Table of Contents
A Note from Us to You Ending Extreme Poverty Building Resilience, Driving Impact Our Audacious Goal Highlights from Kenya Highlights from Uganda Highlights from Rwanda Expansion Village Enterprise Development Impact Bond Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems Voices of Tumaini (Hope) Financials Our Team Lead Donors and Funders
Dear Friends and Partners,
Thanks to your support, we lifted more Africans out of extreme poverty than at any other time in our history. Despite additional lockdowns throughout Africa due to the pandemic, 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 women, children and men. To achieve this new level of scale (57% more businesses than FY20), we expanded beyond Kenya and Uganda to Rwanda and Mozambique where we started 280 and 800 businesses respectively.
Our continued focus on increasing gender equity ensured that women in our program (83% of our first-time entrepreneurs) assumed leadership roles, developed greater agency in their households and communities, and benefited from shared control of their household resources. Women in our program experienced significant increases in income, nutrition, savings, and assets as well as improved status in the community, mental health, and an overall sense of well-being.
To continue operating throughout the lockdowns, we greatly expanded our use of digital solutions including mobile cash transfers, video training tools for both our entrepreneurs and our partners, and mentoring via mobile phones. Digital solutions not only allowed us to enhance our services to our entrepreneurs, but they also allowed us to provide training to our partners when travel was no longer possible.
Partnerships are the key driver in our efforts to scale our work throughout rural Africa. During FY21, we continued to build upon our work with existing partners as well as forged new partnerships to increase our impact in these areas:
- Conservation: Wildlife Conservation Society, IIED, and Africa Wildlife Foundation
- Gender Equity: Days for Girls and UN Women
- Government Adoption: The government of Kenya, GDI, BOMA Project, and World Bank
- Health and Nutrition: Lwala Community Alliance and Catholic Relief Services
- Refugees: Award winning DREAMS partnership with Mercy Corps and IDInsight
- Results Based Funding: Instiglio, IDInsight, GDI, USAID DIV, UKAID, and several investors including our lead investor, The Delta Fund.
None of this would have been possible without our passionate team of stunning colleagues. In the past year alone, we added close to 100 new team members, promoted several of our African staff into executive roles, and launched innovative professional development initiatives.
Your support is critical to our success. Thank you for believing in our vision of a world free of extreme poverty!
We believe a world free of extreme poverty is possible.
Using a community-based and locally-led approach, the Village Enterprise poverty graduation program helps first-time entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa move beyond extreme poverty by equipping them with the resources, knowledge, and leadership skills needed to start sustainable, long lasting businesses and savings groups. Our model empowers our entrepreneurs to build resilience and shape better futures for themselves, their families, and future generations to come.
Breaking the Cycle of Poverty
Backed by evidence from our randomized control trial conducted by Innovations for Poverty Action, the Village Enterprise comprehensive approach ensures that our first-time entrepreneurs are equipped with resources to provide adequate nutrition for their families, send their children to school, cover household expenditures, build savings, and assets and improve their living standards.
To date, Village Enterprise has:
Entrepreneurs
Extreme Poverty.
Gender equity is key to ending poverty
Village Enterprise’s mission is to end extreme poverty in rural Africa—and we cannot do that without addressing gender inequity head-on. Women play a critical role in eradicating poverty as they are more likely to invest in their children and break the cycle of poverty. Our poverty graduation approach empowers women to run businesses, save for the future, and participate in financial decision-making and leadership positions for the first time. We are encouraged by the results of our randomized control trial which demonstrated that when women participated in our program, they not only experienced significant increases in income, savings, assets, and nutrition, but also improved standing in the community, improved mental health, and an overall sense of happiness. Not only were women and their families better off financially, they were also happier and had a greater sense of hope for their future and the future of their children.
Village Enterprise Impact
Most of our entrepreneurs who graduated from our program during country lockdowns adapted to the challenging environment and still managed to keep their businesses operating (98% at exit). Our participants’ progress was evaluated in December 2020 once most in-country Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. Despite the adverse effects of the pandemic on markets in Uganda and Kenya, the outcomes were very encouraging as our participants were able to generate very healthy increases in savings both at the household and business savings group levels. Annual consumption and expenditure—a proxy for income—also saw a substantial increase (22%), although lower than the previous year (58%).
