Achieving our Greatest Impact To Date

We lifted more Africans out of extreme poverty than at any other time in our history, starting 57% more businesses than the previous year. Despite pandemic-related lockdowns throughout Africa, our team equipped over 18,000 first-time entrepreneurs with the resources to start 6,002 sustainable businesses, transforming the lives of over 120,000 individuals. To achieve this new level of scale, we expanded to Rwanda and Mozambique.

Combating Malnutrition

Over the past year, Village Enterprise partnered with Catholic Relief Services and USAID to pilot the Nawiri project, an adapted poverty graduation program to combat malnutrition in Isiolo County and assess its effectiveness. Over the past year, we started 204 businesses and 20 business savings groups with $19,258.20 in savings, allowing 810 children to receive better nutrition and increased access to health care.

Joining Forces with Government

Building upon the successful development of a Graduation policy, we launched the Kenya Social and Economic Inclusion Project (KSEIP) alongside the Boma Project and the Global Development Incubator, which was integrated into existing poverty alleviation programs in West Pokot in partnership with Wasafiri and the county government of West Pokot. This project is intended to build the government of Kenya’s capacity to implement economic inclusion activities and integrate the graduation model with existing social protection programs.

Addressing Illegal Wildlife Trade

For the last four years, we have been addressing issues on illegal wildlife trade and human-wildlife conflict by implementing the Park Actions project in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda. Funded by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and working alongside the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Wildlife Conservation Society, the Uganda Conservation Foundation, and other local nonprofits, Village Enterprise established 180 wildlife friendly businesses as a means to generate alternative sources of income. As a result, 89% of the Village Enterprise participants and 60% of the general population now have improved attitudes towards conservation work. These results were published by IIED as a case study, research report, and blog.

Reimagining “Aid” for Refugees

We secured $20 million over five years in funding for Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems for Refugees (DREAMS), a program created in partnership with Mercy Corps and IDinsight. Together we will transform the lives of 150,000 of the most vulnerable refugees of Uganda and Ethiopia by integrating two economic development models – poverty graduation and market systems development – to ensure the poorest refugee households can generate income, build assets, start to save, and improve their well-being.

Innovating Results-Based Financing

For the past four years, we have been implementing the first Development Impact Bond for poverty alleviation in sub-Saharan Africa with $5.32M in funding directed towards increasing consumption and assets of 14,100+ first-time entrepreneurs living in extreme poverty. An independent randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted by IDinsight this year measured the outcomes of the program changes. Investors will be paid back by the outcome funders based on the results of the RCT that will be published in March 2022.

Tackling the Technology Divide Through Innovative Digital Solutions

In 2020, we received funding from the Covid-19 Adaptation Fund, managed by Instiglio and Global Development Incubator, to test and integrate technological adaptations to our program. Over the past year, our technology team designed a hybrid learning and training platform by producing training videos, distributing portable projectors and smartphones, and creating a toll-free number for entrepreneurs to ask questions of their mentors in real-time. As a result, our staff conducted 50% more trainings with 85% of participants noting satisfaction with the new technology. This year, we hired Scott Isbrandt, our new Vice President of Digital Solutions, to spearhead relevant technology partnerships and tools that further increase efficiency and impact.

Building a World-Class African Team

We hired diverse, dedicated, and passionate leaders to drive our locally adapted program. We hired Sylvere Mwizerwa, our first-ever Country Manager in Rwanda, promoted John Ilima to become our Country Director of Uganda, and promoted Leah Bwari Okero to Director of Partnerships. To provide an atmosphere of professional growth and trust, we launched “Lead@VE”, a professional development training program in an interactive setting.

Investing in Women’s Agency

We prioritized women’s empowerment, developing strategies to tackle gender inequity. This year, women represented 83% of our program participants. Focusing on the theme of gender equity through financial inclusion, we hosted our second annual Voices of Tumaini virtual event. The event featured a panel comprised of representatives from Days for Girls International, Lwala Community Alliance, and The Starbucks Foundation who spoke about partnerships with Village Enterprise that address the intersection of women’s empowerment, financial inclusion, nutrition, and menstrual health management.

