They raised seven kids while drowning in debt. Here are the lessons they’re passing on.
The Kunziers were rich in the things that matter most—family and love—but their finances were in shambles. John Kunzier had been running a successful construction business when 9/11 happened and changed everything. When the business started struggling, John didn’t want to fire his employees, so he made some decisions that, in hindsight, were the wrong…
The Kunziers were rich in the things that matter most—family and love—but their finances were in shambles.
John Kunzier had been running a successful construction business when 9/11 happened and changed everything. When the business started struggling, John didn’t want to fire his employees, so he made some decisions that, in hindsight, were the wrong ones. The following year, the business failed.
“It was a big blow to my ego,” says John, “to have something you built completely collapse.”
John had to declare bankruptcy. John’s wife, Liz, was pregnant with twins at the time, and the family had to rely on loans to make ends meet. “We actually took out a loan that would never end,” says John.
“It was a horrible financial decision for us,” says Liz.
The Kunziers began, slowly but surely, picking up the pieces of their financial life but then the 2008 Great Recession hit. “It was literally like somebody ripped the rug out from under us,” says John.
Liz kept a “money tree”—a good luck tree people sometimes keep in their homes. The tree wasn’t in great shape, but it limped along, and then one day one of the twins cut it down. It was the perfect metaphor for the family’s financial situation.
As a result, the family took no vacations, never ate out, and didn’t buy any new toys. Despite that, they weren’t unhappy.
The Kunziers are a large family. John and Liz have seven kids including the twins and two grandchildren. So when they hit financial hard times, they had to cut out everything but the necessities. The couple didn’t even give each other birthday or Christmas presents.
They’ve been real with their kids about their situation, especially as they’ve gotten older. The family lives in a very affluent area, and the kids are used to seeing people with lots of material things. But John and Liz maintained the philosophy that “things don’t make you happy.”
“I took it as us being a different kind of rich,” says the Kunzier’s daughter, Claire. “Us being rich in family.”
Not wanting their kids to feel a sense of deprivation, Liz says, “We didn’t say, ‘Oh we can’t do that because we can’t afford it,’ we would just say, ‘No, we’re not doing that. That’s not something we’re going to do.’”
“We wanted to make sure your upbringing was good and memorable and fun, and that you guys didn’t know any different,” John tells his kids.
What’s more, the Kunzier kids have learned valuable lessons from their parents’ financial experiences.
When the market turned around, the Kunziers were able to refinance their home, which helped them climb out of their financial hole. “All of a sudden, things got better and better and better,” says John. “It’s a snowball effect, either way.”
Because the Kunziers are open with their kids about their financial journey, their kids will have a better sense of how to financially plan and make sound monetary decisions.
“I think it’s really important for me to hear this,” says Claire. “Because I am a freshman in college, and I am starting to make these financial decisions for myself, especially with loans.” Claire says she won’t live on campus next year so she won’t have to take a loan out to pay for room and board.
“For me,” she says, “deciding what’s important to do is being shaped by what you guys did.”
The Kunziers now have loads of financial wisdom, guidance, and proven advice to pass on to their kids and grandkids. But perhaps the most crucial lesson is one they’ve already imparted — how to maintain a resilient spirit and focus on what’s most important when times are toughest.
“We didn’t have all the money in the world, but we had each other,” says the Kunziers’ son, Jack.
“Not having a whole lot of money isn’t the worst thing in the world,” says Liz, “because if you’ve got your family with you, and you love each other. That makes it not sting so bad.”
From Pakistan to Tanzania, the most effective education solutions are community-led. Here’s how local leaders, in partnership with Malala Fund and supported by Pura, are mobilizing entire communities.
When asked to describe what Tanzania smells like, Grace Isekore closes her eyes and breathes in deep. For a moment, she’s somewhere else entirely. Tanzania is a rich tapestry of sights and scents, from the smell of sea mist that permeates the coastline to the earthy cardamom and cloves she cooks with in her kitchen. But when Grace emerges from her reverie, her answer is unexpected.
“Tanzania smells like peace,” she says, her eyes still closed. “I see a beautiful country where we are free to move, free to speak. And there is peace within the community.”
