My Nonprofit Reviews

I've been on the board of Village Enterprise for almost three years now. While I've always been impressed at the professionalism, knowledge, and passion of the small (small, small!) staff at the headquarters in Northern California, it wasn't until I joined what they call a 'Vision' trip last year that I really felt the impact, commitment, and truly breathtaking program on the ground.

I was able to attend a training - held in a small church - where the business mentor communicated verbally (many of these people cannot read); and told simple but clear stories on the topic she was teaching (it happened to be teamwork).

And I attended a savings 'circle' - held in a different church - where the 30+ members of the circle brought and recorded their savings. Savings is a concept that never existed in these communities before.

And, the most poignant, was I was able to be one of four people who did the actual grant disbursements - small paper envelopes with local currency -- to teams of three people who had completed the training and created business plans. The grace, the joy, the hope of these people -- I will never forget it. And they welcomed us with music. Just magical.

So I happily continue my work on the board having seen our impact first hand. (There is lots more to tell about what we are doing...but I wanted to share this.)

I joined the board of Village Enterprise in the fall of 2014, partly because of my connection with their board chair; and partly to give back -- we are so so fortunate in this country, the conditions for these East African people are almost unimaginable.
I am so impressed with the entire team -- from the ED Dianne Calvi to her US staff to the field staff in Uganda and Kenya. They are passionate and systematic and wise -- an amazing array of skills, hard work, and knowledge in the fight against poverty.
Not only that -- their methods work!! They have helped over 660,000 people begin to move out of extreme poverty, increasing food consumption, building small businesses, and improving the living conditions in their families and communities.
Watch for our large scale study -- we are measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of our methods. Results coming soon!!