Here is just some of what we accomplished in 2019:

1. In May 2019, Village Enterprise reached the important milestone of one million lives transformed! As of the end of 2019, we have started 48,000+ businesses, trained 185,000+ entrepreneurs, and transformed 1,042,00+ lives.

2. Our program participants’ income soared! Their increase in income* grew from 35% in 2018 to 71% in 2019, more than doubling. Learn more about our impact. (*Income is measured through participants’ consumption and expenditure.)

3. We continued to learn from two years of implementing Africa’s first Development Impact Bond for poverty alleviation. Learn more about Village Enterprise’s Development Impact Bond.

4. We revamped our training materials, making them more interactive and adding new digital tools for our business mentors. Better training has led to the increased success of our business owners. Learn more about our innovations.

5. Village Enterprise was a 2019 Drucker Innovation Award Finalist out of 403 applicants! Innovation continues to drive our organization forward with a focus on human-centered design and data-driven decision-making.

6. We were named one of the Top 10 Poverty Nonprofits in 2020 by ImpactMatters, in recognition of our high cost-effectiveness and sustainable impact on the lives of our business owners and their families. Our results were featured in the New York Times.

7. We launched new partnerships with Mercy Corps to continue our work with refugees and out-of-school youth in Uganda.  See our partnerships.

8. We developed award-winning dashboards for our field staff to better monitor the progress of participants’ small businesses and savings groups.

9. We were featured in the 10^th edition of Peter Singer’s book, The Life You Can Save, and our Uganda Country Director, Winnie Auma, narrated one of the chapters of the audio version, alongside celebrities such as Kristen Bell, Paul Simon, etc.

10. Village Enterprise invested in creating policies and training materials for our organization that ensure the welfare and safety of our program participants, community members, and employees, and we trained other organizations on best practices at the Segal Family Foundation Annual Meeting in September. See more about our Safeguarding training.

We look forward to continuing to work together in 2020 to end extreme poverty!

All our best,
Dianne Calvi

The post Our Top 10 for 2019 appeared first on Village Enterprise.

Morning in Kinshasa

One hazy, muggy week in late August, Liz Corbishley, Director of Village Enterprise’s Accelerator, and I arrived in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A few months before, our colleagues Peter Dema and Violah Kishoin had ventured into Maniema Province in Eastern DRC to conduct the first part of a feasibility study funded by the Arcus Foundation to examine how our model might provide sustainable livelihoods to help combat the illegal bushmeat trade around the Lomami Park. The purpose of our trip to the capital city was to assess the partnership landscape and to identify potential partners that might have the capacity and interest to operate a program in the TL2 region.

The DRC is often depicted as a country with ongoing conflict and rampant political violence. This stereotype understandably raises concerns about working in the DRC. Instead, what we found was vibrancy: a unique, dynamic culture, and a nation waiting to rebuild itself, if given the chance. Leading up to the trip we were filled with excitement, curiosity, and determination. Our goal was to meet with as many potential partners as possible in one short week. To identify which organizations we would meet with, we assessed alignment with our mission and values, proven capacity, experience with microenterprise development, an interest in the Village Enterprise model, and most importantly, existing presence in the TL2 region or a desire to scale there. This is new and exciting territory for the Village Enterprise Accelerator. Our scaling strategy is twofold. While our core program team oversees organic growth in Uganda and Kenya, the Accelerator seeks opportunities to scale through strategic partners who can implement our model with training and technical assistance.

Liz and Simone both put on their “ambassador hats” for their week in Kinshasa

My favorite ‘hat’ to wear in my job as Strategic Partnerships Manager is ambassador for Village Enterprise. I often become rhapsodic sharing our work and impact with a new audience. During the week, we met with a plethora of partners in a diverse range of settings: from USAID who focused on data and evidence, to conservation savants who stood in front of maps comparing bushmeat supply chains. We presented in a board-room full of Congolese staff, communicating through diagrams, Liz’s choppy French, and hand gestures. Some partners offered numerical insight into their conservation projections for the year. Others offered simple encouragement to continue delving deeper into this persistent problem.