Technology advances everyday and in turn changes how we operate on a global scale. To stay on the cusp of innovation, we always look to use cutting-edge solutions to drive our programming into the future. We track and evaluate the implementation and performances of our businesses, savings groups, and field staff via award-winning dashboards. We use adaptive management techniques to constantly improve our poverty graduation program and maximize the benefits and impact on our entrepreneurs’ lives.
Access to the internet is becoming an increasingly apparent human right globally and the pandemic has highlighted the importance of bridging the digital gap sooner than later. Prior to the pandemic, we had already begun addressing this issue by shifting to mobile cash transfers of start-up capital for our entrepreneurs and deploying our adaptive management dashboards and digital tools for our business mentors.
To build new digital solutions, we were awarded funding in fall 2020 by the Covid-19 Adaptation Fund, a fund managed by Instiglio and Global Development Incubator. The Fund is financing technological adaptations to increase the scalability and the impact of our training and mentoring.
Village Enterprise has:
- Designed a hybrid in-person/online learning and training platform through the production of training videos, distribution of portable projectors and smartphones, and creation of a toll-free number to answer questions in real-time for our first-time entrepreneurs and cohorts:
- This formula allows our front-line field staff to conduct 50% more trainings than before.
- 90% of the participants noted remembering what was taught after the digital training.
- Established a toll-free number that first-time entrepreneurs can call with questions in real-time.
- Reduced the number of trainings to free up more time for our women entrepreneurs. This shift empowers female first-time entrepreneurs to stay in the program while also tending to their other personal obligations.
- Increased efficiency and impact of our first-time entrepreneurs—on average, 85% of participants note that they understand and are happily satisfied with our program.
20 million lives in rural Africa by 2030
To reach our 2030 goal, we will:
Work in partnership with NGOs to drive advocacy efforts and scale up evidence-based approaches for economic inclusion.
Play a leadership role in results-based funding for poverty alleviation.
Drive government adoption of poverty graduation and results-based funding in sub-Saharan Africa.
;)
Our new FY21-FY23 strategy recognizes that the world is shifting fast, and is created to pivot and change as required. The future may be harder to see clearly, but at Village Enterprise we continue to envision a world free of extreme poverty.
We have five strategic priorities in our strategy. Supporting entrepreneurs onto a pathway out of extreme poverty will remain at the heart of what we do. Between 2021 and 2023, we will equip 90,000 entrepreneurs to start 30,000 businesses transforming the lives of 630,000 Africans.
To achieve this, we will collaborate with partners; design, adopt, and scale digital solutions; invest in our people; and promote and facilitate results-based funding for poverty alleviation.
For FY21 in Kenya, we achieved:
Collaboration is the key: our strategic partnerships in Kenya
Village Enterprise is working to scale our model alongside our long-time partner and peer, the Boma Project, and with the Global Development Incubator, a nonprofit with vast experience working with governments across the globe. The project supports the government of Kenya in testing economic inclusion interventions for 7,500 Kenyan households in five counties: Kisumu, Makueni, Marsabit, Murang’a, and Taita Taveta. Together with our partners, we are working to build the government’s capacity to implement economic inclusion activities and integrate the model with existing social protection programs. KSEIP is a strategic project for our organization, and we believe that the most sustainable, scalable pathway to ending extreme poverty is by having full government support.
Nawiri: Tackling malnutrition through an adapted poverty graduation model
Northern Kenya has experienced decades of persistent acute malnutrition. Extreme poverty has been cited as one of the leading causes of malnutrition among children under the age of five. USAID Nawiri is a Development Food Security Activity funded by the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. The first of its kind in Kenya, Nawiri is designed to sustainably reduce persistent acute malnutrition through a multi-sectoral approach in four counties in Northern Kenya. Village Enterprise has adapted its poverty graduation program for nutrition by layering it with additional components of cash transfers for consumption, health and nutrition education and counselling, and social behavior change.
Over the past year, Village Enterprise focused on piloting, and assessing the effectiveness of, the adapted poverty graduation program to combat malnutrition in Isiolo County. The county is very remote and suffers from floods, drought, animal diseases, resource based conflicts among communities, and gender discrimination.
The success of the pilot has led to additional funding to scale up the program.
Despite the challenges, our pilot programing successfully launched:
Creating a poverty graduation policy with the West Pokot County government
While the Economic Justice Program successfully concluded in May 2021, Village Enterprise has received additional funding from Open Society Foundations for further collaboration and advocacy work with the government of West Pokot.
