Zaka-Tsala exists to support financial clarity on the journey to financial freedom for the everyday Motswana. Money shapes almost every part of our lives. It influences how we eat, where we live, how we care for others, and which futures feel possible. Yet for many people in Botswana, the tools and language used to talk about money do not reflect lived realities. They assume stability, predictability, and individual control in contexts where income is often interrupted, responsibilities are shared, and financial decisions are deeply relational. Zaka-Tsala was created to respond to this gap. We begin with understanding, not pressure. We believe financial clarity must come before growth, and that meaningful financial change cannot happen without dignity, context, and honesty.
We are not financial experts. We are readers, learners, observers, and builders who are deeply interested in how people actually live with money. Zaka-Tsala is a thinking and learning space grounded in lived experience. We take seriously our histories, our family structures, our cultures, and our shared responsibilities when speaking about money. We recognise that finances do not exist in isolation, and neither do people. Rather than prescribing one-size-fits-all solutions, we ask better questions and create space for reflection, understanding, and agency.
Across Sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than one third of people are considered financially literate. In Botswana, many financial literacy initiatives continue to focus on formally employed, banked, and stable income earners. This leaves out large portions of the population, including informal sector workers, taxi and e-hail drivers, allowanced students, young people, the unbanked, and those whose finances are frequently interrupted or redirected by family and community obligations. Zaka-Tsala exists to centre these realities. We are grounded in inclusivity, substantive equality, and the belief that financial clarity and financial freedom should be accessible, relevant, and humane.
Our work is shaped by principles that value sustainability, dignity, and collective well-being. We believe that:
Clarity is the foundation for financial growth
Understanding must come before optimisation
Clarity is the foundation of financial growth
Understanding must come before optimisation
Financial journeys are rarely linear
Context is not an excuse; it is information
Long-term thinking matters more than immediate urgency
Good systems support discipline without shame
Language accessibility creates inclusion and confidence
Financial freedom is not built through pressure. It is built through sense-making.
Money is not only something we earn. It is something we learn, inherit, negotiate, and carry. It lives inside families, responsibilities, histories, and expectations. What may appear irrational from the outside often makes sense once the full story is understood. At Zaka-Tsala, we believe dignity must sit at the centre of financial understanding. People are not problems to be fixed. Systems should adapt to people, not the other way around.
Zaka-Tsala works across three interconnected areas:
1.Reflection and Learning:
Through writing, shared conversations, and collective reflection, we explore how money works in real lives, especially within African and communal contexts.
2.Tools for Clarity:
We design practical, humane tools that help people observe, track, and understand how money moves in their lives, without punishment or pressure.
3.Capacity Building:
By supporting clarity, we help people strengthen confidence, decision-making, and financial capacity over time.
Zaka-Tsala is for people whose financial lives do not follow neat rules. It is for those whose income is inconsistent, whose decisions include other people, and whose money carries history. It is for anyone who has tried systems that did not fit their reality, and who wants growth without erasing context. Above all, it is for those ready to understand before optimising.
Zaka-Tsala is a long-term project. We are building a language for money that is grounded, humane, and honest. A language that reflects how money actually lives in our communities, and that supports financial freedom built slowly, consciously, and with care.