Creating more impact together
Many conservation organizations struggle to deliver livelihood development interventions because their expertise and resources are conservation driven. For them, the benefits of our model were an easy sell. Organizations were eager to learn from our best practices, innovative approaches, and rigorous evaluation of impact in order to examine how collaboration could improve livelihoods and simultaneously contribute to their conservation efforts. We asked ourselves: how can we leverage partnerships that combine our experiences and expertise to create more impact, together?

What do you dream of for your country?
There is a frequent perception that the entire DRC is overcrowded, matted with soot, and filled with a host of problems that have plagued the country for decades. We did observe that working in the DRC’s development and humanitarian sector is extremely challenging, and security is a major constraint. As a result, many projects are temporal and the partnership landscape can be fragile. We met both development and humanitarian workers that were living under incredibly difficult conditions, doing work that most people turn away from. On the very last day of the trip, we met with a consultant named Paulson Kasereka. Paulson has co-authored a number of papers on the bushmeat trade in the DRC. As our lively discussion came to an end, Liz proposed one final question, “What are your dreams for your country?”

Paulson was quiet for a moment and then responded with palpable conviction. “I dream that my country will become a leader in progress for Africa,” he began. “My hope is that one day, DRC will pull other countries up with it.”

During our week in Kinshasa, Liz and I were able to see the DRC through the eyes of the fervent partners and dedicated Congolese citizens with whom we met. What we saw is that the DRC is indeed ripe with opportunity. The entrepreneurial spirit is unmistakable. And there is a desperate need to help some of the poorest people in the world. From my perspective, it is the consistent, untiring nature of the people we met that sets this country apart. What drives those us who work for Village Enterprise, and what drives our mission, is the desire to lift as many people out of extreme poverty as possible. We hope that by working with committed and inspirational partners like the ones we met, that we are able to pursue this, even in a complex, thorny place like the DRC.

We are still in the process of synthesizing the data and processing the information that came out of the trip. We will be reporting back in the next few months with results about how our program could be adapted to help eliminate extreme poverty and promote conservation symbiotically. The feasibility discussed has been made possible by the Arcus Foundation in an effort to better protect the DRC’s endangered bonobos (see below). 

The post Ripe with Opportunity appeared first on Village Enterprise.

“3CF partners with Village Enterprise in the Kitale area of western Kenya to help rural women living below the poverty line start small businesses that graduate them and their households out of extreme poverty.  Neighborhood women with similar business interests join into groups consisting of 3 entrepreneurs to establish each new business. 3CF’s grant supports Village Enterprise’s program that provides $90 in start-up capital per 3-person-run business. Following the initial grant and training, Village Enterprise provides ongoing onsite technical and motivational support for up to one year through additional training and mentoring as well as a follow-up grant of $40, 6 months after the start-up grant (if the business has met milestones set in its business plan). Village Enterprise also facilitates the formation of Business Savings Groups of 10 small businesses i.e. 30 individuals each.

In June 2016, my husband, Dave Straley, and I were pleased to visit 30 of these businesses in two districts near Kitale with Village Enterprise staff. It was a busy schedule over two days! In all, we met with approximately 120 enterprising women entrepreneurs, among whom several stood out. One of the most dynamic was Rebecca, who, with her business partners, started a chicken farm. Over just a short period, these women grew this small venture into much, much more.

Rebecca, a mother of 6 children, all of whom had completed at least primary school, greeted us with a huge smile and bubbling exuberance. We truly couldn’t have felt more welcome. We entered her family’s property on foot from the dirt road to first meet and chat with members of her family and one of her two business partners. Rebecca then showed us the enclosure where they originally started their business with 17 chickens. She mentioned that they faced an unfortunate challenge early on, when a thief stole of all the chickens; however, they persevered and managed to replace the birds with the profits they had already realized.

In the yard, Rebecca then showed us one of the sheep they managed to purchase with profits from the sale of eggs, a major milestone for growing and diversifying the small business.

