My Nonprofit Reviews

Village Enterprise is an incredible organization, and one of few in the world to truly reduce poverty. Its focus on impact is unparalleled, its strong monitoring systems rigorous and the level of evidence has tested through a conclusive randomized controlled trial through one of the world's best evaluation organizations. Village Enterprise is based in San Carlos, but the vast majority of its staff and resources are in Kenya and Uganda. Its financial controls are strong and its fundraising over the years has been successful in doubling the size of its budget over only a few years. The CEO is both visionary and strong operationally; that the organization has a development impact bond (DIB) at its relatively small size is testament to its ability to think big but pull off something as complicated as a DIB.

Village Enterprise has surprisingly simple but effective model of helping those living in rural poverty in east Africa reach self-sufficiency. I was attracted to be on the board after hearing a colleague at GiveWell recommend that I learn more. I was impressed; Village boasts excellent metrics and is halfway through a rigorous evaluation with Innovations for Poverty Action to measure its impact (read: this is an exceptionally high bar). Plus, Village has strong financials, a fantastic and dedicated CEO, and a high-functioning, collegial board. I'm proud to be a board member, and I'm hoping others who care about poverty support Village.