Welcome to the Reserve Bank of Fiji’s Public Awareness column. Over the next few weeks we will cover a series of articles on financial education in Fiji and how it contributes to financial inclusion.
Sixteen-year-old Adi Cakobau School student Veronica Tawake means business. What started as a means to pay for her cheerleading uniform has blossomed into a thriving little business for the Year 11 Pure Science student from Tailevu. What’s more, Veronica is managing to save and bank a chunk of the proceeds she makes from selling homemade chocolate balls to fellow students and teachers. But that’s not all. Veronica’s entrepreneurial activities have had a flow-on effect at home, inspiring better spending and saving habits for the whole family.
Veronica credits the Financial Education she’s received in her Year 9 and 10 Commercial Studies classes for kick-starting her interest in business, saving and investing. Through a series of practical activities, which culminated in opening a bank account, Veronica and her peers were encouraged to save and invest. But Veronica didn’t stop there. When faced with the task of buying costly outfits for her cheerleading group, rather than ask her parents for money, she decided to raise the funds on her own.