For FY21 in Uganda, we achieved:
Collaboration is power: our strategic partnerships in Uganda
Village Enterprise is currently carrying out a three-year partnership with the Whole Planet Foundation in Northern Uganda. Whole Planet Foundation is committed to investing in entrepreneurial solutions to alleviate extreme poverty. This current partnership reflects Whole Planet Foundation’s first foray into the poverty graduation approach and the distribution of micro-grants (rather than loans), and reflects our dual commitment to market-based solutions and strategy for furthering collaboration with the private sector.
To date, we have empowered over 5,200 new entrepreneurs in Northern Uganda, creating a pathway out of poverty for over 33,000 people.
Reducing illegal wildlife trade with wildlife-friendly microbusinesses
Alongside the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Uganda Conservation Foundation, and other local nonprofits, we are working to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and eliminate illegal wildlife trade around hot spots in Murchison Falls National Park in Kiryandongo District. Village Enterprise has established 180 wildlife-friendly businesses to generate alternative sources of income.
Our entrepreneurs now generate non-poaching related income by running sustainable businesses such as sun flower and chilli farming and trading. (Fun Fact: Elephants hate chilis!) Beyond that, entrepreneurs are trained about the benefits of conserving protected areas and their role in providing actionable information on wildlife crime. They were supported in protecting their crops and livestock from wild animals by the community scouts, according to a research study by IIED.
For FY21 in Rwanda we achieved:
Our boots are on the ground: Launching Rwanda in 2021
We are stepping into Rwanda in sync with the government, who has pledged to end extreme poverty in the country by 2024 in the country. Village Enterprise aims to help work towards this very goal by integrating our poverty graduation into the government’s social protection program. To start, we are working in Goma and Sironji of the Rulindo District with the intention of expanding into other districts in the future. Rulindo ranks as the third poorest district in the country.
Not only did we open a new office of operation, but we also hired Sylvere Mwizerwa as our inaugural country manager. In addition, we brought on board a group of talented finance, monitoring and evaluation, and field staff to expand our program. With the support of these new team members, we were able to launch our-first ever Rwandan cohorts, empowering 840 individuals and starting 280 new businesses. In the next year, we plan to fund 1,000 small businesses and train 3,000 new first-time entrepreneurs.
"To build a successful business, you must start small and dream big."
Sylvere Mwizerwa
Rwanda Country Manager
With a focus on our mission of ending extreme poverty in rural Africa, we partner with large international nonprofits and governments to adapt, adopt, and implement our cost-effective, evidence-based poverty graduation program. Working together, we can achieve greater impact and scale.
Supporting cyclone-devastated families in Mozambique
In response to the devastation left by Cyclone Idai in Mozambique in March 2019, Village Enterprise has provided technical support to World Vision Mozambique, adapting and implementing our poverty graduation model to support families that were most impacted by the disaster. Funded by USAID and implemented during the pandemic, we adapted our approach so that we could work remotely with World Vision staff to facilitate Zoom recruitment and training sessions and select 20 business mentors to implement the project. World Vision then targeted the participants for the program (60% Internally Displaced Persons, and 40% from host communities).
Since the onset of this project, we have joined World Vision in:
Supporting
2,400
Households
Establishing
80 BSGs
Creating
800 New Micro-Enterprises
Providing alternative livelihoods to reduce illegal hunting and fishing
In partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo-Brazzaville, Village Enterprise helped implement an adapted version of our poverty graduation program to provide alternative sources of income for those directly involved in illegal hunting and fishing. Under the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing and Sustainable Wildlife Management Project guidelines, the Village Enterprise team trained Wildlife Conservation Society’s staff on collecting data for household-level analysis with a poverty graduation perspective.
Transforming lives through results-based funding: The Village Enterprise Development Impact Bond
We are working to end extreme poverty in rural Africa. We cannot do that without disrupting the poverty alleviation and economic inclusion space for the better. Selected from over 80 organizations based on the strength of our randomized controlled trial (RCT) results, Village Enterprise launched the first Development Impact Bond (DIB) for poverty alleviation in sub-Saharan Africa in fall 2017. This $5.32M DIB directs funding towards increasing consumption and assets of first-time entrepreneurs living in extreme poverty.
