Financial Education for Parents

Welcome to The Human Safety Net's Financial Education Programme!

Financial education provides parents with practical tools to manage their limited resources so that their children can grow up in a safe environment and the household can cope with emergency expenses. Financially educated parents are more likely to be able to pay rent, buy healthy food, and afford opportunities that can significantly benefit their children. 

Despite the positive effect of financial education, a large part of the adult population is financially illiterate, according to the latest Standard & Poor's Ratings Services Global Financial Literacy Survey.

Support families to make better financial decisions

Not many parenting programmes provide the basis for financial education. Moreover, only a few existing financial education programmes are tailored to the needs of families. Parents and caregivers play a pivotal role in the early development of children. 

In 2021, The Human Safety Net collaborated with Aflatoun to conduct a comprehensive study on parenting programmes in 20 countries. The findings underscored the critical role of financial education in early childhood programs.

Developing financial literacy training modules with UNICEF

Pilots have taken place in Italy and Indonesia. In addition to traditional face-to-face delivery, the pilot project explored other channels (radio, TV, social media, and messaging). It also explored innovative ways of connecting financial education with child welfare programmes.

This work was enabled by Generali through We SHARE, the Group’s Share Ownership Plan for employees. The Plan provides for a donation equal to the value of one share for each participating employee, amounting to more than €380,000 in support of The Human Safety Net Foundation. The contribution funds the For Families Programme, which promotes financial education initiatives for families living in vulnerable circumstances, and reflects Generali’s ongoing social engagement since the launch of We SHARE.

Pilot Success in 2022

The study developed by Aflatoun International provided the basis for a partnership with UNICEF to build and test a financial literacy training module, including topics such as 'identifying sources of income', 'smart saving', 'budgeting' and 'borrowing money'. Collaborating with UNICEF and Aflatoun, we implemented the "Enhancing Parenting Support with Financial Literacy" pilot project in Indonesia and Italy. Over 1800 parents participated, with a remarkable impact: 60% reported increased awareness of their children's needs and the impact of economic issues on their well-being.

Integrating Financial Education within the For Families programme

Financial education is now a strategic component of the For Families Program at The Human Safety Net. This integration addresses both the financial needs of parents and caregivers while fostering responsive caregiving and creating more opportunities for early learning. Supporting parents by enhancing their financial decision-making is a powerful strategy. It equips them to use limited resources optimally, ultimately enabling them to provide the best care for their children.

As the programme has grown, its scale and impact have expanded accordingly. To date, the programme is active in 14 countries through 20 NGOs with plans to reach 12,000 people by 2026. The results demonstrate meaningful change: savings among participants increased by up to 40%, positive attitudes toward saving rose by 27%, and more parents are actively teaching their children about money and resource management. These outcomes strengthen families’ resilience and create a foundation for long-term stability and child wellbeing.

Expanding Our Commitment

From 2023, The Human Safety Net is expanding its Financial Education for Families program in Italy and introducing it in five new countries: Germany, France, Spain, India, and Poland. 

Building on the successful results, in 2025 the project was expanded in 7 additional countries (Czech Republic, Portugal, Bulgaria, Argentina, Serbia, Slovenia and Indonesia).