For Grace, that sense of peace isn’t just something she smells; it’s something she works toward every day. As a project coordinator with Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC), a women-led organization that empowers pastoralist communities in northern Tanzania, she has seen firsthand how girls flourish when they have the opportunity to attend school. Like scent, education not only connects girls to their own culture, but also helps broaden their horizons, realizing new possibilities for themselves and others. That transformation reshapes entire communities and ripples outward, with the potential to change countries and transform the world for the better.
Different scents, different approaches, and communities driving change
Spices in Tanzania. Captured by James Roh for Pura
For Grace and others around the world, education is freedom, as well as a pathway to a stronger community. Rooted in that shared belief, Pura, a home fragrance company, was inspired to build on their four-year partnership with Malala Fund to create something truly unique: a fragrance collection that connects people through scent to communities in Tanzania, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Brazil, where barriers to girls’ education are among the highest.
Using ingredients from each region, the new Pura x Malala Fund Collection uses scent to transport people to these regions directly. “Future in Bloom,” for example, invokes Pakistan’s lush valleys through notes of jasmine, cedarwood, and mango; while Tanzania’s fragrance, “Heart on Fire,” evokes the spirit and joyfulness of the girls who live there through cardamom, lemon, and green tea.
The new Collection honors the work Malala Fund does every day, partnering with locally-led organizations in these four countries to ensure every girl can access and complete 12 years of education. Each scent celebrates the joy, tenacity, and courage of the women and girls driving change on the ground, while also augmenting Pura’s annual grant to Malala Fund by donating eight percent of net revenue from the Pura x Malala Fund Collection to Malala Fund directly.
Just as each country’s scent is unique, so too are their needs related to education. But with support from Malala Fund and Pura, local leaders are coming up with creative ways to mobilize entire communities (parents, teachers, elders, and the students themselves, in their pursuit of solutions, understanding that educating girls helps everyone thrive. Here’s how their efforts are creating real, durable impact in Tanzania and Pakistan, and creating a ripple effect that changes the world for the better.
Parent-teacher associations help Maasai girls and their communities in Tanzania problem-solve
A girl’s school in Tanzania. Captured by James Roh for Pura
Northern Tanzania, Grace’s home, is home to pastoralist communities like the Maasai, a nomadic people who have moved with the seasons to nurture the land and care for their livestock for centuries. The nomadic nature of this lifestyle creates significant and unique barriers to girls’ education. Longstanding gender roles have enabled Maasai to survive in the harsh environment and have placed great value on both women and men. Over time, as nomadic life has been threatened by the privatization of land and stationary education models have been implemented, the reality of pastoralist livelihood has shifted and introduced new complexities. Now, the sheer distance to schools is both a practical challenge and one that often comes with danger from the landscape, predators, and potential exposure to assault along the journey. Girls shoulder the responsibility of household chores and there is often cultural pressure around early marriage – both leading to boys’ education being prioritized over girls’.
“There are very, very good [pastoralist] cultural practices, which are passed from generation to generation,” says Janet Kimori, an English teacher at Lekule Girls Secondary School in Longido, Tanzania. But when cultural practices act as educational barriers, “you have to sit down and look for where you are going to assist. As a school, as an individual, the school administration—all of us will chip in and know how we are going to deal with this problem.”
PWC works to ensure girls are able to exercise their right to an education while also preserving pastoralist culture. One successful approach, the organization found, has been the formation of Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), created with help from Malala Fund. In PTA meetings, students, parents, teachers, elders, and government officials meet, discuss educational barriers, and come up with community-led solutions that preserve and honor their culture while advancing educational outcomes.
PTA meeting in Tanzania. Captured by James Roh for Pura
One recent PTA meeting highlights how these community-led solutions are often the most effective. At Lekule Girls Secondary School, the lack of fresh water forces girls to walk long distances to collect water for the school’s kitchen during the school day, and these long journeys not only disrupt class time but can leave girls vulnerable to sexual assault in isolated areas. Through facilitated discussion, PTA members landed on a solution: installing a borehole to pipe in fresh water to the school. Reliable access to water creates a better learning environment for the girls, but it also benefits the community at large, as local governments are then more likely to invest in health clinics and other community resources nearby.