From 2017-2020, with impact investments for the DIB, Village Enterprise accomplished the following:
Due to operational challenges posed by the pandemic, we adjusted the program to successfully complete full delivery by December 2020 under the DIB contract. An independent randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted by IDinsight in 2021 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 February 2022. The DIB has transformed the Village Enterprise organization by:
A winner of the “Larsen Lam Iconic Impact Award for Refugees”, Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems for refugees (DREAMS) is an innovative program created by Village Enterprise in partnership with Mercy Corps and IDInsight. Together we will transform the lives of 150,000 of the most vulnerable refugees by integrating and layering 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 significantly improve their well-being.
Our collaborative approach layers the two evidence-based models to achieve:
Poverty graduation will provide refugees with the capital and skills needed for support as they establish businesses. At the same time, market systems development will help build market access pathways to ensure those businesses can be successful. The project was recently awarded $8 million from an anonymous philanthropist, $2 million from the Sea Grape Foundation,and $2 million from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to implement DREAMS in Uganda and Ethiopia over the next five years
In 2017, Village Enterprise partnered with the Whole Planet Foundation to grow our poverty graduation program in northern and western Uganda.
Wanican, from the Okiir Village in northern Uganda, is one of the 4,500 first-time entrepreneurs who received seed capital to start a microenterprise because of this partnership. When her husband died, Wanican found herself head of her household, a status shared by only one in four women in her community. After being introduced to Village Enterprise in 2017, Wanican transformed from a shy housewife to the confident leader of her business savings group.
This is her story in her own words.
In our society, a woman’s place is in the kitchen. For many years, I filled the role of a typical housewife, and any issues beyond the household were handled by my late husband. I was afforded little opportunity to join any social or formal community group like a town council or a farmer’s union—most established groups were for men only.
The arrival of Village Enterprise in our community marked a turning point in my life—and for others. The program vowed to empower both men and women equally to work towards a poverty-free, sustainable, and bright future. I learned about hygiene and sanitation, family support, business planning, and management.
Towards the end of our training, we formed a business saving group of 30 members. I was nominated to take on the role of chairperson. At first, I was hesitant and refused to accept the role due to fear and lack of confidence in my abilities. Despite feeling like I would not be able to manage this position, I was convinced to accept the position.
The Village Enterprise business mentors trained me on leadership and group management skills, and I started to gain confidence in my role as chairperson. I realized that I did not need to tell people what to do but rather facilitate, support, and counsel when important matters arose. As chairperson, I motivate group members to develop a vision for their families to contribute to their savings every week. I monitor and document those visions for each member, noticing positive changes for each family. My group members have a lot of trust and hope in my leadership, and we are now one of the best performing business savings groups in the Nwoya district.
Through the program, I started a business with two other individuals growing rice, corn, and groundnuts. From my business’s profits and the savings from my business savings group, I bought three acres of land, five goats, a motorcycle for my son to earn money transporting people daily, and set up a mobile money shop town council. I built a latrine, rubbish pit, and bathing shelter, considerably reducing disease incidences among my family members.
The fiscal year ending in June 2021 showed continued revenue growth with a 9% increase over FY20, exceeding the prior year by $475,000. This escalation was driven by an increase in bi-lateral funding with two large partnerships, the Nawiri project in Kenya led by Catholic Relief Services and the Cyclone Idai project in Mozambique with World Vision, both funded by USAID, as well as an increase in government revenue (U.S. PPP and government of Kenya). Individual donations grew significantly by 58% due to increased commitments of our very loyal major donors and the recognition Village Enterprise receives from charity evaluation organizations such as The Life You Can Save, Charity Navigator, Guidestar, and Founders Pledge that continues to broaden our individual donor base.
Year over year expenses rose by 15% primarily as a result of adding back cycle 3 activities in FY21 which were suspended in FY20, our expansion into Rwanda where we started our first 280 businesses this year, and our work with World Vision in Mozambique. In addition, we continued to invest in digital technologies (portable projectors and tablets); we significantly increased salaries for our frontline staff; and we made further investment in expanding our monitoring and evaluation capabilities. Most importantly, we continued to invest in building a world class African team by hiring key new African staff, including our Director of Technology Solutions and expanding our professional development offering.
Net profit remained positive, but decreased by 12% relative to FY20, driven by the impact of Covid-19 on our field operations and the increased investment in personnel.