Evolving Our Brand

As we aim to transform the poverty alleviation sector, we knew that our branding should also represent that same dedication to innovation and locally-driven transformation. After months of staff and community input, research, and design, we launched a new logo, brand, and website in April 2021. The updated Village Enterprise website represents months of hard work by our entire team as well as assistance from our creative partner, Advocate Creative.

The post Ten of Our Greatest Achievements of 2021 appeared first on Village Enterprise.

– Winnie Auma

Winnie Auma is the Uganda Country Director of Village Enterprise. She has been a part of Village Enterprise since 2010 and held numerous positions within the organization. She holds degrees in Education and in Business Administration and Management, and was selected by the Harvard Kennedy School in May 2019 to participate in their Emerging Leaders Program for rising U.S. and international leaders. Winnie narrates an audiobook chapter of Peter Singer’s 10th-anniversary edition of his landmark book on reducing extreme poverty, The Life You Can Save, alongside celebrities Kristen Bell, Stephan Fry, and Paul Simon.

Peter Singer published his landmark book The Life You Can Save in 2009 to demonstrate why we must help those living in extreme poverty and illustrate the many ways to save lives by giving effectively.  In the decade since, the book has created massive change reducing global extreme poverty, founded a nonprofit organization of the same name to promote the idea of effective giving, raised millions of dollars for effective charities, and improved countless lives.

The 10^th Anniversary Edition of The Life You Can Save addresses the continuing need for change and aims to inform, inspire, and empower all to help those in need. Village Enterprise’s Uganda Country Director, Winnie Auma narrates a chapter of the audiobook version alongside celebrities Kristen Bell, Stephan Fry, Paul Simon, and more, and Village Enterprise is prominently featured in the section “Better than Aid” of the book. Download the ebook and audiobook here for FREE today.

The post When you touch a life, you’re changing generations appeared first on Village Enterprise.

I follow Santa through tall grasses, past banana plants that are slightly bent as if in a mid-bow after a tremendous ballet, and by sorghum and maize fields. She pushes her hands ahead and breaks any branches or plants that are blocking the path. We reach a sea of white cotton buds and enter the thick bush to find her fellow business owner busy harvesting. They share a greeting, and then Santa also begins plucking the fluffy crop from its beige cocoon. Santa began this cotton business a few months ago through the Village Enterprise market linkage pilot program in partnership with The Gulu Agricultural Development Company (GADCO). The business has given Santa hope. It has given her the ability to see that there are more possibilities in this world, which is something she hasn’t always been able to realize.

Life has been difficult for Santa. She spent more than five years in a refugee camp during the Lord’s Resistance Army insurgency in northern Uganda when she and thousands of families were exiled from their homes. The camp was only a few kilometers from her family home and it was there that she gave birth to a child that only lived a few months. Then her husband was killed by the LRA. Santa was destroyed. She did not know how to carry on with life.

Eventually, she married her current husband and together they planted beans and sorghum during their first year of marriage. But the LRA burned everything to the ground. Then, they bought an ox and plow, but the ox died. Things felt pretty dire for Santa. It was one thing after the other. She carried on for a few years without a source of income and struggled to put food on the table.

Mirriam Aguti, a Village Enterprise business mentor, is the person who put an end to Santa’s difficult situation. She invited her to join the Village Enterprise program and learn how to start a business of her own. She rigorously applied herself to the lessons presented by Mirriam and became energized by the independence she gained from knowing how to earn and spend her own money. She was so inspired that she has since recruited many people to join the Village Enterprise program to start businesses of their own. She is an inspiration in her community due to her hard work and commitment to her cotton growing business.

Santa’s energetic joy cascades around her being and it is contagious: she was elected the Chairwoman of her business savings group, which is composed of ten three-person businesses or 30 individuals, because of her determined spirit. People are drawn to her because of her charisma and wisdom. She has an exceptional ability to bring people together and make them feel confident and strong.

Santa learned from Village Enterprise business trainings the importance of caring for her community: she goes and advises people in order to help people in her community feel cared for and to resolve conflicts.

