Five-Year Report July 2017 - June 2022
Dear Friends & Partners,
In the past five years, Village Enterprise has trained more than 83,000 first-time entrepreneurs, launched 29,000 businesses, and impacted the lives of 557,000 women, children, and men living in extreme poverty. To put those numbers in perspective, this is more than double the impact we had in the previous five years. This level of scale has only been possible because of your support.
The last five years have been a time of incredible growth and innovation at Village Enterprise. On top of deepening our impact in Uganda and Kenya, we’ve expanded our work to Rwanda, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, and Mozambique. We have also made significant improvements to our program, including the implementation of a powerful adaptive management system, a streamlined and more interactive training curriculum, and the use of digital technologies such as videos and mobile cash transfers to improve our efficiency and impact. And our organization has grown from just over 100 employees in 2017 to a world-class team that today is 440 members strong (97% in Africa) and growing quickly.
These improvements and the hard work of our stunning team led to many of our biggest achievements of the past five years, including:
- The success of the Village Enterprise Development Impact Bond, which was proven to have cost-effective, sustained impact for 95,000 women, children, and men in Uganda and Kenya despite the many challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- New strategic partnerships with local and national governments to incorporate our graduation model into government programs in Kenya and Rwanda.
- $19.8M in funding secured for DREAMS for Refugees, which will impact the lives of more than 200,000 people in Uganda and Ethiopia.
These achievements come at a crucial moment in Africa. The sudden onset of the pandemic in 2020 reversed decades of progress in poverty alleviation on the continent. The war in Ukraine has since sent the prices of food, fuel, and fertilizer soaring—hitting families living in extreme poverty the hardest and pushing communities to the brink of famine. And climate change threatens to push another 100 million into extreme poverty by 2030.
In many ways, our work has never been more important than it is at this very moment. We are fully committed to ending extreme poverty in rural Africa by equipping the most vulnerable women, refugees, and youth with skills and resources to launch sustainable businesses, build assets and savings, and adapt to the threats posed by climate change, conflict, and future crises. Through results-based funding and collective action with local and national governments, NGOs, funders, and private sector companies, we plan to impact the lives of 20 million people by 2030.
Thank you for being by our side these past five years. We are excited to go even further together in the years to come.
Dianne Calvi
CEO
Katie Boland
Board Chair
Our Impact: 2017 - 2022
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Businesses Started
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First-time Entrepreneurs Trained
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Total Lives Impacted
Igniting the Entrepreneurial Spirit Across Rural Africa
Over the past five years, we’ve dramatically grown our impact in Kenya and Uganda, launched operations in Rwanda, and partnered to reach vulnerable populations in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Congo-Brazzaville.
Click to explore our impact in:
Kenya Uganda Rwanda Ethiopia Mozambique Democratic Republic of Congo Congo-Brazzaville
The Power of Results-Based Funding & Sustainable Impact
Results from the Village Enterprise Development Impact Bond and our longitudinal study point to our entrepreneurs’ ability to build resilience and adapt to global shocks.
The Village Enterprise Development Impact Bond
Results from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted by IDinsight and published in March 2022 showed that the Village Enterprise Development Impact Bond (DIB) exceeded its targets. The Village Enterprise DIB sustainably improved the livelihoods of 95,000 East Africans and shielded them from the worst of the pandemic’s economic impacts.
Launched in the fall of 2017, this was the first-ever DIB for poverty alleviation in Africa. The $5.32M DIB set out to increase the consumption and assets of 14,000 first-time entrepreneurs living in extreme poverty in Kenya and Uganda by equipping them with the skills and resources to launch sustainable businesses and savings groups. Results from the RCT showcased cost-effective, sustained impact in income and asset increases for over 14,000 households, and IDinsight projected an increase in lifetime household income of over $21 million.
The success of the Village Enterprise DIB highlights how results-based funding can drive outcomes and innovation. By shifting the focus from activities to outcomes—that is, by reimbursing results rather than receipts—Village Enterprise had more flexibility to innovate and iterate to drive results.
We believe that results-based funding has the power to transform poverty alleviation and international development as we know it, ensuring development organizations focus on results and impact. With this in mind, we are in the process of co-designing a poverty graduation and climate resilience outcomes project with the government of Rwanda that will impact 360,000 lives in its first three years.
Partners on the DIB
The FCDO is committed to supporting innovation and using evidence to drive positive and sustainable change for people living in extreme poverty. We are proud to have contributed USD $2million (~GBP £1.6m) in support of this project, which has helped 95,000 people in Kenya and Uganda improve their livelihoods and remain resilient to future economic shocks. The success of the project demonstrates that the private sector can, and does, play a vital role in our pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals. We hope that it can be a blueprint for similar programmes across Africa and beyond.
Agnes’ Story
During a year of lockdowns and market closures because of the pandemic, Agnes Alepo went from having no economic means to owning several businesses. Learn how the Village Enterprise Development Impact Bond impacted the lives of more than 95,000 individuals, including those of Agnes and her children.