With a solution in place, the PTA was then able to discuss ideas and map out a course of action. The women would raise money for the cost of the borehole, while the men would recruit workers to dig the hole and lay the pipe. Together, they would ask government officials to match their investment.
The benefits of PTA meetings within the pastoralist communities are undeniable. “The girls are talking and addressing issues in a confident way, and parents feel they are part of the resource team to solve challenges happening at school,” Grace says. One unexpected benefit: The larger cultural impact these PTA meetings have created. Thanks to the success of PTAs within pastoralist communities, the models are now being endorsed on a national level, and schools across Tanzania are starting to use them to solve problems in their own communities. When a community creates opportunities for girls to learn, everyone benefits.
Safe spaces in rural Pakistan help students and their parents connect, then drive change
Safe space for girls meeting in Pakistan. Captured by Insiya Syed.
A continent away in Pakistan, the country’s northernmost region of Gilgit-Baltistan seems like a land untouched by time. The region’s looming mountains, snow-capped peaks, lush valleys and crystalline lakes draw nature lovers and landscape photographers from around the world, but living among this kind of breathtaking scenery has its drawbacks. Schools in the region are few and far between, and the area’s harsh climate often makes roads inaccessible for travel. Poverty and gender-based discrimination are additional obstacles, making school even further out of reach, and girls are affected disproportionately. Going up against these barriers requires a persistent, quiet strength that’s found in the women who live there and reflected in Pakistan’s signature scent.
Saheli Circles are how local leaders in Gilgit-Baltistan are bridging the gap between girls and education. An Urdu term for “female friend,” Saheli Circles are after-school safe spaces where girls explore subjects like art and climate change, while also developing skills that help them manage emotions, set goals, and build positive relationships. Girls study in groups, visit the library, play sports, and tackle filmmaking and photography projects, all designed to develop self confidence and teach the girls how to advocate for issues that matter to them. But the work doesn’t stop there.
“What we’re trying to achieve here will only be impactful if it trickles down to the home environment and the school environment,” says Marvi Sumro, founder and program director of Innovate, Educate, and Inspire Pakistan (IEI), the local organization that developed the Saheli Circles model and partnered with Malala Fund in 2021 to make it a reality. Ever since, Saheli Circles have grown to involve teachers, elders, and parents to encourage relationship building that’s essential for young girls and adolescents. “Our spaces can give mothers and daughters an opportunity to interact a little differently—do an art activity, or have a cup of tea together, or some good conversation,” Marvi says.
The relationship building is what makes the biggest positive impact throughout the community. Recently, one Saheli Circle was able to bring together parents, teachers, and administrators to advocate for better education at their local school, and together they convinced the department of education to hire a science teacher. Another Saheli Circle organized a fund where members of the community can contribute monthly to pay for uniforms, books, and other school expenses for the girls in their village, eliminating those small, hidden costs that are often a barrier to education for many. A third Saheli Circle was able to produce a short film about how gender-based household chores can take away valuable study time from girls, leaving them at a disadvantage. “The girls put the film together and showed it to the mothers, and the response from the mothers was just beautiful,” Marvi says.
Girls smiling in Pakistan. Captured by Insiya Syed.
The education and relationship building that the girls receive in Saheli Circles connects them to larger opportunities and economic freedom that are not possible in their hometown. “For girls in Gilgit-Baltistan, education is extremely important because of the fact that we’re so far away from where the economy is, where the opportunity is. Education becomes this bridge for us, for our girls, to access all the opportunity and economy that exists in [larger cities].”
From rural Tanzania to remote Pakistan, local organizations prove every day that prioritizing girls’ education benefits everyone. Communities that lift up girls are able to secure resources like clean water and well-staffed schools, as well as build stronger relationships.
These outcomes are only possible because of the women and girls who work tirelessly in these regions to overcome barriers and drive progress. The Pura x Malala Fund Collection is a way to honor them, celebrate their achievements, and unite people the world over around a shared belief that education is freedom. Like scent, that belief can build, travel, and has the possibility to transform the world.
Experience the Pura x Malala Fund Collection here, and connect with the stories of real girls leading change across the globe.