“You are stronger and do better in a group than alone. Someone may be in a poor situation, Village Enterprise can uplift that person by helping him/her start a three-person business. When three people are given $150, together they come with different ideas and different skill sets, and they think through the smartest ways they can use that money to build a successful and profitable business.”

Santa dreams to build her own concrete house for herself and to build a strong, caring and united community. She is a leader determined to continue to uplift her village and to be an inspiration to those who haven’t been empowered yet.

This #GivingTuesday we want to fund two entire villages in northern Uganda so more people like Santa can realize their potential. Join our campaign: donate.villageenterprise.org/givingtuesday2019

The post Santa the Chairwoman from Paicho appeared first on Village Enterprise.

Years ago, I had a cup of coffee with Debbie Hall to learn more about why she was involved in Village Enterprise. She enthusiastically told me how exciting her work was and how encouraging it was. Her passion was contagious, and I had to learn more. The nonprofit work I was doing at the time was heart-warming and felt important, but I didn’t leap at the chance like she did to tell others about the progress we were making and share my passion about why they too should get involved. Over time, I became a donor, then helped with development and social media, and then joined the board. This month, I was asked to take over for Debbie as the board chair for Village Enterprise. I could not be more honored or humbled to be board chair of this amazing organization. What an exciting ride it has been!

This is an especially exciting (and a bit overwhelming) time to get more deeply involved in Village Enterprise. Today, 767 million people live in extreme poverty and over half of them are in Sub-Saharan Africa. By 2030, 88% of people living in extreme poverty will reside in Sub-Saharan Africa. The time is now to scale the most cost-effective and impactful solutions. Graduation programs like ours are proving to be an extremely effective method for lifting people out of extreme poverty. Village Enterprise has a graduation program that is both unique and flexible. It is unique because it is the only graduation program focused on group-based entrepreneurship. We train three individuals to start a business, which enables three families to be helped, costs to be less, and risks to be shared. Village Enterprise is flexible because it is easily adaptable to various contexts with a focus on vulnerable populations, such as women, refugees, and youth to name a few.

This takes me back to the individual. By helping a refugee to start a business, Village Enterprise doesn’t just start a business. We are enabling a family to send their children to school. We are enabling a family to not have to marry their daughter at a young age to provide for her needs. We are enabling individuals to think bigger and have hope for the future and resilience for the challenges ahead.

How do we know it works? Village Enterprise participated in a large scale, independent third-party randomized control trial. This trial proved the program to be both high impact and cost-effective. Our program led to increases in all the poverty alleviation indicators evaluated: consumption, assets, savings, and income. Significant improvements were also found in food security, nutrition, and subjective well-being, as well as enhanced standing of the women in the community.

We are also proud to say that Impact Matters completed a thorough evidence-gathering audit that we are the most cost-effective poverty alleviation program in Africa. By receiving training and resources in small groups, business owners are able to confidently share their knowledge and share the risks associated with starting a small business.

We have countless (well, I guess we counted and reached one million…) stories about lives touched by going through our program. As with many of our entrepreneurs, once we have trained them in how to start a business and participate in a savings group, the business owners begin to see opportunities all around them. Many of the people I met in Africa now run multiple businesses. Catherine, for example, still works closely with her business partners rearing sheep and has a small poultry business on her own. She and her partners have also begun selling silverfish at the market. Another woman I met in Uganda realized once she had her first business up and running that she had a mango tree in her yard. After going through the Village Enterprise program, she began to gather the mangos that she and her family used to eat, and she started to sell them at the market to pay to send her children to school.

My husband and I have been so excited about the successes that we have seen again and again with Village Enterprise that we decided to invest in the very first Development Impact Bond (DIB) for poverty alleviation in Sub-Saharan Africa because Village Enterprise was chosen out of a field of organizations to implement their program. This DIB shows that Village Enterprise can scale with impact.

Village Enterprise is the only nonprofit to get the top ratings and recommendations from all of these organizations: Charity Navigator, Great Nonprofits, Guidestar, The Life You Can Save, Impact Matters, and Founder’s Pledge. While it is great to have these endorsements, I am most proud of our highly talented local African staff. Over 95% of our staff are local Africans who care deeply about innovating our program to have the highest impact with sustainable results.

