WINDHOEK Nam-Mic Financial Solutions Pty Limited on Thursday launched a financial education programme named “Money Sense”, which will be offered to members of unions affiliated to the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW). A statement issued by the company said the main focus of “Money Sense” is to help individuals learn to deal with the causes of financial stress and not just the symptoms. The aim will be to address the underlying values and attitudes towards money that shape spending patterns. Speaking at the launch, Nam-Mic Financial Solutions Chairman, Jacob Nghifindaka, said the course would provide essential knowledge and skills to members on how to manage money. Former Social Worker and Windhoek city councillor, Hetty Rose-Junius, is presenting the course, designed by the company, Free to Grow. She explained that “Money Sense” is an interactive programme comprising several modules, including the role of money in building a quality life and how a budget can help you gain control over you finances. Other modules are guidelines for buying wisely, getting out of debt and making one’s money grow. The company said it embarked on a research project last year to learn more about the needs of its clients, which indicated that education was one of their primary needs. Nam-Mic Financial Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nam-Mic Financial Services Holding (Pty) Ltd. (NFS). The Namibia Mineworkers Investment Holding Company established NFS in October 2001, making it the first financial services company controlled and owned by previously disadvantaged Namibians. President of the NUNW, Alpheus Muheua, said the “Money Sense” course is the sort of tangible compensation for workers the NUNW wants to see flowing from income generated by the union business arms. He felt union members face many challenges, including factors such as low wages, retrenchments, indebtedness and the impact of HIV and AIDS which affects earning power. These conditions could result in people having to incur debt which, he said, is not necessarily a bad thing provided it is properly managed. “Making ends meet, especially on a limited income, is not easy. And thinking that the answer lies in simply earning more is a fallacy, because financial problems are not limited to people on the lower salary scales,” he added. Muheua announced that the NUNW and its affiliated union would approach employers, including government, with a request that they make “Money Sense” a mandatory programme for all employees.