World Vision Introduces Digital Tool to Drive Savings Culture in Children from Ntondozi, Eswatini

In the rural community of Ntondozi, a group of 13 schoolchildren is demonstrating how technology can empower children with livelihood skills from a young age. The children have embraced DreamSave, a digital platform for managing savings groups to start their own financial journey.

The group, made up of primary and high school learners, was formed in January 2025 with the support of World Vision. Inspired by the success of their mothers, who are part of adult savings groups, the children decided to form their own group, named “Save for the Future”.

World Vision not only mentored the children on how to save and manage their money but also introduced them to DreamSave, a mobile app that simplifies their work by recording contributions, tracking loans, calculating interest, and promoting accountability.

Lindelwa (17), one of the founding members, says they were motivated by the impact they saw in their homes. “My mother was able to buy me and my siblings expensive clothes that were worth more than her monthly salary after receiving her savings payout,” she said. “That inspired me to save too.”

“We borrow money from our savings group for things like transport to school, or even to buy toiletry when our parents are struggling; However, we don’t just want to save, we want to make more money,” she added.

She shared that the group has a bigger vision to start a small business together and generate income they can all save and benefit from. “We want to make fabric softener and sell it around the community,” she said. “That way we can make more money and increase our savings.”

With each member contributing E5 a week, the children have used the group to cover personal needs such as transport to school and basic toiletries. What sets this group apart is their use of technology, something many adult-led savings groups are only now beginning to adopt.

Zwakele Dlamini, the Savings for Transformation (S4T) Officer at World Vision, played a key role in mentoring the children. “When I started working with savings groups in this area, they were all using paper ledgers. I introduced DreamSave because it’s secure, user-friendly, and allows groups to operate more efficiently,” she said.

She explained that before DreamSave, many groups faced security challenges, including mismanagement of funds and inaccurate record-keeping. “For the longest time, savings groups have battled with security issues surrounding funds and their records, as weak systems made it easy to fiddle with the money.”

Since the introduction of DreamSave, there has been a noticeable shift in how savings groups operate, and in how communities perceive them.

“The app has made it easier and safer for groups to manage their finances. Now, more people, including young people, are confident enough to start or join savings groups,” said Zwakele. 

She adds that being able to support the groups remotely and in real time, also saves resources for both the organisation and the groups.”

For the children of “Save for the Future”, technology has made saving easier and brought efficiency and transparency to their group.