Anggun Pradesha, 32 years old, now keeps a close eye on her personal finances. Using an application on her smartphone, she carefully records her income, expenses and savings. She is also more careful in spending her money.

“I used to loosely spend money when I went shopping. But now, since I have my daily and future planning, I take my time to think about what I need and what I want,” she said, sharing her journey in better managing her finances.

For Setya, 44, better financial management resulted in a new house and motorcycle. By being more organized and more disciplined in balancing her spending and savings, Setya bought a house on a credit and a vehicle.

“I never imagined that I would be able to have my own house. I always rented a house because I thought I could not afford one with my current income. Yet, by better managing my finances, I realized I do have sufficient income to take up a mortgage to buy a house,” Setya said.

Meanwhile, Caesar Abrisam or Sam, 27, made a drastic choice and changed jobs. After reviewing the way he managed his finances, he was able to reevaluate his previous job and summon the courage to look for a more satisfying job.

“I was so stressed out with the long working hours that I had to endure. At the time, I thought I had no other choice and I needed to work. After reviewing my financial situation with the knowledge I acquired, I realized that I did not have to keep my exhausting job. I had enough resources to take time off and look for another job. I now have a much better work-life balance” he said, recalling his past struggle to balance the two.

Anggun, Setya and Sam shared their financial journeys a year after participating in the five day Training of Trainers (ToT) on Financial Education in September 2017. The ToT was in line with the ILO 2016 study showing that only 10 percent of transgender persons work in the formal economy. A self-assessment in the transgender community also showed that basic financial education and personal financial management skills were needed.

The ToT’s purpose was to help transgender persons and their organizations develop necessary skills to more effectively manage their incomes and expenses, avoid debts and save part of their income for future plans. A total of 26 female and male transgender persons from various transgender organizations participated.

The ToT helped participants assess employment opportunities more critically and look for jobs likely to provide more stable income. It also inspired some participants to further develop their entrepreneurial skills. Finally, it was an opportunity to promote and encourage initiatives aiming at preventing HIV among key populations, including transgender persons.

In the words of ILO Jakarta’s Director, Michiko Miyamoto, “Learning new skills is essential to entering the world of work, in particular for those who wish to develop their entrepreneurship to engage in new economic activities.”

One year after the ToT, the ILO assessed its impact on the lives of the trainees and their communities. The findings showed that the trainees better monitored their earnings, were now more prudent with their spending, became more focused on achieving their personal goals and saved accordingly, and had made plans to set up their own businesses.

As an immediate follow-up, the ILO decided to organize a training on Start-Your-Business (SYB). SYB is an ILO training programme aimed at developing and strengthening the entrepreneurial skills of those who intend to become entrepreneurs or are already in business. This should consolidate and expand the skills of the 2017 trainees and give them new options for work. With improved livelihoods they should also be in a better position to prevent HIV and disseminate the acquired knowledge further in their communities.