When Cashia and Terrance Bryant first met, they knew they had something special. But Cashia was keeping something important from her man. The couple, who has now been married for two years, connected very quickly. After a short time together, they knew that their love was real, (even though they still argue about who said…
When Cashia and Terrance Bryant first met, they knew they had something special. But Cashia was keeping something important from her man.
The couple, who has now been married for two years, connected very quickly. After a short time together, they knew that their love was real, (even though they still argue about who said “I love you” first).
However, before they could take their relationship to the next level, Cashia had to come clean about something that had been worrying her since the start of their relationship — her bad credit.
“I didn’t tell you for a long time because I was so scared you were gonna run,” Cashia admits to Terrance.
Cashia’s bad credit has been following her since she was 18-years-old.
As a 42-year-old woman, Cashia knows how to build up and retain good credit. But when the family therapist was 18 years old, she had no idea what responsibility came with owning a credit card. She also racked up some considerable student loans.
Unfortunately, that has affected Cashia’s credit up until this day.
And she’s not only one with credit issues. Terrance’s credit isn’t where he’d like it to be either, and when he has money, a good portion of it goes to supporting his 17-year-old daughter, Ty’asia.
The couple’s been making progress, though, because they have a major goal ahead of them. They want to own a house by next year.
At first, this goal seemed completely insurmountable. How could two (now successful) people with low credit afford to own their own place?
In order to get to on the right path, Cashia and Terrance had to take a long look at their finances and make the decision to save rather than spend. It’s easier said than done, and considering where they’re at in their lives — with so many expenses that need to be taken care of right now — it sometimes felt like they were chasing an impossible dream.
While it took hard work and patience, the Bryants are now much closer to making their dream a reality.
Here’s how they’re doing it:
First, the couple dissected how much money they bring in versus how much goes out each month. Based on that information, Cashia created an aggressive budget for the pair — one that cuts down on spending while still allowing them to have a little fun as they save for a down payment.
As they get into the habit of saving, they’re crafting a future in which making wise financial decisions comes easily and naturally to them.
Due to their lower credit scores, the Bryants may have to put more money down on the house they eventually choose, but thanks to their financial planning efforts, that’s no longer an insurmountable task.
Ultimately, the process of buying a house is bringing the couple closer together. While the decisions that they’ve had to make have been difficult, sharing this mutual goal is like a recommitment to each other.
And all their planning and saving has made it possible for them to afford a down payment on a house next year. With that hurdle behind them, they can now pursue their greater goal beyond home ownership.
“We want our own family,” says Cashia “I want our baby to experience a home.”
“It took both of us,” Terrance beams. “I’m glad we found each other.”
To learn more about the Bryant’s journey to homeownership, check out this video:
When Nyna Sorn came to America, her family had nothing. So she’s had to spend her life making tough financial decisions. When Nyna was only five years old, she and her parents escaped the Khmer Rouge — the brutal regime of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) in Cambodia. The family had lost everything, and…
When Nyna Sorn came to America, her family had nothing. So she’s had to spend her life making tough financial decisions.
When Nyna was only five years old, she and her parents escaped the Khmer Rouge — the brutal regime of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) in Cambodia. The family had lost everything, and that meant that they had to scrimp and save in order to get by in their new country of the United States.
When she grew up, Nyna made a promise to herself: she would work as hard as she could in order to ensure that her children didn’t have a childhood like hers. She would do her very best to provide for them in ways that her parents couldn’t provide for her. She would make sure that their future was bright and full of possibilities.
“My dream is to see all my children successful,” Nyna says.
Nyna’s tried to impart her perspectives on money and saving onto her children, but as her kids got older, she’s become concerned about their spending habits.
Nyna has been a single mom for the past decade. While her youngest child isn’t yet old enough to learn about responsible spending, she’s worked hard to teach her older children, who are 15 and 18, how to save money when they can.
However, she worries that they’re being swayed by society’s proclivity for instant gratification, and becoming too materialistic. She’s especially concerned about her daughter Macara who, at 18, will soon be in charge of her own finances.
Nyna and Macara’s situations are very different. At 17, Nyna was already a mother. She didn’t have any financial support. That’s why she feels it’s important for Macara to understand the possible impacts of the money decisions she’s making now. But while Macara appreciates everything her mother’s done for her (including paying for college), she finds it difficult to focus on her finances.
