Village Enterprise
Building resilience and economic independence for first-time entrepreneurs in rural Kenya
Village Enterprise’s mission is to end extreme poverty in rural Africa through entrepreneurship, innovation, and collective action. They work with vulnerable women, refugees, and youth who are most impacted by climate change, conflict, and displacement, and equip them with skills and resources to launch climate-smart businesses, build savings, and put themselves and their families onto a sustainable path out of extreme poverty. Village Enterprise has trained over 373,986 first-time entrepreneurs, started over 118,537 businesses, and positively transformed the lives of over 2 million people in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
One in every 10 women is living in extreme poverty (10.3%). If current trends continue, by 2030, an estimated 8% of the world’s female population – 342.4 million women and girls – will still be living on less than $2.15 a day. Most (220.9 million) will reside in sub-Saharan Africa.
Sourced by UN Women, 2023
With support from the Swarovski Foundation, Village Enterprise has been addressing the interconnected challenges of poverty, gender inequity, and climate vulnerability in Busia County, Kenya, since 2024.
Village Enterprise’s programme focuses on people living in extreme poverty. The 12-month, group-based model provides first-time entrepreneurs, at least 80% of which are women, with business and financial literacy training, seed capital grants, self-managed savings groups, and mentorship. Participants are able to launch small businesses aligned with their skills and local market demand, from farming and livestock to tailoring and retail, which supports their relevance and resilience.
This approach fosters sustainable livelihoods for marginalised women who are empowered to build brighter futures for themselves and their families. This directly contributes to reducing gender inequality in Busia County and break the intergenerational cycle of poverty. Additionally, through the promotion of climate-smart agriculture, reforestation efforts and the adoption of energy-efficient stoves all integrated into the programme, communities are supported to develop practices that build long-term economic and environmental resilience.
Starting in 2025, Village Enterprise is also testing SPRINT in Busia County, a digital adaptation of their core programme to reach even more first-time entrepreneurs across the region.
Images courtesy of Village Enterprise
At the Swarovski Foundation, we take pride in supporting organisations like Village Enterprise that has been addressing the interconnected challenges of poverty, gender inequity, and climate vulnerability
The Swarovski Foundation supported project trained
327
first-time entrepreneurs in 2024-25, 82% of whom are women, to launch 109 businesses in Busia County, Kenya.
At programme graduation,
90
percent of entrepreneurs were living above the international poverty line of $2.15 per day and average household savings had increased by an extraordinary 3,766%, reflecting a significant gain in household resilience and long-term economic stability.
Village Enterprise recorded a
9
percent increase in the Women’s Autonomy Index among entrepreneurs in Busia, Kenya, with women playing a more active role in shaping household decisions and their perspectives being increasingly respected and valued by communities.
Through a training curriculum covering entrepreneurship, financial literacy, numeracy, and mentoring, tailored to community needs and combined with gender- and climate-responsive components, Village Enterprise equips participants with the skills and confidence to make informed choices and advocate for themselves.
The programme enables entrepreneurs to launch climate-smart, income-generating businesses that grow household income, savings and resilience, improves food security and mental health, and help them invest in essentials like healthcare and their children's schooling – breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty.
Village Enterprise partners with governments and organisations to deliver targeted interventions. In Busia County, the programme is implemented in close collaboration with the County Government, enhancing local buy-in and establishing a solid foundation for future expansion and integration into county policy.
According to our culture as a Luo, it’s a taboo for women to plant trees. But since I was trained by Village Enterprise, I broke away from this tradition and started planting tree seedlings to sell. And I’ve seen a change in my life – it has become a good source of income for my family.
Lillian Awoko
