Dear Friend,

We hear again and again from our program participants that becoming literate inspires an “awakening.” Quite simply, teaching functional literacy and numeracy to our Five Talents entrepreneurs is a game changer in their lives – the beginning of empowerment.

In many of the fragile communities where we work, extreme poverty and violent civil conflict have left families with little or no access to education. For example, in South Sudan where we have expanded our program, 8 out of 10 females over the age of 15 can’t read or write. In Burundi, where gender inequity and gender-based violence persist, only 5% of women have a secondary education.

The completion of our literacy and business training is a remarkable accomplishment, often achieved in spite of incredible challenges. As our Five Talents graduates proudly launch their businesses, they not only secure a livelihood for their families, they hire neighbors and open businesses in their communities that lift everyone up. We see women who grew up illiterate prioritizing their daughters’ education, wanting their daughters to have the same rights and opportunities as their brothers!