Village Enterprise Fund
Organisation O0412
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| Contact details | Village Enterprise Fund 751 Laurel Street PMB 222 San Carlos, CA 94070 USA Tel: +1 (650) 802-8891 Fax: +1 (650) 802-8890 |
| Type of organisation | Development organisation |
| Organisation's interest | Development Conservation |
| Location | United States of America |
| Learning Group member? | Yes |
Description
Operating for over 20 years in East Africa, Village Enterprise Fund (VEF)’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty by providing business training, seed capital, and ongoing mentoring to rural entrepreneurs. VEF plays a unique role in the microfinance industry--providing economic opportunities in areas that other organizations are not reaching and giving qualified poor men and women the opportunity to transform a small grant into a business and a better standard of living. Dedicated in-country staff and volunteer mentors work within their country and communities to empower these small business owners. The 3 tools of training, grants, and mentoring are key to VEF’s innovative economic development model and provide the platform to expand the program to include conservation goals and training to address biodiversity/resource issues.
Projects
In the communities surrounding the Budongo Forest Reserve (western Uganda), VEF is operating a combined development/conservation program in conjunction with the Jane Goodall Institute, Budongo Conservation Field Station, NFA and other conservation organizations. VEF's goal is to lift the poverty levels of the surrounding communities while also promoting conservation efforts and environmental knowledge to ensure forest sustainability. Budongo Forest is an important chimpanzee habitat and potential habitat corridor link.
In late 2007, VEF launched an expanded micro-enterprise development program in the Budongo area. In just three years, over 500 small businesses have been started and roughly 2500 owners (5 per business) trained in 40 villages. Each business group receives:
- Required initial business training including important conservation concepts and linkages between resources business viability
- Small grants ($150 per business) for “sustainable” businesses (for example, carpentry businesses have been turned down until sustainable source of wood is confirmed)
- Mentoring from conservation-oriented community leaders who live in villages along the edge of the Forest.
Equipping and empowering the enterprising poor who live adjacent to the Forest to understand, plan and operate sustainable businesses--whether agriculture, livestock, or retail--is a key requirement in meeting conservation goals.
Geographic coverage
Uganda
Kenya
People
Susan Young
Email: susany@villageef.org
Tel: +1 (650)323-9233
Caroline Bernadi
Email: carolineb@villageef.org
Tel: +1 (650)802-8891
Web URL
http://www.villageef.org