By Gabi Khumalo
When it was time for story reading in her Grade 3 class Anna Machaka (24), always wondered if authors were real-life people who sit and write books.
That was when the dream of being an author of children’s books started.
“I always imagined children reading my book in a classroom setting,” Machaka said.
In 2019 Machaka from Mamelodi, east of Pretoria, became a mother to a son and the idea of having conversations around money became pivotal.
Machaka knew she had to start having money conversations with her son to create a better financial environment for him.
That was when the Little Money Egghead (LME) book came about.
LME is a financial literacy book suitable for children between the ages of 3 and 12. Machaka takes the reader on the financial journey of a five-year-old boy named Pako who one-day stumbles and picks a R10 note. After the ordeal, a world of possibilities is opened as his mother teaches him how he can choose to use the money.
The book discusses basic money topics which include needs and wants; choices; saving; and investing.
Machaka insists that parents need to create an environment where discussing money is a norm and set an example in actively saving money or making good financial decisions themselves because children copy the behaviours of their guardians.
“Provide children with resources, education and most importantly, create avenues for them to save.
“Open savings and investments accounts for them, while they are watching. The aim is to start them young, allow them to learn these basic money concepts,” Machaka said.
She hopes to see the book become an incredible tool that adults can [also] use to have difficult money conversations with children.
“I hope children can own investment portfolios — moreover, I hope with LME we can break the stigma that you need to be a millionaire to start investing,” she said.
Machaka also wears many hats which include being a director of a construction-based company, a human capital speaker, and most importantly, a financial education activist.
She holds a BSc in Construction Studies and a BSc Honours degree in Quantity Surveying from the University of the Witwatersrand. Machaka runs a construction company called Moshubudi Civils Pty Ltd.
“My biggest passion lies in my current project as the author of LME, as a financial literacy activist, whose obligation remains to teach and create avenues for the younger generation, as well as people at large about the importance of money and investing,” she said with a chuckle.
To purchase LME contact Machaka on the WhatsApp line at 065 929 5003.
Machaka can also be contacted through social media, including Facebook @Palesa Machaka and LinkedIn @Anna Machaka. – SAnews.gov.za
*This story first appeared in Vuk’uzenzele newspaper