Dave Straley standing with Rebecca, her business partner, neighborhood children, and the first goat. Photo Credit: 3rd Creek Foundation

From sale of the offspring of the first purchased sheep combined with continued income from the eggs, Rebecca and her partners then purchased their first cow, meeting a major goal for their business. Now these 3 families not only have access to high quality protein, but more profits from the sale of the excess milk, and further diversification.

Rebecca and her business partner proud to show the business cow. Photo Credit: 3rd Creek Foundation

Throughout the visit, Rebecca laughed and smiled, showing great pride in her and her business partners’ accomplishments. With determination, energy, perseverance, and respect for her family and community, Rebecca, with her partners, has succeeded in not only increasing her family’s income, but also her knowledge of business and the importance of saving. It is quite incredible to see how $150 in start-up capital coupled with business training and mentoring can transform the lives of women, their families, and their communities. 3rd Creek Foundation salutes Rebecca and the other Village Enterprise entrepreneurs of Kitale!”

Pam Straley is a founder and board member of 3rd Creek Foundation. She is an M.S., R.N., and Family Nurse Practitioner with a diverse background in nursing and health care administration. Her international career took off in 1974, when she joined the Peace Corps in Nicaragua as a community health volunteer. Recognizing her passion for global health, Pam continued to work with medical centers in Costa Rica and Indonesia. She has also consulted for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as its HIV/AIDS Prevention Project Manager in Zambia, as well as for the American Public Health Association, and Peace Corps. On the local front, Pam served as Manager of a clinic in Incline Village serving low income, uninsured residents of Northern Nevada. She currently serves on the board of Oral Health Nevada. Pamela earned her B.S.N. at California State Long Beach (1970), and M.S.N./F.N.P at the University of California, San Francisco (1985). She has published a health education manual and guide to general health services for foreigners in Indonesia.

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1. What will be the primary focus of your work with Village Enterprise?

As the Communications Fellow, I am now Village Enterprise’s ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground. I will be collecting and sharing stories and experiences from the field that illustrate our unique work and impact. A significant part of my work will be helping to elevate Village Enterprise as a thought leader in the international development industry. We have such a powerful model, one that you can see the impacts of on the ground everyday, so I am looking forward to ensuring that the world knows what we are doing.

2. What attracted you to Village Enterprise?

When I first saw this job posting advertised, I knew it was for me. Village Enterprise emanates such a good vibe. The work is incredible, and the impact even more exciting. I was impressed by the fact that 95% of Village Enterprise’s field staff is East African and we have an incredible presence in the communities in which we work. All of this has been confirmed in the weeks since I’ve arrived. I leave our team meetings feeling energized and inspired.

3. Why is extreme poverty a cause you care about?

I believe that development is about empowering individuals to be agents of change in their communities. Extreme poverty inhibits this in so many ways. Individuals living in extreme poverty could be teachers, doctors, and presidents. By eradicating extreme poverty, we can unleash the promise of all of these potential world changers, and that’s exciting to me.

4. What do you hope to gain from living in rural Africa/Uganda?

A full heart! I really look forward to the relationships that I will form with our staff and business owners in Uganda and Kenya. I am so grateful to be a part of such an enthusiastic and inspiring team that does such important and impactful work. How could I possibly walk away from this experience unchanged by that?

5. What challenges do you expect to face?

I think that a crucial part of being a non-national working in development is a constant questioning of where and why you fit into the work you do. While such a questioning is necessary, it is not always pleasant. Not every career path begs that you constantly question your own legitimacy! That being said, I welcome this challenge as I attempt to deepen my understanding of the complexities of development in East Africa.

6. What aspects of your background and experience do you feel will be most valuable in your role as Communications Fellow?

I have been lucky enough to have had a significant range of experiences thus far in my career. Each opportunity brought with it some unique component that I think will empower me in this position. Overall, I have had a lot of opportunity to engage genuinely with people from incredibly diverse backgrounds. As such, I am comfortable overcoming difference. Particularly, having lived and worked in Tanzania, I gained an understanding of East African culture (and I speak Swahili!) and an appreciation for the patience and stamina required for field work.

7. Is there anything else you would like to add?

I have been settled in Soroti, Uganda for just a few weeks now, and I cannot articulate how grateful I am to be a part of this passionate, funny, and brilliant team.