I may not be counted as one of the million lives influenced by the Village Enterprise program, but my life has certainly changed by being a part of its story. My kids think about the privileges that they have in a new way. My son talks about the man he met in Uganda who makes soap to sell at the market, how hard it was to stir the vat of soap, and how grateful he was that the man encouraged him to try. My daughter remembers the kids that enthusiastically took her to the hand washing station in their village to proudly show her that they had learned the importance of hand washing and hygiene as part of a Village Enterprise partnership.

If you want to hear more stories of individual lives changed as a result of Village Enterprise, I encourage you to go watch a few short videos or read some stories here.

Katie Boland has been the Village Enterprise Board Chair since 2019. She is the co-founder of The Delta Fund, an organization focused on supporting and growing provable and scalable efforts to alleviate extreme poverty. Katie is on the board of several nonprofits and consults with organizations working to decrease disadvantages in the current societal systems. Prior to her work on The Delta Fund Katie worked as an educator, teacher trainer and in curriculum development. She has been an advisor for education improvement initiatives. Katie holds a B.S. in Biology and Natural Sciences & Mathematics from Washington & Lee University and an M.Ed. in Science Education from Vanderbilt University. She lives in Bellevue, Washington with her husband and two children.

The post One Million Reached, One Business at a Time appeared first on Village Enterprise.

Village Enterprise works in rural East Africa where over 60% of the population lives below the global extreme poverty line of $1.90 per day, and where little or no formal employment exists. By equipping these first-time entrepreneurs with the tools and resources to create sustainable three-person businesses — training, mentoring, $150 in seed capital, and access to savings and growth capital — we break the cycle of poverty for our entrepreneurs and their families. Since 1987, Village Enterprise has started over 43,000 businesses and already trained more than 169,000 East Africans.
This is the story of Anik’s transformative “Fund-a-Village” donation for the village of Sabwani Marinda.

It’s a bright, sunny day in Sabwani Marinda when Monica Sitienei, a mother of six and a kiosk business owner, leads me through a field of green grass. We pass a cluster of saplings, greet a group of villagers, and the distinct sound of pig squeals becomes audible. We come across a makeshift gate, enter, and face a large barn made from mud and sticks. Two women and a man work together with fixed determination to capture their six pigs which they are eager to show off to us.

After the three business owners gather their swine, Monica conducts introductions: Florence Jeptekei, Beatrice Tengan, and Richard Simatwa own the piggery together. They show me their growing pigs and the barn where they are kept at night. They proudly explain how they used their Village Enterprise grant to begin a small garden, where they raised tomatoes and greens. They sold the produce and used their savings to purchase the profitable pigs.

When I ask how their lives have changed since they started the business, they instantly begin sharing various examples. Richard mentions that he is now able to pay for school fees and uniforms so that his children can go to school. He also saved enough money to pay for his son’s wedding.

“We used to be weak and tired,” Florence explains, “and now we have energy.”

These tangible transformations are common amongst the fifteen business groups that I interviewed in this small village in northern Kenya.

The businesses in this small village were funded by Lurn Inc., a platform founded by Anik Singal in 2004 that strives to empower others to create and grow passion-based businesses. With the $25,000 grant from Lurn, Inc., Village Enterprise trained 150 new entrepreneurs, started 50 new three-person businesses, and transformed the lives of approximately 1,000 children, women, and men. Each new business improves the standard of living for approximately 20 individuals based on the average family size in the region. At Village Enterprise, we look to partners like Lurn, Inc. to fund the implementation of our one-year, cost-effective Graduation program that empowers the rural extreme poor to lift themselves out of poverty through the income and savings generated from small sustainable businesses.

As we continue along our journey, we arrive at a large open field where two older men stand proudly in the middle of their cabbage patch. Esokori Etabo and Marko Ewoi attribute the success of their business to the Village Enterprise agriculture training they received. Since starting the business, they have earned 250,000ksh ($2,500) and have been able to purchase a generator to pump water for their irrigation system. They grow and sell tomatoes and cabbage and own a cow and a sheep. They now even employ others to help with the day-to-day upkeep of their farm.

