a life-changing journey
Our team met Joseph through the World University Service of Canada HIRES program, which enables young refugees from Kenya to enter Canada as Permanent Residents, receive short-term training, and be offered a work placement upon arrival to Canada. We held our Primer for Life program with all the HIRES participants, which is designed to help young adults learn money management skills for living on their own. Eager to learn more about financial literacy, Joseph reached out to our program facilitator following the presentation. It was then that he learned about our year-long Matched Savings program, which teaches the foundations of financial literacy while supporting saving towards a specific goal. Joseph successfully applied for the program with the goal to save for his education.
During the program, and much to the excitement of the Launch team, Joseph was accepted into the engineering program at UBCO. He will be using his savings and Launch grant to help pay for tuition upon graduation of the Matched Savings Program.
“[The most impactful part of Matched Savings is] learning about finances in a well-structured format. I now feel more in control and informed so I don’t worry about finances and find great freedom. It has given me great confidence in my life and opened my mind to the fact that financial literacy is for everyone and every age. Being in a group setting with Canadians and people from other countries helped me realize that I am not alone.”
We have been so impressed by Joseph’s determination and focus. He is so proactive; always eager to learn and ask questions. He has inspired our team here at Launch, and we are excited to see his continued success in the future!