The post Get to know Hannah McCandless, Village Enterprise’s Resident Storyteller appeared first on Village Enterprise.

Coming in just shy of five feet tall, Joyce Kyalisiima is a powerhouse of positive energy — and now due to her dedication to “Saving with a Purpose,” so is her business.

As a Village Enterprise business owner, Joyce runs a small retail kiosk where people make small everyday purchases. Through receiving business training, guidance on saving, and seed capital from Village Enterprise, Joyce worked to grow her kiosk business. Business improved, but Joyce felt that one thing was missing-–music!  Joyce imagined that music would draw customers to her kiosk. She imagined that as customers conversed and shopped, her kiosk could be a place of gathering. Armed with a vision, Joyce turned her efforts toward execution.

The solution came in the form of our “Saving with a Purpose” (SWAP) program. SWAP is designed to allow business owners to reap the benefits of saving early in the program. Joyce set a goal of saving for a sound system and a solar panel to power it. Next, she calculated the cost and estimated how much she could save per week. Upon relaying this information to her Business Savings Group (BSG), they calculated how many weeks Joyce would need to save in order to reach her goal. The cost of the sound system and solar panel was over 140,000 shillings ($40 USD). Joyce carefully saved 9,000 shillings per week and faithfully delivered it at her weekly BSG meeting. After just four months, she reached her goal and purchased her music system. Now, you’ll find Joyce’s business bustling! With the volume up, feet tapping, and hands clapping, Joyce is living the transformation that comes with saving with a purpose!

Building on her recent success, Joyce now has a SWAP plan to purchase a plot of land, valued at 1.2M shillings ($350 USD) in approximately one year.

“Thank you for coming to this community!  I am very happy and excited about the program! Village Enterprise has done a tremendous job in terms of development for our village. Thank you to the donors – we are now all friends, no matter the distance!” – Joyce Kyalisiima

Joyce Kyalisiima and author, Christine Rose

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So how is it possible that two young Ugandan men, Solomon Tumusiine and Shadrach Kakooza, who regularly travel 25 kilometers on unpaved roads to reach Kakende, have been able to transform the lives of over 500 people in just 18 months. How, in such a short period, have fear and an absence of trust been supplanted by joy and hope for the future?

I was able to witness the somewhat magical, if simple, ingredients for these transformations on my recent Vision Trip to Uganda. There is a programmatic seriousness to Village Enterprise’s work. The values of honesty, transparency, and rigor underpin the ‘Business Savings Groups’ – making savings – and emergency loans — possible for often the first time. The values of teamwork, commitment, and customer service appear in the ‘Business Trainings’ conducted by Solomon (Field Coordinator), Shadrach (Business Mentor) and their peers. These all come together after four months of both training and planning in the ‘Disbursement Ceremony’ – where I was personally privileged to hand-deliver the first small grants to a number of three-person business teams. And sing and dance and celebrate.

…But let’s go back a bit.

The Village of Kakende is in the Kitara Kingdom, within the Bunyoro Region of Uganda. Only 1% of the households have electricity, and they live on less than half of the national average income. Kakende has about 175 households, almost all of which are classified as ‘ultra poor’.

Juliet Kobusinge is chair of the Local Council (a delegate from central government), and is also a Village Enterprise business owner. She joined the program in the spring of 2015, at least partly because Village Enterprise has approval as an outside organization from the regional authorities. Since then, she and her Business Group completed their training, started their rice business, and have added pigs to their business. For herself, she feels joy ‘all of the time’, because she is able to provide medical care and other necessities for her 9 children. Her children are also in school, which is very important to her.  She has helped identify and recruit other business owners to the Village Enterprise program, and continues to sell the program up into her political chain.

She sees significant changes since Village Enterprise entered the village. For example, her neighbors Leonard Kakeire, Kefe Karubanga, and Raphael Byabazaire have started a joint groundnut (peanut) business. They will sell twenty bags of peanuts this year, retailing for a total of $700. This will allow them to buy a tin roof for one home, which will cost about $160 (depending on the quality of the metal). Since they have just harvested, and it is going into the dry season, they will ‘re-till’ the land and look forward to the second rainy season of the year.  They are happy for the learning, appreciate the Village Enterprise structure, and they are all in a better place since they had zero savings before.  Two have a ‘save for a purpose’ goal of buying a bicycle and a pig.