 

Monica leads us away from the field and onto a long dirt road. In front of us is a herd of brown cows that slowly walk in our direction. “That one is mine,” Monica says when the cows pass us. She was able to buy a cow with the profits earned from the small business she owns with Caroline Simiyu and Lomeyen Kerio. The small produce stand is positioned on the edge of the main road that runs through their village. It’s an opportune spot to sell small bags of flour, handmade donuts, dried fish, seasoning, and packets of dish soap. The three women harmoniously work together to care for their sheep, travel to town to purchase new stock and sell their wares. “I used to depend on my husband, which caused so much conflict. But now I have my own source of money. I can even put my children in private school,” Caroline said as she poured a small amount of sugar into a piece of newspaper which had been folded into a cone shape.

The next business is run by Elizabeth Kamboy, Sally Chirchir, and Janet Najala, three women who make and sell soap. They initially started a cake baking business, but due to low profits, they chose to redirect their efforts. They used some of their earnings to send Elizabeth to the local Women’s Empowerment Center to attend a workshop on soap making, which is more profitable and less competitive than a bakery business. They have earned around $1,000 and plan to invest in a machine that will help them make bar soap. “I like my business because it feeds us. It has also built our name in the community.” The women supply soaps and detergents to local schools. They are genuinely content with the way their business has changed their lives and do not miss the days when they dug holes and harvested corn for other people.

These businesses in Sabwani Marinda have changed the community forever. There is less conflict and more peace. Women and men are independently earning their own money. Children are in school. And most are eating three meals a day. It is hard to believe that prior to the Lurn Fund-a-Village initiative, food was challenging for most of the business owners to procure. Now? They’ve saved enough money to pay for weddings, college, water pumps, solar lights, and their mindsets have changed. They see potential in their businesses and want to work together to expand and diversify.

Seeing how Sabwani Marinda changed in such a substantial and encouraging way through the Lurn Fund-a-Village initiative shows how investing in entrepreneurs — even those who begin their journeys in extreme poverty — is transformative with results that speak for themselves. As I said goodbye to Monica, she asked that I return one day to see how her village continues to change. I can’t wait to see what’s to come in this bright, flourishing community full people who are determined to continue on this great path of success.

The post Transformative results in Sabwani Marinda village sponsored by Lurn, Inc. appeared first on Village Enterprise.

My situation was not unique amongst my neighbors in rural Kisumu, Kenya. The average number of dependants per household would average ten to fifteen, and to add to this extended family members from afar would also be at the table. This meant more hungry mouths to be fed.

As if that was not enough, our living conditions were deplorable. A dilapidated hovel was our home, thatched roof, a tin door, and the walls were made of a mixture of dung and mud. When it rained, mostly at night, you had to hold a cup directly to a spot where rain droplets were penetrating the roof. This caused sleeplessness, yet sleep would always win this battle and we would wake up with the flu or a congested chest and wet bedding.

Thugs would break into our home and steal the little that was available. It was an easy task for them. All they needed was a jerry can of water which, when dribbled onto the mud wall next to the door lock, would cause the wall to disintegrate – leaving the door at the mercy of the intruder. This was a common occurrence.

My parents would do nothing. Despondency was written all over their faces. Their only solace was the word of God from a dog-eared Bible that was placed near a tin lamp which was oozing with soot from the kerosene combustion. As if to mock us, the three-legged firewood cooking stove would emit spasms of smoke into our small room adding to the misery we were already facing.

Mum would break into a sad religious hymn, humming away her troubles and signaling to us that it was late, we had to sleep, there was no hope, nothing to look forward to. Nevertheless, rest was inevitable and off we drifted into a heavy slumber. Occasionally we would be awakened by the sound of barking dogs or nightmares of being carried away by floods.

Our situation epitomized the definition of poverty. Our lives were not only proximate to despair but were interwoven into a complex continuous web; the cycle of poverty packaged and delivered from one generation to another.

My parents owned a struggling dried fish business. They were in deep debt because they thought micro-finance institutions would rescue their business, but the opposite was the case. Instead, they would end up losing the little they had, including some of the meager family assets, such as chickens and goats. I lost my favorite rabbit to the ruthless debt collector officers. To say that the loans moved them from one level of desolation to another is an understatement. The emotional and financial burden would drive any sane human to suicide.

