There are simply no words that can quite convey the distinct culture that exists at Village Enterprise. Our staff are not only dedicated to our mission of ending extreme poverty in rural East Africa, but are also committed to empowering one another. Our team has proven time and time again that we are not just coworkers, we are a family.
This familial connection can be viewed on a daily basis in the smallest of gestures. It’s the way staff greet every single person in the room before starting their days’ work. The shared celebrations that exist around births, marriages, and work successes. The unbounding support that exists during hard times. The never-ending laughter and dancing. The way our Ugandan Team shows appreciation by performing a unified, distinct clapping pattern that fills the room with positive energy.
Perhaps this culture persists because we are all connected by a larger intrinsic drive to positively contribute to our world. During a self-reflection activity at our recent Innovation Summit, each person took the time to reflect on their North Star, or the guiding principles that keep them centered in life. As we shared our thoughts, many discovered just how deep our shared values run. Love for our families, friends, and communities. A hunger for learning. An appreciation for humanity and our earth. A desire to create a better tomorrow.
What’s truly amazing is how effortlessly this culture transpires. How it withstands time. And how when staff leave, they can’t seem to stay away. Finance and Administration Associate Dennis Kwaligira accurately portrayed the depth of the Village Enterprise staff’s connection with his words, “people come and go from the Village Enterprise family physically, but spiritually we are together, forever.”
Village Enterprise teammates, Donah Chilo and Peter Dema
Twinsies! Heidi Graves and Cissy Nakayimba share a laugh in Kitale, Kenya
Staff Holiday Party in Uganda