Village Enterprise

Investing in women is at the heart of what we do. In fact, 83% of our entrepreneurs are women. ????♀? The role women play in ending extreme poverty is critical. Women are more likely to invest in their children and families, breaking the cycle of extreme poverty for their entire household. ?? That's why our model equips women with the training, business mentoring, and startup cash to become business owners. As their incomes and savings increase, women in our program use their earnings to provide more nutritious meals for their children, pay for their children's education, and purchase the items their children need to thrive. ?? This success has a ripple effect. When women have opportunities to become business owners and take on leadership roles, everyone benefits—families, communities, and generations to come.

Leaders from Village Enterprise met with the Government of Kenya this week in Nairobi to discuss our partnership to end extreme poverty in Kenya. Village Enterprise’s Board Chair, Bruce Sewell, and Chief Executive Officer, Dianne Calvi, met with?Principal Secretary Joseph Motari of the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs?to explore further collaboration opportunities. They were joined by Village Enterprise’s Board Member, Serah Kimani, Chief Government Relations and Technical Assistance Officer, Taddeo Muriuki, and Kenya Country Director, Leah Okero.? During the meeting,?Principal Secretary Motari?expressed his appreciation for Village Enterprise’s commitment to working closely with both national and county governments to advance the?poverty graduation model. This proven approach—combining entrepreneurship training, mentoring, and cash grants—has empowered thousands of families to break free from extreme poverty in Kenya. Dianne Calvi emphasized the importance of collective action in addressing poverty, highlighting the need for strong partnerships between state and non-state actors. She stressed that creating an enabling environment and improving access to resources for entrepreneurship and innovation are key to ensuring the success of first-time business owners and lifting entire communities out of extreme poverty. Village Enterprise looks forward to?deepening our collaboration with the?State Department for Social Protection and Kenya county governments?to expand poverty graduation efforts?and help end extreme poverty in Kenya.

???? New here? Let us introduce ourselves! ?? At Village Enterprise, we believe it's possible to end extreme poverty. By equipping the most vulnerable women, refugees, and young people to start small businesses, we're using #entrepreneurship to break generational cycles of poverty and transform lives. ?? Check out this brief guide to learn more about our work and how entrepreneurship has the power to end extreme poverty in rural Africa!

Meet Loice, a 26-year-old entrepreneur living near Uganda’s Kibale National Park ?????? As a single mother, Loice is raising her two young children on her own. Passionate about clothing and fashion, Loice launched a tailoring business, but she struggled to make ends meet with limited access to materials and markets. Everything changed when she joined Village Enterprise. By receiving business training, mentorship, and the startup cash to source quality fabrics and tools, Loice had all the resources she needed for her business to succeed. Together with her two business partners, Scovia and Mable, their new tailoring and clothing business took off. As their business grew, they used the profits to buy five goats, helping them launch a second business of goat rearing. But they didn't stop there—in fact, they used their profits from goat rearing to start growing coffee, which has become their most profitable business yet. Together, these businesses have provided reliable income and helped all three women get out of extreme poverty. Today, Loice is proudly paying for her children's education, purchasing important household items, and saving to build a new family home. She's also dreaming big—one day, she plans to open up her very own boutique. ??: Jjumba Martin

Through the power of #entrepreneurship, we're equipping vulnerable women, refugees, and young people in rural Africa to lift themselves out of extreme poverty. To date, we have: ?? Trained 322,000+ entrepreneurs ?? Launched 100,000+ businesses ?? Transformed more than 2 million lives! By becoming first-time business owners, our entrepreneurs are breaking generational cycles of extreme poverty and rewriting the future for themselves and their families.

We're thrilled to share that our very own Senior Business Mentor, Rusoke Pauline, has received the 2024 Field Officer Appreciation Award for East and Southern Africa from Whole Foods Market Foundation ?? Congratulations to Pauline and the other award winners—thank you for all of your work to end poverty and build a brighter, more sustainable future for all!

Many of the entrepreneurs we work with make stunning, handmade goods crafted with care—from textiles and baskets to blankets and tapestries. Not only do they bring beautiful items to life, but our entrepreneurs' creativity helps their businesses thrive, helping them to break the cycle of extreme poverty for themselves and their families.

Village Enterprise, in collaboration with UN Women and the County Government of West Pokot, is excited to launch the Evidence to Policy for Kenya Care Economy Project in West Pokot County, Kenya! ?? This initiative seeks to tackle the heavy burden of unpaid care work, which disproportionately impacts women and hinders their involvement in economic activities. According to a survey conducted by UN Women, women in Kenya spend 4.6 times more time on unpaid care work than men—equivalent to 196 full-time workdays per year, compared to just 46 days for men. This one-year project was officially launched in January by Lucky Litole, West Pokot County’s CECM for Tourism, Gender, Culture, Sports, Youth & Social Services, alongside UN Women’s Country Representative, Antonia N'gabala Sodonon, and Village Enterprise’s Kenya Country Director, Leah Okero. The launch followed a visit by the Deputy Governor, H.E. Robert Komolle. Funded by the Gates Foundation, this project represents a vital step in empowering women, supporting vulnerable communities, and advancing poverty alleviation efforts in the county.

Meet Rose, an extraordinary entrepreneur living in the Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement in Uganda ?? In 2016, Rose fled the war in South Sudan with her family and arrived at the refugee settlement. "I am a mother of four children and my husband has a disability," Rose says. "Upon our arrival here, things were not easy at my household since I was the one supporting my family. However, Village Enterprise supported us in our business group with financial literacy and business development skills." In 2022, Rose joined DREAMS, an award-winning program from Village Enterprise and Mercy Corps designed to equip refugees to overcome extreme poverty and rebuild their lives through self-reliance. After receiving business training and a startup grant, Rose started selling smoked fish and sesame seeds with two other refugees at a local market. With their profits, they launched a second business of pig farming, which helped establish another source of reliable income for their families. Through their business success, Rose and her business partners have been able to better provide for their children. For Rose, her success has also strengthened her own sense of accomplishment as both a mother and woman entrepreneur. "We stand firm as three individuals to support our families,” Rose says. ??: Jjumba Martin

This week, Village Enterprise co-hosted the National UPG Strategy Consultative workshop with the Kenyan State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizens Affairs, alongside stakeholders who are working to uplift people living in extreme poverty and to strengthen Kenya’s social protection and economic inclusion systems. The three-day workshop was officially launched by the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs, Hon. Joseph Motari. Village Enterprise’s Chief Government Relations and Technical Assistance Officer, Taddeo Muriuki, welcomed participants who also included non-state actors, and reiterated Village Enterprise's commitment to see the strategy completed by May 2025. The workshop brought together participants from the government, CHASP Advisory, Catholic Relief Services, World Vision Kenya, the World Food Programme in Kenya, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Instiglio. This is an important step forward in tackling extreme poverty and improving Kenya's support systems for vulnerable communities. The strategy builds on the achievements of earlier programs including the Kenya Social and Economic Inclusion Project, funded by The World Bank, which have utilized the poverty graduation model to help participants start small businesses, boost their incomes, and put themselves and their families on a pathway out of extreme poverty.