Apart from individual successes, it’s clear to Juliet that there is a big change in the entire community – people are working in groups for the first time, and are ‘easy together’. There are still another 75 households that qualify for Village Enterprise’s program, so the work will continue in Kakende. For Juliet herself, she will continue with her business group, since it is profitable, and will pursue a personal rice business as well.

Those are just a few of the many personal stories I was fortunate to witness. The incredible virtuous cycle starts with the Village Enterprise locally focused programmatic seriousness – which is creating trust, fostering participation, creating success and joy, and enabling growth.

Field Coordinator Solomon Tumusiine and Uganda Country Director Winnie Auma in a Business Savings Group Meeting in Kakende

Board Member and author, Barb Bishop, with business owners during a Vision Trip to Uganda

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We are excited to have you on board! What will be the primary focus of your work with Village Enterprise?

I will be undertaking the role of Chief Operating Officer for Village Enterprise in Kampala, Uganda.  The role will be focused on providing leadership and guidance to the field team and liaising with the home office staff to assure that we are reaching our goals and objectives.

What attracted you to Village Enterprise?

The mission. Over the course of my career and the many years spent in East Africa I can’t think of a better way for development to happen than through sustainable practices being delivered to the ultra-poor. During the interview process it was also confirmed that Village Enterprise has a tremendous staff in San Carlos as well as the field. Being a part of a team has always been something I have enjoyed and combining this with the mission of Village Enterprise makes this a very exciting opportunity for me and my family!

What do you hope to gain from living in rural East Africa?

During my first time living in Uganda my heart, mind, and soul were transformed.  The people and friends I made will have an eternal impact on my life.  Ugandans painted a wonderful picture of what their actual situation was.  So much of what is portrayed about Africa in the news gives only a small glimpse into life in this part of the world.  There is so much joy, so many challenges, and countless opportunities.  Understanding the precise situation on the ground was very important in understanding how cross-cultural organizations can play a part in pushing forwards the hopes and dreams of Ugandans.  Simultaneously this teaches us a lot about what we can take back to our own homes through watching their daily lives.  My hope in going back is that I continue to learn about East Africa and that our team at Village Enterprise finds the best and most effective way to serve the people we are engaging through our programs.

What challenges do you expect to face?

Village Enterprise has an excellent foundation. A solid mission, a solid core of people who have been devoted for a long time to reaching that mission, and some excellent opportunities on the horizon. It is an exciting time to expand on all this work that has been done.  One of the primary challenges will be maintaining the feel and focus of this mission while still growing into new opportunities.  This is a very positive challenge and one I look forward to working with our team on.

There are also the natural challenges that come with working with a cross-cultural organization, but I am confident in all I have seen that our staff has done an excellent job of positioning Village Enterprise to address these issues.

What aspects of your background and experience do you feel will be most valuable in your role as our first Chief Operating Officer?

Over the course of my career I have had many opportunities to work with teams to achieve a goal. A lot of this has been in the context of development in East Africa. These experiences continue to show me how important it is to get a team working together in an effective and efficient manner. Clear roles and trusting those who fill those roles creates an environment where members feel empowered and compelled to participate. My hope is that I will bring these perspectives I have gained to our team at Village Enterprise.

Why is extreme poverty a cause you care about?

I grew up in an environment where I was given all the resources I needed to be successful.  At every step of my development, support was provided for me to dream and plan for my future and engage in the necessary activities to reach those goals.

After living in Gulu, Uganda, it became painfully clear that my experience wasn’t shared by most in this world. I was also able to witness the opposite end of my youth, one where people are challenged at every moment and forced to adapt and adjust with very little resources. It is simply seemed unfair, and it was at that point that I knew I wanted to be in a career as part of a team that worked towards changing that reality. I love Village Enterprise’s approach because it puts the necessary trust and empowerment with the people we work with by providing them several forms of resources to work themselves out of poverty. I believe this is a universal human right and am proud to be joining an organization that recognizes this as well.

