Madam Siti Khadhijah and her husband, Idris Bin Sudi face cash flow problems as their monthly expenditure often exceed their household income. They will be one of 14 couples attending South West CDC's first financial education workshop which will be conducted tomorrow, Nov 8.

The workshop will impart skills such as cash flow and budgeting, managing bills payment and arrears; suggest strategies to save costs, and ways to peak out of the poverty trap. The workshop will end with a practical hands-on shopping trip to a nearby supermarket where they will be given tips on buying and preparing low-cost and nutritious meals for their family.

The Family Money Survivor Financial Education Workshop is the first of a series of budgeting workshops organised by the South West Community Development Council (CDC) to help low-income families cope during tough economic times.

According to the CDC, the workshops "aim to inculcate a never-say-die attitude and to encourage needy families not to lose hope when tackling their financial predicament". Participants will also gain deeper understanding about the job market situation and learn to make themselves more employable.

Moving forward, the South West CDC will be conducting the Family Money Survivor Financial Education Workshops in all four languages by Fepuary 2009 to cater to other vulnerable groups such as senior citizens.