And then came the day I remember so vividly. I can recall the elated face that my mum wore as she prepared the food for the evening. The tune to her normal hymn had changed and now there was a twist to the words sung — words of hope. I had to ask what had changed. To cut a long story short, an organization had given my parents a grant and entrepreneurship training to boost their business. They never looked back and this was an opportunity that allowed them to lift themselves out of that frantic situation before poverty could snuff the life out of all of us.

The business was thriving and the family income had increased considerably. This provided us with the opportunity to go to school, and the freedom to visualize and build the future we so desired. We had much to look forward to, rather than worry about whether we would eat a meal or not. We could now afford a radio and listen to what was happening around the world, and later a TV was purchased which concreted our ambitions.

That was 30 years ago. My situation changed because of an organization like Village Enterprise that dared to touch people that other organizations did not want to go to: the ultra-poor.

Village Enterprise has been paving a pathway out of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa for the last three decades, or to put it another way, for almost my whole lifetime. t wasn’t Village Enterprise that came to my specific community, but the approaches are very similar. By providing entrepreneurship training, grants to support micro-enterprises, and the much-needed mentoring, Village Enterprise ensures that people like my parents can enjoy a life free of extreme poverty.

At the 2018 Skoll World Forum the conversation was anchored on the power of proximity, summed up as: – “In order to address inequality and injustice, we must more deeply understand the current status quo—and how to disrupt it. There is no other way to do this than to engage with and be close to, the people and communities facing deep and persistent biases of all kinds. We heard from community leaders, activists, social entrepreneurs, and innovators who brought a profound appreciation of our shared challenges and who have worked from within and side-by-side with communities to find solutions”. Let us ponder this idea. What does proximity mean to us at Village Enterprise?

Village Enterprise embraces the power of proximity. Changing the narrative that sustains problems, unraveling the realities that face the families rather than relying on assumptions and blanket thinking. Involving those in dire need of attention and moving meticulously from conversations concerning awareness of the situation faced by people like my parents and me proximity allows Village Enterprise to differentiate itself from shallow, costly interventions and concentrate on what really works: a cost-effective graduation model out of poverty.

Giving opportunity to those who need it most, through support, not handouts. We do not believe in coming up with theoretical farfetched solutions without involving the people who face the problems. Our field staff is local, they identify the problems, and we work together on solutions. They are the ones who provide our training and entrepreneurship coaching.

Village Enterprise operates in close proximity to those living in extreme poverty both geographically and strategically. We believe in local leadership, and this ensures we immerse ourselves deeply into the context of the ultra-poor in the society. We cannot be problem solvers from a distance and we are not afraid of getting our hands dirty.

Adopting tried and tested methodologies like Human-Centered Design (HCD) and data-driven decision-making, Village Enterprise has ensured the program has the end user in mind by addressing the components of the problem, not the symptoms. This is our pride.

It does not end here. The story above is my true story. And today I, the Senior Innovations Manager at Village Enterprise for Kenya and Uganda, stationed at the Kitale Office, interact with Business Mentors and Field Coordinators during our bi-weekly meetings to brainstorm a number of challenges that they are facing in the field. I am giving back to society and contributing towards changing lives.

With my education, a blend of local and international exposure, my childhood experiences, the team of dedicated colleagues, the support and faith in the leadership of Village Enterprise, we continue to fight against the scourge of poverty. And certainly, we are winning this war. I am more than glad to be part of this movement. Yes! A movement. A Movement, because we are not just an ordinary organization, we are a movement of like-minded people ready to end extreme poverty in the world. That is our vision.
If you doubt it, check out our Randomized Control Trial (RCT) results carried out in Uganda:

Randomized Control Trial: http://villageenterprise.org/our-impact/rct/
Development Impact Bond: http://villageenterprise.org/our-impact/development-impact-bond/

Dan Ouko joined Village Enterprise as a Program Innovations Manager (Kenya and Uganda) in September, 2017. He has nine-plus years experience working in different organizations and regions in East Africa. He has a background in Sustainable Livelihoods Development and Project Management, and he has undertaken other short courses in Strategic Management and Business Management.

