Problem:

Over the last decade there’s been a huge increase in the availability of microfinance loans in East Africa, particularly to women. While this unlocks a huge amount of opportunity, the eagerness to get a loan quickly was causing many to rush into bad agreements that ended up putting them into future debt. The Center for Financial Inclusion asked us (17 Triggers) to help with an awareness campaign to increase financial literacy.

Solution:

We created an informative training video and local radio campaign featuring a character named “Auntie Need a Loan” and her wiser, more patient friend Chantal to show the importance of understanding a loan before you take one. While the look and feel may not have flown in the States, this playful, colorful characters and situations made the campaign a big success in Rwanda and Malawi and made complicated material easier to digest.