The FLOWER project aimed to improve financial literacy among rural women at risk of social exclusion by strengthening the skills and methods of adult educators and creating practical, accessible training tools. Its goals were to equip 16 trainers from four partner countries with specialised knowledge, pedagogical approaches, and interactive methods tailored to the realities of rural women with fewer opportunities; to develop and test an easy-to-use electronic handbook enriched with real-life examples and 50 best practices; and to organise local workshops reaching at least 80 women. In practice, the workshops involved 110 rural women, enabling them to better understand financial concepts, manage personal budgets, save, and make informed decisions. The project also sought to promote financial independence, social inclusion, and active citizenship, while fostering transnational cooperation between partner organisations. By ensuring that all results were adaptable, multilingual, and freely accessible, the project aimed to secure their long-term use beyond its official duration. All planned objectives were fully achieved or exceeded, with the number of women reached and the quality of outputs surpassing initial expectations.
The FLOWER project addressed gaps in financial literacy among rural women, who are often more exposed to social exclusion. Studies show women generally have lower financial literacy than men, with the gap most visible in rural areas due to limited access to services and education, lower formal education, and reliance on informal financial sources. The project responded to two main needs: to strengthen adult educators’ competencies in teaching financial literacy to rural women and to directly empower these women to manage finances, make informed decisions, and improve independence. Four partner organisations from Slovenia, France, Spain, and Turkey, all with access to the target group and expertise in adult education and inclusion, collaborated to develop shared methods and tools adaptable to different contexts. The topic proved to be engaging, necessary, and highly relevant to real life, which fostered strong participation and will support the long-term sustainability of results, as such content is rarely documented in such a comprehensive way.