The post Village Enterprise: Reaching the Unreachable appeared first on Village Enterprise.

Hanging from a thin metal wire from the ceiling of Truffosa Kivaya’s red clay compound is a small light bulb. She points to the bulb and proudly shares, “I bought this solar light with my savings.”

Truffosa’s hands are folded gracefully in her lap as her husband, Samuel Andande, peaks his head around the corner and gives a friendly wave.

She looks down at her hands and says, “I had no access to money and no skills to help me get an income.” As a mother of six children, Truffosa did everything in her power to pay the fees to keep her children in school. But sometimes it wasn’t enough. “They did go to school at times but they also had to return home weeks at a time when money was short.”

Business Mentor Felix Tiony identified Truffosa, along with 30 other individuals in Chukura, Kenya, to participate in the Village Enterprise program. She used the knowledge she acquired through the 3 month training program and the funds from the start-up grant to launch a sheep rearing and tomato selling business with her two business partners.

Truffosa quickly identified additional opportunities to expand her own individual business. She used the profits from her first venture to purchase both chickens and clothes to sell at the local market.

Her hard work and entrepreneurial spirit has certainly paid off. Today, not only can she purchase school supplies and uniforms for her children, but she is also able to afford the tuition for her daughter to attend training college to become a tailor. Truffosa explained how she has also been able to purchase better quality clothing for her retail business, which she can sell at a higher price.

Her husband, Samuel, is also quick to sing her praises. “We can now support each other better. She is the biggest contributor to the household day to day,” Samuel said.

Truffosa exits the sitting room, returning seconds later with a crisp box that previously held the solar light dangling above our heads. From her testimony, it is clear that this light has profoundly altered her daily life. “We have never had electricity. Through Village Enterprise I learned how to save and could buy this light. The light gives me more hours to work and to spend with my family,” she said.

The post Most Significant Change: Truffosa Kivaya appeared first on Village Enterprise.

Beatrice Nabwera and Halima Wanyonyi sit on a small grey tarp, picking the individual kernels off of a large pile of maize. They hardly seem to notice my approach, so focused on the task at hand, but when their eyes finally look up, Beatrice lets out a surprised “mzungu” and leaps off the ground to enthusiastically shake my hand.

In November of 2014, Business Mentor Rasheed Wanjala identified Beatrice and Halima as individuals whom qualify to participate in the Village Enterprise program. It has been 11 months since the two business partners started the training program, and the growth of their business has been remarkable.

Ripe, green capsicum (green peppers) hang from the vine. While the duo has primarily used the funds from the Village Enterprise start-up grant towards the growth of capsicum, they have also strategically used the profits from their business to begin planting other vegetables. As Rasheed pointed out, “This is a business that is profitable and sustainable. When the capsicum is already growing, they begin planting tomato and kale on the side.”

Rows of tree seedlings at different stages of growth emerge from black plastic bags. Beatrice and Halima are also the owners of a successful tree nursery. The women purchase seeds at the local market and raise the tree seedlings until they are healthy enough to be sold and planted elsewhere. These indigenous trees are not only helpful to provide refuge from the bright sun, but also to soak up excess water in the soil of swampy areas.

Beatrice and Halima both spoke of the changes that their households have witnessed since launching their business. Prior to participating in Village Enterprise, both women struggled to provide basic needs for their families. Halima shared “Today, we can purchase sugar and clothing for our families. This is very, very good.”

But for Beatrice, the most significant change differs. She proudly shared “my son is in University studying Business and Commerce.” She continued, “When I see profits from our business, I can now help pay for his school fees and accommodation.” Her hope is to continue expanding the business so she can support the educational aspirations of her other children as well.

Beatrice and Halima both give me warm hugs. As I stroll back to the main road, Beatrice taps on my shoulder from behind and hands me a large bag full of ripe capsicum and says “Karibu tena” (You are welcome, again).

The post Most Significant Change: Beatrice Nabwera and Halima Wanyonyi appeared first on Village Enterprise.

Catherine Mkangula is a 49 year old mother of four. She lives in the rural village of Chukura, Kenya.

