Many women have never used a computer before using the financial app from Fundación Capital called “Lista,” which means “ready” in Spanish. But the tablet-focused app course is changing the lives of women across Central and South America.
“We are starting to see these inspiring initiatives that generate new ventures,” said Ana Pantelić from Fundación Capital.
Today, more than 2 billion adults worldwide lack access to the formal financial system. In partnership with Fundación Capital and other non-governmental organizations, the U.S. Agency for International Development is working to change that.
These groups are trying to make the Lista app available to 400,000 new users in Central and South America by August 2018.
Ana said that part of the program’s success comes from making financial education interactive and fun. The app includes animations that provide basic information about saving and using bank ATMs. It also features video testimonials from women who have taken the course and are succeeding.
The Lista app has interactive budgeting simulations.
Honduran participants described the app as having a “teacher in your hands,” Ana said, who grew up in the United States and Serbia. “It’s like having a personalized experience with a teacher.”
This project is among several that American groups support to expand the use of technology by people. The 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Summit, for example, took place in November in Hyderabad, India, focusing on women entrepreneurs, as they hold a key to unlocking prosperity in their countries. White House advisor Ivanka Trump led the U.S. delegation.
Source: share.america.gov