READ MORELong-Term Impact, Despite the Pandemic
Results from our longitudinal study of more than 400 entrepreneurs in Kenya and Uganda found that both household consumption and savings continued to increase after the end of our program, with an 83% increase in consumption and a 933% increase in savings over five years. These increases are especially remarkable given that the results are adjusted for inflation and the final round of data collection took place in 2021, when millions of households in Africa were being pushed back into poverty due to economic effects of the pandemic.
These results, along with those from the Village Enterprise DIB, suggest that our entrepreneurs have developed an increased ability to build resilience and adapt to the negative impacts of global shocks such as climate change, the pandemic, rising prices, and more.
Recognition
During the past five years, we’ve received awards and recognition from these respected organizations.
Five Years of Innovation & Achievement
Launched the Village Enterprise Development Impact Bond (DIB)
The Village Enterprise DIB, the first-ever DIB for poverty alleviation in Africa, launched in 241 villages across western Kenya and eastern Uganda.
Completed First Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) with Innovations for Poverty Action
The RCT demonstrated that our program is a cost-effective, scalable, and sustainable solution for increasing the income and savings of people living in extreme poverty, and that our entrepreneurs, especially those who are female, have an improved overall sense of well-being.
Endorsed by ImpactMatters (now part of Charity Navigator) and The Life You Can Save
Village Enterprise received new endorsements by two rigorous charity evaluators for our high-impact intervention and commitment to data-driven programming.
Formed a New Partnership with the Lwala Community Alliance
This first-of-its-kind collaboration brought together Lwala’s community-led health model with Village Enterprise’s expertise in business development in southwest Kenya.
Expanded to the Democratic Republic of Congo
Through a partnership with African Wildlife Foundation, Village Enterprise began working in the Maringa-Lopori-Wamba landscape with the goal of reducing deforestation and the poaching of bonobos by creating alternative income sources.
Partnered with Mercy Corps in Northern Uganda
Village Enterprise collaborated with Mercy Corps to develop an adapted business model for refugees in northern Uganda to promote resilience and reduce aid reliance.
Received Four-Year Grant from the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Challenge Fund
Village Enterprise was part of a consortium led by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) that was awarded the IWT grant to establish programming near Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda to reduce poaching and start small businesses.
Received Recognition from Founders Pledge
Founders Pledge endorsed Village Enterprise as a Top Charity for Women’s Empowerment.
One Million Lives Impacted
Village Enterprise achieved the milestone of having impacted one million lives across East Africa since our inception, and set a new goal to impact a total of 20 million lives by 2030.
Selected as a Finalist for The Drucker Prize
The Drucker Institute selected Village Enterprise as a finalist for the prestigious Drucker Prize, recognizing our commitment to innovation in the field of poverty alleviation.
Adopted New Digital Technologies
New digital platforms and technologies were implemented in the field for increased impact, including mobile cash transfers and an adaptive, interactive management system.
Expanded to Rwanda
Village Enterprise officially expanded operations to Rwanda in 2020, working to hire a full team and launch our poverty graduation program within a year.
Partnered with World Vision in Mozambique
In response to the devastation left by Cyclone Idai, Village Enterprise partnered with World Vision to implement our poverty graduation model in Mozambique with the goal of establishing over 800 businesses.
Developed Kenya’s First County-Level Poverty Graduation Policy
This groundbreaking policy in West Pokot County combined Village Enterprise’s poverty graduation model with existing governmental interventions, receiving praise from the World Bank and the Department for International Development.
Village Enterprise Admitted to the Million Lives Collective
Sponsored by the Global Innovation Exchange, this award recognized our achievement of impacting one million lives.
DREAMS for Refugees Received Recognition
Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems (DREAMS) was selected as one of five finalists for the $12 million Larsen Lam ICONIQ Award, and subsequently secured $19.8 million in funding.
Partnered with the Government of Kenya on the Kenya Social Economic and Inclusion Project (KSEIP)
KSEIP supported the government of Kenya in testing economic inclusion interventions for 7,500 households living in extreme poverty. Successful implementation of the project has continued into fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
Launched Nawiri Pilot Program in Northern Kenya
In partnership with Catholic Relief Services and USAID, we adapted our poverty graduation program by layering it with additional components to address the region’s acute malnutrition.
Success of the Village Enterprise Development Impact Bond (DIB)
Village Enterprise’s second RCT showed the DIB exceeded its targets, sustainably improving the lives of 95,000 people across Kenya and Uganda and shielding them from the worst of the pandemic’s economic effects.
Village Enterprise Longitudinal Study Showed Sustained Impact
The internal study revealed an 83% increase in consumption and expenditure as well as a 933% increase in savings over five years, highlighting sustained impact for our entrepreneurs and their families.
Launched DREAMS for Refugees in Uganda
Funded by the IKEA Foundation, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Sea Grape Foundation, and an anonymous philanthropist, Village Enterprise and Mercy Corps officially launched DREAMS for Refugees in Uganda and prepared to launch in Ethiopia in early 2023.
Partnered with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo-Brazzaville
Village Enterprise team members provided technical assistance to WCS in order to aid conservation efforts and lift communities out of extreme poverty.
Signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Rwandan Government
The MOU will pave the way for Village Enterprise and the government of Rwanda to co-design a poverty graduation and climate resilience outcomes project with the goal of impacting 360,000 lives in the first three years.
