WEDC has a total of six ʻōiwi partners within its network which consists of Waianae Moku Navigators, INPEACE, LT, Waianae Comprehensive, Hawaiʻi Entrepreneurs & Deep Fried Productions.

 

Financial Loʻi provides a safe space for Native Hawaiians and other members of the community to learn and talk about finances from a cultural perspective. Our program provides individuals who represent a range of businesses, communities, and institutions a network to work towards similar financial goals. Participants get to know one another within Financial Loʻi workshops and get to know our workshop leaders and coaches through one-on-one coaching and credit repair. The program works to prepare participants to become knowledgeable and capable financial leaders of their ʻohana and learn from other ‘ohana while doing so. This network also extends beyond Financial Loʻi as many participants move on to other WEDC programming such as Maolipreneur, a culture-based business development series, and attend Entrepreneurs’ Hour, a series of financial and business workshops covering a range of topics.

 

Financial Loʻi utilizes Hawaiian values, metaphors, and moʻolelo in its delivery of financial literacy knowledge and skills to cater to our target audience of Native Hawaiian individuals and families as well as other families that call Hawaiʻi home.

 

Native Hawaiians created systems for sustainability and efficiency in natural resource management of land resources like loʻi and sea resources like loko iʻa. Financial Loʻi connects participants with ‘ike kupuna of pono resource management and sustainability to apply to the management of their financial resources in our modern-day environment the same way. One person explained how they were able to change their perspective on money and see it as a resource to steward. They said: “Money is just another resource for me to use. This was a shift in thinking. It's there for me to be a good steward of and I control it, it doesn't control me.”