Financial education helped mother of 5 overcome abusive relationship

Janaína Tifoski, 35, was forced to learn financial education in one of the most painful ways for a woman: after leaving what she sees as an abusive relationship. She married young, at 19, to a man four years her senior. From this relationship she had four daughters, the first two the result of planned pregnancies.

But her husband started drinking too much and was extremely jealous, physically and psychologically abusing her, says Janaína. With no symptoms, she says she only found out she was pregnant with her third child in the ninth month of pregnancy. After having the child, she tried tubal ligation through the SUS (Unified Health System), but found barriers.

“They wanted me to have had at least two cesarean sections to release the procedure, but I had had two normal deliveries and one cesarean section,” he says.

In the midst of an increasingly troubled relationship, according to Janaína, she became pregnant for the fourth time. At the time, as a teacher at a kindergarten school, she was responsible for her daughters’ education expenses – the children received scholarships, she bought uniforms, school supplies, food.

“But neither of us controlled the expenses. There was no planning, there was always a lack of money, we took out loans and got more and more indebted”, he says.

Until the school where she worked cut its staff and Janaína was fired. The youngest daughter was only 2 years old. And it was at this moment that she decided that she would not depend on an alcoholic husband and that he did not respect her, according to Janaína.

“I threw him out of the house, changed the locks and asked my parents for help. I started looking for courses that taught me how to handle money, I needed to regain my autonomy, stop spending on superfluities.”

Now 35 years old, she graduated in pedagogy. She is married for the second time, to Alan, a logistics technician. They have a 3 year old son. The daughters from the first marriage are 14, 13, 11 and 9 years old.

Unlike her first companion, Alan helped Janaína control her budget and think about the future, she says.

“He spends less than I do, but he buys more expensive things. He evaluates quality a lot, he knows that something that costs more today can do better. I didn’t have that clear idea in my head. I needed to buy it again”, he says.

With a family income of R$4,000, they invest in the stock market and in fixed-income public securities. The family lives with Janaína’s parents, but they already have savings to pay for their own house. Financial education is passing from mother to daughters.

“I have an application, Mozper, which helps to manage the girls’ expenses. Each one has their own account and their card. I deposit an amount per month and also part of their pension”, says Janaína.

“We have an agreement: everything that costs up to R$ 100 I pay. Above that, they will have to save money to buy”, he says. She believes that by learning to handle money now, girls will learn the value of things and become financially independent.

“You won’t have to go through what I went through.”