Challenge:
Indonesia’s child illiteracy rate has been rising alarmingly. In 2017 alone, 2.5 million children dropped out of school. Poverty is the main reason. Some parents can barely afford to put food on table, let alone give their kids breakfast before school. Consequently, instead of school, kids resort to making money on the street. While this cycle continues, children eventually lose all interest in studying. We believed a little incentive was needed to get kids back at school.

Solution:
Enter Clever Cash, a social project designed to feed children, and educate them at the same time. Working with school teachers and volunteers, we visited poor parents in slum areas, and distributed Clever Cash notes to those willing to give school another chance. Each Clever Cash note is printed with textbook-based questions. The questions are easily solvable with the help of a textbook or teacher. Clever Cash notes completed with the answers can then be used to buy food at the school canteen, just like using real money, but more fun and educational.

How It Works:
CLEVER CASH MATH: (2 x 500) + 4,000 = ?
The answer is 5,000 = 5,000 rupiah = Cash that can buy fried noodles at the canteen.
CLEVER CASH ENGLISH: Can you write ten thousand in number form?
The answer is 10,000 = 10,000 rupiah = Cash that can buy fried rice with egg at the canteen.

Result:
Clever Cash is now a nationwide project, with a website for organizations and companies to pledge their support and download Clever Cash notes to print for their own projects. The hope is that Clever Cash will not only bring food to more poor children, but also bring them back to school.