Village Enterprise

Website Contact the organization

Village Enterprise 🌍 We equip women, refugees, and youth in rural Africa to launch small businesses and end extreme poverty. We believe it is possible to end extreme poverty.

Join us in building brighter futures through the power of entrepreneurship. But climate change, conflict, and other shocks are threatening the progress that has been made. Backed by rigorous evidence, we have a solution that lifts families in rural Africa out of extreme poverty, improves their well-being and resiliency, and ensures a brighter future for generations to come. Partnering with governments, nonprofits, United Nations agencies, conservation organizations, and private sector companies, Village Enterprise equips women, refugees, and youth living in extreme poverty with the resources and skills to become first-time business owners and start climate-smart businesses and savings groups. For over 30 years, we have worked in rural African communities where most people live on $2.15 a day or less. Over 94% of our team is African, and more than 80% of our entrepreneurs are female. To date, we have impacted the lives of more than 2 million people in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, and Nigeria. To learn more about our work to eradicate extreme poverty and how our model empowers women, youth, and refugees, cultivates resilience against climate change, and protects the environment and endangered species, visit our website.

10/29/2026

Spend a day with Halima, an entrepreneur from Marsabit, Kenya! 🇰🇪

With business training, startup funds, and mentoring from Village Enterprise, Halima and her two business partners launched a second-hand clothing store, later expanding to sell fresh produce and juice.

Today, their growing business is helping the trio of women invest in their families and futures. For Halima, that meant renovating her home before the rainy season. đź’›

“This is not a choice between meeting urgent needs and building long-term self-reliance. We must do both.”In Pioneers Po...
10/28/2026

“This is not a choice between meeting urgent needs and building long-term self-reliance. We must do both.”

In Pioneers Post, Village Enterprise CEO Sazini Mojapelo explores why refugees need economic opportunities, not just aid.

Drawing on results from randomized controlled trials in Uganda and Ethiopia, Sazini examines the impact of DREAMS—a program developed by Village Enterprise and Prosper Global that helps refugees and host community members build sustainable livelihoods and more secure futures through entrepreneurship.

To date, more than 22,000 refugees and host community members have started businesses through DREAMS.

👉 Read the full article: bit.ly/4BsdevA

Acacia trees can thrive in harsh climates—and across the communities where we work, their shade provides a place for ent...
10/22/2026

Acacia trees can thrive in harsh climates—and across the communities where we work, their shade provides a place for entrepreneurs to gather, learn, and support one another. 🌳

That spirit of endurance and community inspired the name of our legacy giving community: the Acacia Legacy Circle.

By including Village Enterprise in your estate plans, you can help future generations of entrepreneurs build lasting pathways out of extreme poverty—and create a legacy that endures.

Join the Acacia Legacy Circle today: bit.ly/3TAPsMs

“People living in extreme poverty do not lack ambition, ideas, or the determination to build better lives. What they too...
10/22/2026

“People living in extreme poverty do not lack ambition, ideas, or the determination to build better lives. What they too often lack is a genuine opportunity—access to the resources and support needed to turn their abilities into a sustainable livelihood....That is what makes entrepreneurship so powerful.” — Sazini Mojapelo

Village Enterprise CEO Sazini Mojapelo was featured in a new Q&A with Africa Outlook Magazine! 🌍

In the interview, Sazini discusses why this work is personal to her, the importance of African-led development, and the role business leaders can play in ending extreme poverty.

Check out the link in the comments to read the full Q&A!

We joined Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development in Kampala to advance the integration of Ultra-Poor...
10/20/2026

We joined Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development in Kampala to advance the integration of Ultra-Poor Graduation into Uganda's Parish Development Model.

We demonstrated how training, mentoring, and coaching can help households build confidence, strengthen their businesses, and move beyond subsistence. The workshop built on promising early results from a pilot in four districts and launched a jointly developed curriculum to guide this work.

The gathering also celebrated Mr. Everest Tumwesigye on his retirement. A committed champion of the graduation approach, he has helped strengthen its place within government efforts to tackle poverty.

Thank you, Mr. Tumwesigye, for your leadership, passion, and partnership. We wish you all the best in your next chapter!

Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty! 🌍Across rural Africa, entrepreneurs like Alice are starti...
10/17/2026

Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty! 🌍

Across rural Africa, entrepreneurs like Alice are starting businesses, building sustainable livelihoods, and creating brighter futures for their families.

Learn more about Alice's journey and the ripple effect of change she's creating: bit.ly/4zy3Y77

10/15/2026

Nancy knew the future she wanted for her daughter. What she couldn’t see was a path to make it possible.

That changed when she joined Village Enterprise.

With training, mentoring, and startup cash, Nancy launched a small farm and retail shop. Today, she earns a steady income, pays for her daughter’s education, and is saving to buy land and build a home.

She's also helping others find their own path forward. As a Village Enterprise Tech Champion, she leads digital training sessions for other entrepreneurs—and has become a leader in her community. 💛

What can entrepreneurship make possible? For Nancy, it has meant two businesses, the ability to invest in her daughter’s...
10/08/2026

What can entrepreneurship make possible? For Nancy, it has meant two businesses, the ability to invest in her daughter’s education, and plans to buy land and build a home. 💛

Through Village Enterprise, Nancy received training, mentoring, and startup funds to launch a small farm and retail shop.

Today, on , we’re celebrating what’s possible when generosity is put into action. A grant from your donor-advised fund can help create the next opportunity—the next business owner, the next community leader, the next family building a more secure future.

👉 Recommend a DAF grant to Village Enterprise today: bit.ly/4yqSjXx

Village Enterprise joined government officials, development partners, researchers, and implementing organizations at Uga...
10/06/2026

Village Enterprise joined government officials, development partners, researchers, and implementing organizations at Uganda’s National Symposium on the Ultra-Poor Graduation Model and the Self-Reliance Index to explore how graduation approaches could strengthen livelihoods, resilience, and self-reliance.

The symposium was hosted by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development in partnership with the Graduation Community of Practice (GCoP) Uganda.

Representing Village Enterprise, Hawa Kagoya highlighted how collaboration could help families move beyond short-term relief towards lasting self-reliance. Fahad Jjumba shared evidence from our graduation programs, including the importance of delivering the full package of support and adapting it to refugee and host communities.

The symposium explored how graduation approaches could be adapted and expanded within Uganda’s development and social protection programs. Discussions underscored the need for stronger coordination, sustained investment and communities actively involved in shaping their futures.

  is only two days away! What could your donor-advised fund make possible? đź’›On October 8, donors will use their DAFs to ...
10/06/2026

is only two days away! What could your donor-advised fund make possible? đź’›

On October 8, donors will use their DAFs to support the causes they care about.

A DAF grant to Village Enterprise can help women, refugees, and young people living in extreme poverty build sustainable businesses—with training, mentoring, savings support, and startup cash. Those businesses can provide reliable income, keep children in school, and help families build more secure futures.

🙌🏾 Put your DAF to work this by recommending a grant to Village Enterprise: bit.ly/4yqSjXx

Address

San Carlos, CA

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Village Enterprise posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Village Enterprise:

Shortcuts

Share