“I don’t want to think about it too deep,” says Macara. “I don’t want to be in the future. I want to be in the present. I don’t want to be stressed out.”
It’s not easy to talk about money, but Nyna knows that being open and honest with her daughter is the only way to help her make smart decisions.
Sometimes Nyna feels like she’s being too hard on Macara, but it’s only because she wants her to have a bright future.
“I want you to be able to do better than I did,” Macara tells her daughter. “I believe in you. I believe that if you wanted to do something, you can do it.”
“I’m just trying to help you. I’m trying to pave a path.”
These kinds of conversations may be tough, but they’re necessary.
By sitting down and talking about money as more than an abstract concept, Nyna’s showing her daughter that she’s someone she can always talk to about her future, financial or otherwise.
“It’s like a signal for me to do something,” says Macara. “Can we keep having these conversations?”
“You need something, you can talk to me. I will always support you,” Nyna responds.
To learn more and Nyna and Macara Sorn, check out the video below.
Karleh Wilson didn’t know she had a credit problem until she wanted to buy a house. Karleh and her fiancée, Kareem, have been living in a rented 3-bedroom home with their daughter, Kaari, in Philadelphia. But when they realized how much money they were forking over in rent that wasn’t going towards any long-term investment,…
Karleh Wilson didn’t know she had a credit problem until she wanted to buy a house.
Karleh and her fiancée, Kareem, have been living in a rented 3-bedroom home with their daughter, Kaari, in Philadelphia. But when they realized how much money they were forking over in rent that wasn’t going towards any long-term investment, they decided to start the process of purchasing their first home.
Karleh researched what she’d need to make that happen, and found out she’d need a credit score of at least 650. However, when she looked at her free credit report, she found out her credit score was a dismal 315. So, in order to get a mortgage, she’d have to find a way to at least double her score, and hopefully get it even higher to land a competitive interest rate.
Karleh is a smart and responsible person. She went to an Ivy League school. So how did she end up in such a terrible credit situation?
It came down to an oversight that she made while she was in college.
She had gotten a card at a department store not realizing it was a credit card.
“I remember being in college and getting my first credit card,” says Karleh. “I also remember being confused about the difference between a credit card and a store card. At that point, I was still getting used to using a bank account, much less navigating the complicated world of consumer credit.”
Since Karleh didn’t realize the retail card was actually a credit card, she had been missing payments for quite some time, which ultimately had a negative effect on her credit score.
Like many college kids, she didn’t have the financial education to fully understand how credit worked. Karleh’s dad feels that he bears some responsibility for that fact. “That’s not stuff you talk about in the family,” says Karleh’s dad. “You don’t want to put that stress on your child.”
Thankfully, Karleh was able to turn her credit score around with some diligent research and new habits.
She was embarrassed by her low score, and she and Kareem want to raise Kaari in a financially secure household.
Her dad was a big cheerleader throughout the process. He told Karleh she could turn her credit around, and said it with such confidence that she believed him.
Karleh started paying all of her bills on time. She got a credit card that was built for people with poor credit, used it for all of her purchases, and payed it off in full every two weeks. “That really drove my credit through the roof,” she says.
“At this point, I’ve gotten my credit in a really good situation,” Karleh says, “and now I’m approved for a mortgage.”
At 24 years old, Karleh has gotten her credit under control and will soon be closing on her first home. In addition, she’ll be providing a financially savvy example for her daughter, and her dad couldn’t be more proud.
To learn more about Karleh’s financial journey, check out this video:
Let’s face it — navigating the financial world can be downright terrifying sometimes.
Whether you’re right out of college and looking to sign up for your first credit card, or you’re applying for a mortgage for the first time, the path to achieving financial independence isn’t always a cake walk. For example, maybe you’ve amounted some debt, or you haven’t built up your credit profile yet. Those realities can leave you feeling like you’re in the dark, and have no idea what steps to take next.
Don’t hit the panic button just yet. It is possible to navigate any financial endeavor you’re looking to embark on, whether it’s securing your first mortgage, or getting approved for your first credit card.
However, before you do, let’s see how much you already know about the main pillars of finance — like credit, savings, debt, and investments.
Ready to test your financial knowhow? Then jump on in and choose what you think are the best answers!
