Village Enterprise

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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 governm

ents, 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.

08/07/2026

Village Enterprise is deepening its partnership with the Government of Rwanda to help more families build sustainable livelihoods and move out of extreme poverty.

We recently brought together 92 parasocial workers and 59 district officials for a five-day capacity-building workshop. They are now equipped to train the first cohort of 2,197 households, building on our successful pilot in Gicumbi District that supported 1,000 households.

Through newly signed Memoranda of Understanding with Rulindo, Burera, Nyagatare, and Gicumbi Districts, endorsed by the Local Administrative Entities Development Agency (LODA Rwanda), the partnership will reach 6,900 households during the 2027 financial year.

Districts will invest 690 million Rwandan francs in startup capital, while Village Enterprise provides capacity building, entrepreneurship training, mentoring, monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

This is what scaling through government systems looks like—combining public investment with proven expertise to reach more families and create lasting pathways out of extreme poverty.

08/06/2026

How can we help refugees living in extreme poverty build lasting economic opportunity?

As displacement becomes increasingly prolonged and humanitarian funding declines, emergency relief alone isn't enough. Long-term solutions must also include opportunities to earn an income, build resilience, and create sustainable livelihoods.

In African Business, Village Enterprise's CEO Sazini Mojapelo explores why livelihoods should be a core part of humanitarian response—and how investing in refugee entrepreneurship can help families build more secure futures. That's exactly what DREAMS, a program from Village Enterprise and Mercy Corps, is designed to do— help refugees start small businesses.

Read the full article here: bit.ly/4wyYUhZ

08/05/2026

A legacy isn't only about what we leave behind. It's also about who we lift up.

🌍 Since 1987, Village Enterprise supporters have helped transform more than two million lives through entrepreneurship.

💛 This August is Make-A-Will Month. Creating a will is one of the simplest ways to protect the people and causes you love.

🌳 By including Village Enterprise in your will, you'll become a Founding Member of the Acacia Legacy Circle—a community of Village Enterprise supporters helping future generations build lasting pathways out of extreme poverty.

Create your free will through FreeWill today: bit.ly/3TAPsMs

08/04/2026

🌻 For the women and men we work with, a small business isn’t just income—it’s the start of something life-changing.

Whether it’s opening a small shop, raising livestock, or farming produce, these businesses are pathways out of extreme poverty. As a result, our entrepreneurs are providing more nutritious meals for their families, investing in their children’s education, and laying the foundation for a better life—now and for generations to come.

07/29/2026

Earlier this month, we paused our global operations for one week to give our entire team a wellness break. From ziplining to whale watching to spending quality time with loved ones, our staff embraced the opportunity to rest and recharge. 💛

Now that we're back, we're feeling more energized than ever to continue our mission of ending extreme poverty in rural Africa. Here's to our incredible team and the passion they bring to this work every single day!

07/28/2026

Digital innovation is helping us scale our work to end extreme poverty in rural Uganda📱

Through WhatsApp business mentoring calls and trainings with tablets and projectors, our teams can now reach up to 10x more entrepreneurs, making it possible to bring life-changing business training to more communities than ever before.

07/27/2026

"For us, we believe they are the ones who raised us up." -Viola, a refugee and business owner in Uganda

With business training, mentorship, and startup capital from Village Enterprise, as well as improved access to markets from Mercy Corps, Viola has built two businesses of her own. Today, she's paying her children's school fees, building a home, and investing in her family's future.

07/23/2026

Today was a landmark moment in the fight against extreme poverty in Kenya.

Our CEO, Sazini Mojapelo, joined H.E. Dr. Andrew Mwadime, EGH, Governor of The Taita Taveta County Government, county leaders and community members to celebrate the launch of the Taita Taveta Poverty Alleviation, Empowerment and Enterprise Fund Act 2025 and the renewal of Village Enterprise's partnership with the County Government.

Working alongside the County Government, Village Enterprise helped shape the policy and legal framework that led to this landmark Act, embedding the Ultra-Poor Graduation (UPG) approach into county legislation and creating a sustainable foundation for ending extreme poverty.

The County has already committed KES 12 million towards household business grants and allocated a further KES 10 million in the 2026/27 financial year to expand the initiative. Through the Wezesha Jamii Project, 735 ultra-poor households across all 20 wards are receiving the training, mentorship, and business grants they need to build sustainable livelihoods.

This milestone demonstrates what is possible when county governments lead, communities take an active role, and strong partnerships drive lasting change.

07/22/2026

You're invited to a special World Entrepreneur Day webinar with Village Enterprise!

Join us for a conversation with our new CEO, Sazini Mojapelo. Sazini will share her vision for Village Enterprise's next chapter and discuss the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in creating lasting pathways out of extreme poverty across Africa.

🗓️ Friday, August 21
🔗 Register today: bit.ly/3TDsy6M

07/16/2026

Every number tells a story.

Behind every statistic is a family with more food on the table. A child back in school. An entrepreneur building a business that once felt impossible.

Together, those stories add up to something extraordinary: more than 2.4 million lives transformed through the power of entrepreneurship.

This is how we can create a future free from extreme poverty.

Address

San Carlos, CA

Website

http://villageenterprise.org/

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