Power of Banking

CHILDLINE has been working with children at the grassroot level for over 15 years. There has always been a need to educate children on how to use money, even if it refers to small amounts. A direct synergy was drawn between what is imperative for the underprivileged children and the work done at HDFC Bank. Thus was born the 'Power of Banking' initiative.

The 'Power of Banking' is a unique initiative jointly undertaken by HDFC Bank Ltd and CHILDLINE India Foundation. The prime objective of this programme is to take basic financial knowledge to community/street children.  The first session was held on March 9th, 2012 in a small community in Dahisar, Mumbai. The children were inquisitive to know what the 'Power of Banking' initiative would entail. They showed up in large numbers in the midst of their examinations in order to learn more. 

40 curious children and enthusiastic HDFC Bank Ltd employees saw a very fruitful gathering on the eve of Women's Day.  The session was conducted with the aid of a detailed script and illustrations.

 

The session began with an opening to CHILDLINE followed by an introduction to basic concepts such as ‘A bank’, ‘Savings’, ‘Budgeting’ and the like. Many children had correct answers to difficult questions posed by the HDFC Bank volunteers, whilst many children intently heard what was being discussed.

The ‘Power of Banking’ initiative was customized to the understanding of the children. Story telling was used as a tool to familiarize children with concepts on ‘Banking’, ‘Debit and Credit cards’ and ‘good and bad spending habits’.

 

Raju and Rimi are the protagonists of this story. Their life, jobs, aspirations and decisions are similar to the community children. Children were encouraged to volunteer as Raju and Rimi in order to make the concepts better understood by the gathering. 

As the day progressed, a bright young college going girl volunteered to take her friends through a brief synopsis of the session. Her summation was a reflection of the understanding of the concepts amongst the children. 

 

The day ended with the children receiving chocolates for the correct answers they gave, followed by a dance performance by 2 talented girls.

‘Power of Banking’ was a learning not only for the children, but also for the employees at HDFC Bank. The interaction between the community children and the volunteers was fun, energetic, interactive and most importantly a stepping stone for an initiative that has far reaching abilities.