Zach in an exercise with “The Recreation Project” in Gulu, Uganda, which he co-founded

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“To set context, every year I take a “Perspective Reset” trip – partly because I want to do my part in giving back, and partly because I feel it’s healthy to step away from our stressful, wealthy, unusual Silicon Valley lifestyle and put it all back in perspective just a bit.

Why Uganda?  For many years I have been involved with Village Enterprise, a microenterprise development organization supporting rural entrepreneurs in Uganda and Kenya. Village Enterprise operates a robust program, with African nationals managing all in-country operations.  Interested business owners (groups of 3) must demonstrate that they meet established criteria and submit a business plan.  Once approved, they receive 4 months of weekly business training, ongoing business mentoring, participation in a savings group, along with a grant of $150 USD to start their business ($100 is disbursed 2 months into the program, with the final $50 being disbursed 8 months into the program). Considering that the target audience makes less than $1.25/day, this amount is significant. The program is truly transformative for those who adopt the learning and business skills; from being able to send their children to school, to long-term improved health and living conditions. My biggest take-away is the sense of pride and ownership these entrepreneurs have – their faces light up as they share their success in improving the lives of their families.

Let me share a story of what I was so honored to experience – I will do my best to bring it to life, so you can get a sense of the significance… Who would not walk away humbled and forever changed?

A small group of us (Village Enterprise board members and supporters), were visiting from the states to see the work going on in the field.  We, along with village leaders and local staff, were invited to attend a grant disbursement meeting…or rather really more of a ceremony. 30 businesses were receiving their first $100 disbursement on this day. A momentous occasion in these villagers lives!

When we arrived at the disbursement site (bamboo mats and benches under a grove of trees), we were greeted with singing, clapping, dancing, waving of palm branches, drumming and “whooping.”  The joy in the air was palpable!  As they “danced” us from our vehicle to our seats of honor, the grant recipients continued dancing and clapping until we joined in with them – this was their intent!  We clapped and laughed and held hands as we all entered the disbursement area.   All of the villagers were dressed in their finest.

What followed might sound contrived or uncomfortable – but it was NOT!  It was beautiful and inspiring.

The disbursement began with local village leaders, Village Enterprise leaders, and community members each sharing words of greeting and encouragement to the business owners.

I do not recall ever hearing a more sincere and moving series of motivational vignettes. The leaders then asked that the foreign visitors also speak. Through translation, each of us shared words of encouragement and affirmation.  Despite living worlds apart, we easily bridged that gap to the common ground – all of us are living and working to provide better lives for our families and children.  The positive response from the crowd was overwhelming. I had been forewarned that foreign visitors in their midst would lend an air of significance to the occasion – similar to as if a dignitary attended one of our meetings.  Rather than fighting any awkward emotions about that, I chose to embrace it and was thankful that being present added to the memorable nature of their day.

Once the speeches were complete, it was time to disperse the funds.  Each group of three was called up one by one.  They put their thumb print on an official document, and then came to the disbursement table. Our visiting team had the privilege of dispersing the funds to each group, and congratulating them on this significant milestone. Each group came with a sum of funds they had already been saving; these funds were carefully twisted into the fabric of their garments to be sure that not one shilling was lost or misplaced. These carefully saved funds were handed to the one giving the disbursement; that person placed these funds in the envelope along with the $100 disbursement; this was done so it was clear there was a partnership between the business owners and Village Enterprise. When we gave the envelope back to the business owners with the complete funds, reactions were across the board – reserved quietness, shrieks of joy, kneeling in humble appreciation, “high fiving”, whooping and hollering.

Each was authentic to who they were and had their own share of emotion.  The fact that the entire savings they contributed was $2-3, and they were being granted $100 (50 times what they could save) – how amazing and life changing!

As the disbursement ceremony ended, we all danced and clapped and laughed and “shrilled” together, each of us discovering our “inner-African”, holding hands high, sharing a moment that none of us would ever forget.

