“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus.” -Eph. 3:20
Dear Friend,
In this age of report cards, performance reviews, and evaluations, the weight of relentless scrutiny can be heavy. As a believer, however, I am reminded of who empowers my efforts and to what end I work. This gives freedom to pursue that which is beyond yourself, knowing God’s power is at work to do immeasurably more than we could ever imagine!
Five Talents and Mother’s Union Burundi, our program implementation partner, commissioned an independent evaluator to complete a Longitudinal Study that spans over 10 years of ministry together. We were honored to present these incredible findings at the latest Christian Economic Development Network meeting. The study affirms the effectiveness of our microenterprise program model for poverty alleviation amongst the ultra-poor, and reveals findings even beyond our expectations.
One of the most notable findings was that the 144,000 participants in our literacy and numeracy program represent up to 2.9% of the entire literate adult population in Burundi.
Secondly, the study revealed the sustainability of our model through organic replication and scale. While approximately 2,900 Savings Groups were funded through our program during the reported period, the study documented that over 6,200 Savings Groups were formed through the multiplication of volunteer facilitators starting new groups outside of our direct program work.
Additional findings of the evaluation include:
Most importantly, these figures and percentages translate into thousands of real stories of what happens when the most marginalized and powerless are given the opportunity to shape their own futures. | 