These strong financial results have allowed us to build a cash reserve that will ensure future financial sustainability, particularly critical during these uncertain times.
| Income | 2021* | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals | $2,740,987 | $1,737,753 |
| Foundations | $1,836,377 | $3,007,167 |
| Other Institutions | $639,856 | $35,184 |
| Development Impact Bond | $487,832 | $450,279 |
| TOTAL | $5,705,052 | $5,230,383 |
| Expenses | 2021* | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Program Services | $3,801,453 | $3,243,663 |
| Fundraising & Marketing | $466,333 | $379,287 |
| Management & General Administration | $398,619 | $421,487 |
| TOTAL | $4,666,405 | $4,044,437 |
| CHANGE IN NET ASSETS | $1,038,647 | $1,185,946 |
*FY21 Financial Statement Audit to be finalized in January 2022
Fiscal Year (FY) = July 1st to June 30th
48% Individuals
32% Foundations
11% Other Institutions
9% Development Impact Bond
81% Program Services
10% Fundraising & Marketing
9% Management & General Administration
Building a World-Class African Led Team
For the Village Enterprise team, the year of 2021 was one of extraordinary growth. We hired Sylvere Mwizerwa, our first-ever country director in Rwanda, promoted our MEL Manager, John Ilima, to become our country director of Uganda, and promoted our Project Manager, 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.
Building a World-Class African Led Team
For the Village Enterprise team, the year of 2021 was one of extraordinary growth. We hired Sylvere Mwizerwa, our first-ever country director in Rwanda, promoted our MEL Manager, John Ilima, to become our country director of Uganda, and promoted our Project Manager, 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.
Village Enterprise’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is built upon our values and integrated in our strategic direction. In tackling inequity in the world, it is critical to our mission and our organization’s culture that we take diversity, equity and inclusion into consideration in serious and intentional ways. This is at the core of what we do, who we are and the intentional strategy that we employ to end extreme poverty.
To deliver on our commitment, we have taken deliberate action to infuse these values throughout our internal culture, systems, and practices. We have taken concrete steps to strengthen our ability to recruit and retain exemplary diverse staff and leadership, particularly from the poorest areas of rural Africa where we work. And we have undertaken reviews and audits of pay, policies, practices, and procedures to ensure they are equitable, fair, and empowering. We choose to work with partners that reflect that commitment and we are actively pursuing strategies that ensure that our organization and our partners meet the highest standards of openness and accessibility.
95%
62%
Leadership
50%
Leadership
Our staff of 230+ is the heartbeat of our organization and is comprised of the most passionate, innovative, and talented individuals who are all collectively working towards the common goal of eliminating extreme poverty.
Aleksandra Peters
Barbara Bishop
Bruce Sewell, Vice Chair
Debbie Hall
Dianne Calvi
Emeka Ajoku, Treasurer
Jamie Austin
Jay Friedrichs
Joe Chernesky
Joe Dougherty
Katie Boland, Board Chair
Larry Wu
Lisa Guerra, Ph.D.
Mary Dosunmu, Ph.D.
Pat Bown
Timothy Geisse, Secretary
Brian Boland
Co-founder, Delta Fund
Charlie Bresler
Executive Director, The Life You Can Save
Jessica Jackley
General Partner, SparkLabs Global Ventures; Co-founder of Kiva
Tralance Addy
Co-founder & President, Plebys International
Alissa Everett
As we grow and move into new regions and countries, we continue to hire diverse, dedicated, and passionate leaders to drive our unique, locally adapted program. Every day, as one team, we strive to increase our impact through living out our core values.