It was remarkable how natural it all felt. I have never felt such unity with individuals that I had not previously known, and by every classification, we live worlds apart.   All of us were partnering together, from high-tech America to rural Africa.  It was a sacred moment.

Attending this disbursement was one of the most beautiful and moving experiences of my life! I do not understand why I have been gifted to witness such unique moments first-hand, but I feel both blessed and responsible to share such significance with those in my own world. These villagers in East Africa live with joy, and remind me what is important in life – our families, our children, our faith, our health, our communities. That is universal.  We have much to learn from them.”

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It was exciting having a visit from the founder of a family foundation who has supported Village Enterprise for more than five years. Dave and Pam have been passionate supporters of Village Enterprise as it aligns with the mission of their foundation to help individuals achieve economic independence.

The couple had an opportunity to go down the valleys and up the hills of Kitale and Kisere regions, traversing the villages, shaking hands with our program participants, seeing their businesses, and acknowledging the impact of Village Enterprise in the rural areas.

Our business owners were thrilled to learn that some of the grants they receive actually come from individual donors like Dave and Pam. Dave and Pam were gratified to see the results of their donations at work.

The duo were surprised to learn that most of the business owners had more than five children and that some had as many as eleven which translates to the fact that the organization is reaching many lives, especially children.

Dave and Pam were amazed with the kind of work Village enterprise is doing on the ground to help people living in extreme poverty. They were glad that we touch many lives in a very positive way.

“Our site visits over two days to thirty Village Enterprise-supported businesses were encouraging because you can actually see the participants progress out of abject poverty,” said Dave Straley.

“Being on-site, you also get the added benefit of hearing the women tell you how they are continuing to improve their lives through entrepreneurship. A common theme was: we have chickens, but will be adding goats with the profits from the chickens. Or, we sell vegetables along the road, but are adding chips for sale that we make each day. Enthusiasm about the future is contagiously uplifting.”

We are grateful to the 3^rd Creek Foundation for believing in what we do and helping end extreme poverty for thousands of rural Kenyans through entrepreneurship and innovation.

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Geneva Global, a global philanthropic development firm, is introducing the successful Speed School program that is currently operating in Ethiopia and Western Africa into this region in Uganda that has a large concentration of refugees and a high percentage of children not in school.  To address this critical issue, the Speed School initiative provides dropouts and non-entrant children with an accelerated learning program to complete their primary cycle of education. Offering a comprehensive approach to Africa’s out-of-school challenge, the Speed School initiative encompasses pedagogical innovations, economic empowerment, early childhood development and school readiness for preschoolers, and teacher training in mainstream schools.

Through a new partnership agreement, Village Enterprise will be implementing the economic development component of the Speed School model. We will work alongside partners such as ZOA, CHARFORD, and African Revival in the in the sub-counties of Alero, Koch Goma, Koch Lii, Lungulu and Anaka. The new schools will be introduced in communities within walking distance of government primary schools (approximately 2.5 kilometers).

The goal of Village Enterprise’s intervention will be to help parents and caretakers create a sustainable income and savings stream to support their children’s education. Village Enterprise will work with 30 parents group from the vulnerable households to transforming their Self Help Groups (SHGs) into Business Savings Groups.

This is the first time Geneva Global has outsourced the economic development aspect of its Speed Schools, and will be used as an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of working with a partner focused on the self-help savings element. Effectiveness of the partnership will be assessed on caretakers’ ability to continue to pay for school fees beyond graduation from the program.

Since April, Village Enterprise has successfully hired and trained 10 Business Mentors and officially launched operations across five sub-counties in the Nwoya District of Uganda. Training has been completed on our savings curriculum and most groups have already started saving. In Nwoya town today, there are noticeable signs of power coming and hope continues to flourish!

Thanks to our authors:

Ellen Metzger is the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Innovation.

Steven Onekalit recently joined the Village Enterprise team as a Project Manager with over 7 years of experience in community development, project implementation and programs. Most recently, he served as a Livelihood Officer for Community Development Initiatives in the districts of Gulu, Amoru and Nwoya in Uganda.

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