Aflatoun International is an NGO based in the Netherlands offering social and financial education to children and young people worldwide. Through a strong network of 345 partners and 38 governments, the organization reaches 10.5 million children and young people each year in 108 countries. Aflatoun International creates high-quality curricula, for different age groups, which can be contextualized to local needs or specific circumstances. In addition, teachers are provided with training and we conduct research to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of our programmes.
Most poor children have access to small amounts of money, but they do not know how to manage and save it to meet goals. Aflatoun Clubs teach children to take responsibility for themselves, plan and save for a better future.
Aflatoun students save money and even launch enterprises and now reaches more than 2 million children in more than 100 countries.
Integrate life skills and financial literacy in education systems using active learning methodologies (SCALE). At the same time working with civil society to reach the most vulnerable children (EQUITY). Children become self-confident, socially responsible, and financially competent, improving both their own lives and the world around them.
The ability to contextualize all Aflatoun curricula to local context using active learning methods allows for it to be used broadly while remaining relevant and high quality. Furthermore, utilizing the 300+ partner network (social franchise) means that the implementation and running of programs is low cost.
Co-Founder and Chief Facilitator, Catalyst 2030
Jeroo Billimoria grew up in Mumbai, India. Drawn to children, she studied social work and founded Meljol, an organization that provides opportunities for children to make friends across classes and castes and become leaders in their communities. Jeroo also gave out her phone number and took calls for help from street children, which led her to found Childline. Starting with just $6,000, she built a national institution that in five years fielded more than 10 million calls for assistance in India’s 74 largest cities. She then founded an international organization, Child Helpline International, which now supports helplines in 153 countries. In 2005, Jeroo founded Aflatoun to apply the same international replication model to Meljol’s child empowerment curriculum and in-school savings and financial education program. This program, symbolized by an “Aflatoun” (explorer) who helps children envision a better future and act on their dreams, promotes a culture of saving, builds skills for using money, and develops responsibility and pride.
Jeroo is now officially with Child & Youth Finance. Aflatoun and Child & Youth Finance are separate non-profit organization but share common roots: both organizations were founded by Jeroo Billimoria, both are based in Amsterdam, and both, albeit with separate roles, focus on youth financial education and empowerment. The funding CYFI raises/has raised in the past does not directly benefit Aflatoun. The funds have been used to support numerous projects and initiatives of CYFI. These projects often involve partner organizations, of which Aflatoun is one of many partners of Child & Youth Finance International.
After 2012 when Jeroo stepped down as executive director, Roeland Monasch is now the current CEO.
More than 10 million children receive social and financial education each year in more than 100 countries. We rely on over 300 network partners to deliver critical social and financial education at scale—enabling children to turn dependence into independence. Aflatoun International has also been recognized by HundrEd for its innovative approach to financial skills education and has been selected as a Vanguard member of the Million Lives Club, an initiative that celebrates innovators and social entrepreneurs who are scaling impact to improve the lives of those living on less than $5 a day.
