Following a four-day Financial Literacy Retail Training held last week at Pimaga Station in the Kutubu Local Level Government (LLG), Nipa-Kutubu District, Southern Highlands Province (SHP), 71 participants received certification. As a component of its "Going Rural" campaign, the Department for Community Development and Religion collaborated with the Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI) to offer the training. More than 500 individuals, including public workers, community leaders, youth groups, women's organizations, and other local stakeholders, attended the official opening ceremony on December 9 at Pimaga Station. Haotex Kurao, president of the Kutubu Community Development Association, praised the Department's Secretary, Jerry Ubase, and his staff for working with the association to provide the training, which was designed to give the community financial literacy skills. Enoch Kaiyabe, the Manager of Kutubu LLG, expressed gratitude to the Department for coming to this isolated portion of the district, which is known for producing oil, and for bringing financial literacy instruction to the center of the neighborhood. On behalf of Secretary Ubase, Rex Hibuya the Assistant Secretary for the Church-State Partnership Program, expressed gratitude to the attendees and residents for their warmth and excitement. “Education is the foundation for any community transformation, and financial education is a basic skill that enables us to manage and grow our incomes.” “According to the national informal economy audit report for 2018, approximately K12 billion circulates in the informal sector without being banked and this training aims to transition participants from the informal economy into the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector.” Assistant Director for Informal Economy, Cecelia Wrondimi, congratulated the participants. “Kutubu is the first area in the country to host Financial Literacy Retail Training.” “As part of this effort to transition informal economy participants into SMEs, we have partnered with the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) and Commercial Banks to facilitate business registration and help participants open bank accounts.” Under the guidance of CEFI representative Paul Tamate, trainers delivered sessions on budgeting and savings using customized training modules. One of the participants, Kambo Junior Vege, spoke on his experience. “We’ve always struggled with budgeting and saving.” “After this training, we can now use our money wisely and create clear budgets.” Primary school teacher Mary Pumuye, speaking on behalf of the women participants, expressed her appreciation. “As a public servant, I’ve realized the importance of budgeting. I encourage my colleagues to take budgeting and saving seriously.” Most participants thanked the Department for providing the training free of charge and promised to make meaningful changes in their financial habits.