Her Future Counts: Banking on Local Change

A Local Barrier to Economic Empowerment

For ambitious young women in Zimbabwe, a significant local barrier obstructs their path to achieving genuine gender equality and securing decent work. While the financial sector is a cornerstone of our economy, it suffers from a severe "leaky pipeline" where women, despite being well-represented at entry levels, vanish from the leadership track. The data is stark: women hold only 18% of directorships on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, and out of 19 major banking institutions, only one has a female Managing Director. This is not a talent deficit; it is a systemic and cultural failure.

The most critical insight comes from a 2023 local study that revealed a staggering 70% of qualified women had never even applied for senior positions. For a high school girl from a low-income community, where such careers seem a world away, this points to a powerful and intimidating cultural problem. The male-dominated environment, a profound lack of relatable female role models, and exclusive professional networks have fostered a deep-seated "aspiration gap." Leadership feels inaccessible, and the path to the top seems not just difficult but entirely invisible. This culture of self-doubt and exclusion is the core local problem we must solve. If we are to genuinely build a more equitable future, we must first ensure that every ambitious young woman sees a viable path to leadership and feels empowered to claim her seat at the table.

Making Her Future Count Through Sustained Investment

Our initiative's name, "Her Future Counts: Banking on Local Change," asserts that every girl's potential is a valuable asset that our financial system is currently failing to count. It is critically important to tackle this issue at its source, with the next generation, because the aspiration gap is formed long before a woman enters the workforce. A one-day event can inspire, but a four-month fellowship can transform. By investing deeply in a cohort of young women over a sustained period, we can move beyond inspiration and into the realm of genuine skill-building, network weaving, and profound personal development.

This fellowship model is our strategic response to repairing the leaky pipeline. It allows us to inoculate young women against the systemic self-doubt they will face and equip them with the resilience, confidence, and tools to shatter the glass ceiling. We are not waiting for the system to change; we are empowering the very people who will change it from within. By creating a structured journey that includes mentorship, practical application, and cohort-based support, we are making a long-term investment in Zimbabwe's future female leaders. This is more than a program; it is a fundamental part of our mission to alter the trajectory of a generation.

The What: A Transformative 4-Month Fellowship

The "Her Future Counts: Banking on Local Change Fellowship" is an intensive, transformative 4-month program for a cohort of 50 high-potential young women from low-income, high-density communities in the 10 provinces of Zimbabwe. Our goal is to provide a structured journey that moves them from aspiration to action, directly tackling the cultural and systemic barriers that prevent women from rising in the financial sector. The fellowship is designed to achieve five core objectives through a deep, sustained engagement:

1. Inspire Ambition: To expose Fellows to relatable women leaders in finance, proving that success is attainable.
2. Build Foundational Skills: To equip Fellows with comprehensive financial literacy, including saving, investing, and wealth creation, building their long-term agency.
3. Demystify the Industry: To counter cultural intimidation by providing in-depth knowledge of the diverse career opportunities available to women in finance.
4. Create Social Capital: To connect each Fellow with a dedicated professional mentor and a supportive peer network, providing access to networks that are often exclusive.
5. Catalyse Action: To challenge the internal "aspiration gap" through a capstone project and provide every Fellow with the tools for economic self-determination.

The cornerstone of the fellowship is "The Usawa Financial Dignity Kit," a tangible toolkit that each Fellow will receive at the start and utilise throughout the four months to track her progress, manage her finances, and map her future.

The fellowship is structured into monthly modules, combining workshops, mentorship, and practical application:

1. Month 1: Foundation of Power – Mapping Your Future. The fellowship kicks off with an immersive orientation where Fellows receive their "Financial Dignity Kit." Workshops focus on self-discovery ("The Story of My Power"), articulating strengths, and long-term goal setting using their Usawa Girl-Preneur Diary.
2. Month 2: Demystifying Finance – Building Your Knowledge. This month features a series of expert-led masterclasses on core financial topics: the "3 Golden Rules of Saving," an "Introduction to Investing," digital financial tools, and understanding different career paths in banking and finance. Fellows use their "My Wealth Builder" Budget Binder for practical, real-world exercises.
3. Month 3: Building Your Network – Mentorship and Connection. Each Fellow is paired with a dedicated mentor from the financial industry for structured one-on-one sessions. The cohort participates in exclusive networking events, fireside chats with diverse female leaders, and site visits to financial institutions to make the industry tangible and accessible.
4. Month 4: Your Call to Action – Capstone and Graduation. Fellows work on a personal capstone project, such as a detailed personal financial plan, a pitch for a community project, or an advocacy project on economic inclusion. The fellowship culminates in a graduation ceremony where they present their projects, receive their certificates, and are officially welcomed into a lifelong community of future leaders.

Our needs are focused on delivering this high-impact fellowship and ensuring every girl can participate fully.

1. We seek Action through funding to cover essential program costs: the production of 50 Financial Dignity Kits (diaries and binders), internet data so Fellows can access virtual masterclasses, and venues for vital face-to-face meetups.
2. We seek collaboration with financial institutions and women leaders to serve as guest speakers and mentors, offering invaluable real-world insight.
3. Finally, we seek visibility to amplify our fellows' success stories and advocate for systemic change across the financial sector, ensuring their futures truly count.