given a board and some “cash” -$80,000 – representing our equity. We bought land, machines and started on production. We then ran those companies for “12 months”. After every month we had to close our books and produce the financial statements. Learning finance had never been this sweeeeeeet!
By the close of the day, the terms ratios, balance sheet, net worth, cash flows and similar jargon were at our fingertips.” (end of excerpt)
At Andromeda, we are truly delighted to have the opportunity to work with highly engaged people who are intent on making the world a better place – by using the commonsense realities of business. We hope to provide financial literacy and business acumen grounding for many more of them in the coming years.
Go for it, my friends! The whole world is in front of you, ready and waiting for your energy and ideas!