Anonymous (2)
Arcus Foundation
Katie & Brian Boland
Ken & Cheryl Branson
Cartier Philanthropy
Catholic Relief Services
Bill Elmore
Greater Impact Foundation
Imago Dei Fund
Laidir Foundation
Lucille Foundation
Hampshire Foundation
Open Society Foundations
Ray & Tye Noorda Foundation
Linda & Ted Schlein
The Earl & Bettie Fields Charitable Foundation
Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
World Bank / Government of Kenya
Bill & Brenda Younger
African Wildlife Foundation
Anonymous
Len & Mary Anne Baker
Boeing Corporation
Lewis & Kirsten Cirne
Instiglio
John F. & Mary A. Geisse Foundation
Lisa Guerra & Chuck Kung
Debbie & Russ Hall
Jasper Ridge Charitable Fund
Mark Lampert & Susan Byrd
Ruth Soukup Omnimedia Inc
Cynthia & Bruce Sewell
The Life You Can Save Australia
The Life You Can Save USA
Anonymous (2)
David & Lucile Packard Foundation
Jay & Joyce Friedrichs
Hurlbut-Johnson Charitable Trusts
Love Meyer Family Foundation
DeeDee McMurtry
Menlo Church
Muglia Family Foundation
Mandy Lowell & Charles Munger
Robby Walker
Daniel Weaver & Katie Goetz
Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation
Joshua Wohle
Hagit & Oren Zeev
Jim Anderson
Anonymous
Jeff & Christina Bird
Barbara Bishop
Pat & Debby Brown
Terri Bullock
Charles Abbott Associates, Inc.
Cogan Family Foundation
Chris & Jessie Colburn
Mary Jane Elmore
Fulfilltopia
Norman Godinho
Dr. Mike Goodloe & Dr. Lee Zwanziger
Dr. Satish Gupta
Kirk & Kathryn Hanson
Joanne Kagle
Angela & Nicholas Kalayjian
Rich & Gina Kelley
Larry & Sue Langdon
Jackie & Lee Mighdoll
Thomas & Christina
Neary Teri & John O’Neel
Susan Packard Orr & Lyn Orr
Aleks & Russell Peters
Andrew Rohr
Sidney E. Frank Foundation
Tyve Randy
Vagelos & Julie Wissink
Kim & John Whitcombe
Caleb & Johanna Wright
Emeka Ajoku & Affi Ekerenduh
Jane & Robert Burgess
Saran Chari
Joe Chernesky & Mona Sabet
Rob & Stacey Chess
Timothy Culler
Loraine England
Lynn & Steve Freeman
Joe Greenstein
Donna Winslow
Mr Hennessy
Lata Krishnan & Ajay Shah
Geri & Scott Macomber
Jane & Michael Marmor
Pamela Smith-Mentz & David Mentz
John & Tashia Morgridge
Andy & Mary Naegeli
Leah Newman
Jill & Erik Olson
Anonymous
Carole & Larry Peiros
Marc Plonskier
Eeh Pyoung
Rhee Kunal
Sarkar & Kacey Ballard
Bill & Lee Schroeder
Trinity Presbyterian Church
Kristin & Paul Vais
Larry & Kristin Wu
Susan & David Young
Konstantin & Jessica Zvereff
3ie Leadership Consulting
Amazon Smile
Apple
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Benevity
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Gap Inc
Global Impact/ Pitney Bowes Employee Involvement Fund
Jones Day
Legacy Venture Management
Media Math
Microsoft
Netflix
Oracle Corporation
PEPSICO
Salesforce.org
Social Good Fund
United Services Automobile Association
Impact Investors
Anonymous (2)
Bridges Impact Foundation
Debbie & Russ Hall
Joyce & Jay Friedrichs
Laidir Foundation
Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2)
Skees Family Foundation
The Delta Fund
Outcome Funders
Anonymous
USAID Development Innovation Venture
(USAID DIV)
UK Department for International Development
(DFID)/UKaid
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For More Information, please contact Caroline Bernadi at carolineb@villageenterprise.org, or visit us at villageenterprise.org.
As we aim to transform the poverty alleviation sector, we believe 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 Village Enterprise’s new logo, brand, and website in April 2021.
As we aim to transform the poverty alleviation sector, we believe 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 Village Enterprise’s new logo, brand, and website in April 2021.
The new logo uses the acacia tree to symbolize the deep, innovative roots of Village Enterprise. The acacia tree can be found across the entire continent of Africa, representing a place of gathering, nourishment, and community. The acacia tree is often used as a place to conduct business, a refreshing setting for community meetings, or as an oasis for friendships to flourish.
The three lines converging at the tree base in our new logo represent the three entrepreneurs that make up each Village Enterprise business. The surrounding circle represents how each company is part of a larger business savings group grounded in the power of inclusivity. The logo’s focal point is Africa’s outline, representing the geographical context in which we work. These three elements come together to demonstrate the all-encompassing community that drives Village Enterprise’s proven impact. Check out our new website if you haven’t already—www.villageenterprise.org.
And thank you for your role in supporting our mission to end extreme poverty in rural Africa!