Fish N’ LEarn: Financial education program for fisherfolk in the Philippines Qorus Banking Innovation Awards 2023

In line with its financial inclusion advocacy, BDO Foundation partnered with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Fish Right Program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID Fish Right), and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) (Central Bank of the Philippines) for the development and implementation of the financial education program for fisherfolk in the Philippines. The long-term program, which supports BSP’s National Strategy for Financial Inclusion, contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals in the areas of financial inclusion, poverty reduction and environmental protection. The undertaking complements initiatives of the Department of Agriculture and supports the agency’s goal to attain a food-secure and resilient Philippines with empowered and prosperous farmers and fisherfolk. The financial education program is aligned with BDO Unibank’s core business, which is banking and financial services. Through the ongoing initiative, BDO Foundation—the corporate social responsibility arm of the bank—aims to achieve the following: * Improve the financial literacy, productivity and income-generating capability of 1.9 million fisherfolk all over the country * Contribute to the government’s efforts to help fishers and their families break the cycle of poverty * Teach the target audience ways to conserve their source of livelihood through the protection of marine resources To achieve these goals, the partners developed financial education modules, integrated the financial education program into BFAR’s training initiatives and trained subject matter experts, who will share financial literacy lessons with fishing communities nationwide. They established a system for the rollout of the program as well as a monitoring and evaluation framework to assess its impact on beneficiaries.