Before Village Enterprise, Catherine did not own any sheep. “Life was so bad,” Catherine says as she slaps her hands against her chair. “The house was so dirty and I could only afford two meals for my family.” To make ends meet, she often went to her neighbors’ homes to beg for quick cash jobs.

After completing the Village Enterprise training program and receiving the start-up grant, Catherine and her two business partners started a dual business of both rearing sheep and selling chips (French fries).

Over a year later, Catherine continues to work ckalosely with her business partners. Their livestock business has grown from just one sheep to three. They have even expanded their business to include selling silver fish at the local market.

On her own, Catherine runs a poultry business, raising chickens until she can sell them at the market at a higher price. In the middle of a sentence she abruptly walked out of the house and returned with a proud smile, holding a few of the eggs that her chicken had laid and which she would be selling at the market later that day.

When asked how Village Enterprise has impacted her life she points to Felix, her business mentor, and exclaims “You know! You remember what this room looked like before, and how smart [nice] it looks now.” Felix nods his head and tells me how the very wooden chairs we are sitting in are a new addition to her living room.

With the profits from her business, Catherine can not only afford to feed her family three meals a day, but she also pointed out that they are eating a more balanced diet. Previously, her family used to consume ugali and local greens for every meal. Now, she is able to diversify their meals and can even afford meat. She shared, “chapati used to be a Christmas treat and now we can eat it weekly!”

Catherine also testified to how she has personally changed after starting her business. She refrained from having Felix translate and instead spoke in English, “I am free.” She then continued in Kalenjin (a local language) and Felix explained “she says that she doesn’t fear anymore.”

The most significant change of all? Catherine emphasized how the relationships within her community have changed for the better. Over 30 members of her community that used to rely upon casual labor now own their own businesses. “Now when I go to my neighbors’ homes, they know I am visiting for friendship and not to beg.”

Catherine’s words shed light on the fact that the Village Enterprise program holds the potential to not only change the lives of individuals, but also the dynamics of entire communities.

Catherine Mkangula in her home in Chukura, Kenya.

Catherine’s sheep are more interested in the maize drying outside her home than taking a picture with her.

Catherine shows off the fresh eggs produced by her kuku (chicken).

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Matilda—wife, mother, grandmother—and now also a business owner. She recently sat outside of her mud house in Maaga village, and shared her story about how her life has changed since participating in training through Village Enterprise. Before, Matilda performed casual labor for 5,000 Ugandan shillings a day (about $1.50). She was unable to access loans to start a business on her own due to high interest rates. Matilda’s husband is old and sick, and when she used to ask him for money, they would quarrel because he never had any to give her. School fees for their children caused a lot of financial stress in the home.

Matilda is now the breadwinner of the family. They have five children: three are grown and two are school aged. There are four grandchildren that Matilda helps care for as well. Matilda feels very proud that one of her daughters is now able to attend teacher training in order to become a nursery school teacher, and her son is now able to attend a secondary boarding school.

Matilda’s group started a sheep and goat rearing business, and they used the first Village Enterprise grant to buy three sheep. They now have a total of 12 sheep and goats. Matilda also started her own business selling silverfish that she buys from the market and resells in her community. She said she eats some of the fish as well, and her diet now includes more diverse foods. Her favorite thing to eat is meat soup. When asked how often she gets to eat her favorite meal, she laughed and said she wished she could eat meat every day, but “you don’t eat your own cow’s leg”. She is cautious with the meager capital that she has saved from her two businesses.

Life is still very challenging for Matilda. She has to work hard to sustain her businesses, and during a tight season last year she had to sell one of the goats to pay for her son’s school fees. Shortly after the program ended, Matilda bought herself a mattress. She said that she had been sleeping on a mat of reeds on the ground since childhood, so she dreamed of getting a mattress when she had the money. When her son went to boarding school last year, he was required to bring a mattress, so Matilda sacrificed hers for him. “The focus is on education right now”, she said. “Another mattress will come later.”

Matilda shared that being a business owner makes her feel like somebody. She laughed and said she feels others in the village looking at her tying up her livestock, and she thinks they must be saying to themselves, “I wish I was like that old woman and had joined the program!”

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