Ecobank and Terre des Hommes launch Safe Savings Project to empower children in the street to escape poverty Through the Safe Savings (SaVa) Project a number children in the street will be given a new, secure means to collect and bank their hard-earned income LOME, Togo, February 5, 2019/APO Group/ -- Ecobank (www.Ecobank.com), the pan-African bank, is partnering with leading international children rights NGO Terre des Hommes (https://www.TdH.ch) to offer digital financial services to some of the most vulnerable children in Togo – those under the age of 18 who work or live on the streets. Through the Safe Savings (SaVa) Project a number children in the street will be given a new, secure means to collect and bank their hard-earned income, improving their security situation as well as their own saving habits. The one-year pilot project is being launched during an event held at Ecobank’s headquarters, in the Togolese capital of Lomé today. One of the greatest fears of children living and working on the streets is being robbed, particularly at night. Currently, these children use a variety of informal savings mechanisms - leaving their earnings with trusted adults, burying their money, or trying to spend it as quickly as possible. Yet none of these mechanisms are safe or reliable. New mobile technology can provide a pathway to transform these children’s lives as they journey into adulthood. Ecobank – through its work with Terre des Hommes – is adapting its digital offerings to their needs, setting up a very simple but effective micro-savings system. “As the leader in digital financial services in Africa, we work hard to ensure that all Africans have access to better financial services and that includes the most vulnerable members of our communities,” says Ecobank’s Group CEO Ade Ayeyemi. “Children in the streets are often subject to abuse, neglect, exploitation, and need our protection. By offering them a reliable and secure saving mechanism we hope we can help them protect their livelihoods and build a better future.” The first stage of the pilot project, which involves 30 children, is being rolled out in Lomé, where Ecobank is headquartered. Terre des Hommes will create a “purse” where each child can deposit their daily earnings using a mobile phone provided by the organisation. They only need to set up an Ecobank Xpress account, which can be easily done through the mobile device. Terre des Homme acts as the custodian of the children as minors are not yet eligible to open accounts.    Over the next 12 months the SaVa Project hopes to reach a minimum of 150 children. Ecobank and Terre des Homme staff will train them so they understand how to use the app correctly. The children will also be able to give feedback on how the app can be further adapted to their specific needs.  “We work closely with the children to understand the issues they face in their daily environments,” says Pierre Philippe, Director of Programmes and Technical Resources of Terre des Hommes. “As their own agents of change, we identified potential solutions together. We expect the SaVa Project will evolve over the next months to ensure we can genuinely improve the lives of children in the streets of Lomé.” Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ecobank.Media Contact Mireille Bokpe Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) 2365, Boulevard du Mono Lomé, Togo Tel.: +228 22 21 03 03 Email : mbokpe@ecobank.com About Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (‘ETI’ or ‘The Group’) Incorporated in Lomé, Togo, in 1988 Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (‘ETI’) the parent company of Ecobank (www.Ecobank.com) is the leading independent pan-African banking group. It currently has a presence in 36 African countries, namely: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Democratic Republic), Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Group employs over 15,930 people in 40 different countries in over 1,200 branches and offices. Ecobank is a full-service bank providing wholesale, retail, investment and transaction banking services and products to governments, financial institutions, multinationals, international organizations, medium, small and micro businesses and individuals.  Additional information on Ecobank can be found at Ecobank.com. About the Ecobank Foundation The Ecobank Foundation (EcobankFoundation.org ) was created to positively impact the lives of people across Africa. Established by the Ecobank Group, the leading pan-African bank, the Foundation is positioned to contribute towards the continent’s transformation, particularly in the communities in which the bank operates.  Additional information on Ecobank can be found at EcobankFoundation.org    About Terre des Hommes Terre des Hommes (Land of People or Land of Men) (https://www.TdH.ch) is an international children’s rights charitable humanitarian umbrella organization under the aegis of the International Federation of Terre des Hommes (TDHIF), with independent organizations in Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and Syria. It was founded in 1960 in Lausanne, Switzerland.  Besides Terre des Hommes Switzerland, there is the Lausanne based Tdh Foundation – child relief (Tdh), which is known for its health and child protection operations implemented in more than 30 countries. Today, eleven organizations from Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and Syria belong to this federation. The IFTDH acts as a consultant to the UN Economic and Social Council ECOSOC. Today, there are in Switzerland the Terre des hommes Foundation (Tdh) based in Lausanne, and Terre des Hommes Schweiz / Switzerland, with its German secretariat in Basel and the Roman secretariat being in Geneva. Over time, Terre des Hommes (Tdh) has specialized in two areas of expertise: health and child protection. The promotion of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child represents an important arm of Tdh's activities. Additional information on Terre des Hommes can be found at https://www.TdH.ch