Our Next Steps

This blog post was written by our Creative Communications & Events Officer, Megan Henderson.

Group meeting in Marsabit, Kenya.

In our last blog post we discussed building the “new normal” after coronavirus, and we called for this to include challenging some of the norms that already exist. Specifically, we talked of the urgent need to work on becoming anti-racist (as opposed to simply non-racist) and addressing our own unconscious biases. 

Our UK staff have been looking internally at how we can become better advocates for marginalised communities and ensure Five Talents identifies and tackles structures of racism or prejudice in our own operations. We will continue having these difficult conversations; this week our staff and Board addressed some questions raised by Charity So White with guidance from an external specialist to facilitate an anti-racist dialogue. 

We thought it may be helpful to share some of the resources we’ve found useful so far.

1. Discover
You can click here to take a quiz and see where you hold implicit or unconscious biases in relation to gender, race and sexual orientation. Understanding where your own biases are focused will allow you to address them. Knowing what implicit or unconscious bias is is also important. These free, short (2-3 minutes) videos are a great resource.

2. Listen
The best way to confront your bias is by actively listening to minorities and people of colour. You can read this article to understand why many people of colour believe “not seeing race” is part of the problem (There is even an audio version if you would prefer to listen instead of reading!).

We know a lot of what we read and see about the Black Lives Matter movement has to do with racism in the US. This may help us contextualise why it matters in the UK too.

3. Learn
Five Talents has always felt that education and learning transforms lives -- in addressing racism it is just as important. You can watch this video to better understand why addressing race can be so difficult in our society.

4. Actively seek to be anti-racist
Learning and listening are key steps in becoming anti-racist but there are other ways you can support Black Lives Matter and become anti-racist. You can write to your MP; donate; sign petitions; support minority-owned businesses; or simply speak to your loved ones and members of your community about racism to share what you’ve learned. Find ways to do all of those things by clicking here.

We hope you will find these resources useful. You can find a comprehensive list to continue learning here. Please do share your own reading recommendations too. This is just the beginning - we know that Five Talents faces a long journey where we will learn there is much that we can do better. These discussions are ongoing, and we will continue to work as a Five Talents family to examine our role moving forward. We will share this journey with you periodically and invite you to join us in that journey where you can.

Building the New Normal

This blog post was written by our Director of Fundraising, Sue Johns.

A long road towards Marsabit, Kenya.

I think we are all discovering that we have quite different needs in the face of this pandemic. Lockdown elicits a whole new range of emotional and physical needs. Many have found their mental health has suffered, others are beginning to encounter a real sense of deprivation from not being able to meet socially. For the vast majority of parents with young children, this is a time of considerable stress and utter exhaustion as they grapple with home-schooling and the challenges of not being able to leave their house. We are fortunate that life is beginning to return to ‘normal’. But what exactly does that mean? What have we learnt from this?  How will we implement real changes to our lifestyles that will directly benefit the poor and marginalised?  

Presently, it feels like the whole world is convulsing having been hit by a second wave of ‘dis-ease’ as a consequence of the horrific death of George Floyd. The outpouring of decades, even centuries, of suppressed hurt has swept through us like a tsunami challenging each and every one of us to examine ourselves. I am sure that you, like me, have read articles, listened to interviews, watched marches and protests - and pondered where this will end. 

It got me thinking about what makes me who I am, or my children who they are, or you the person I know. Is it nature? Is it nurture? It is not simple is it? It has certainly challenged us as a Team to think very hard about how we operate and why we make the decisions/act the way we do. 

Coming now, when we’re in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, makes this challenge to re-examine our own thinking all the more powerful. We’ve read countless articles on the effects coronavirus may have in Africa. I’d like to share two excerpts of an article below:

“Predictions of mass deaths in Africa are problematic for reasons beyond inaccuracy. They assume that nothing that African countries do can mitigate the spread of the disease and prevent high death tolls. They presuppose that Africans will be just passive victims of yet another viral outbreak. But many African countries have long experience in dealing with infectious diseases and by now have developed know-how that many Western countries might not have. And many African leaders are also not unaware of their fragile healthcare systems - unlike some of their Western counterparts.”

“The problem with the projections of the impact Coronavirus will have on the African continent is that they strip African countries of their agency and redirect focus on providing charity rather than supporting already existing and well-functioning epidemiological responses.”

That last sentence echoes so much of what we see - and not just in these times of pandemic. Our Savings Group members are strong and determined; their purpose is a better life for their family. We are often struck by their resilience and, whilst the above piece speaks of nations, we too prefer to support members’ enterprise rather than patronise with aid - although this pandemic reminds us all that there are times of crisis when determination and enterprise don’t put food on the table. 

We hope the coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement will change perceptions of the Global South permanently. We must speak out in support of all who are marginalised and discriminated against, and we must learn to confront our unconscious bias. We have felt challenged through this period to do that ourselves at Five Talents, and we hope Five Talents will help the new ‘normal’ become a better normal - for all.

Meet a microfinance member: Sonia from Burundi

This blog post was written by our Creative Communications & Events Officer, Megan Henderson, with trip notes taken on a programme visit in 2019.

Sonia with her husband, Peter.

Sonia had always had a dream: she wanted to know how to read. Education was not an opportunity her parents could afford, and as she grew older it seemed it would be harder to achieve. One day, she learned about Five Talents. She discovered a small Group of women from the village meeting together, learning to read, write, count and save. She desperately wanted to join.

Sonia went home to consult her husband, excited at her new found opportunity, excited she would finally be able to read. Her husband Peter was skeptical. He didn’t trust the Group, and he didn’t believe there was any point in Sonia knowing how to read, write or count. He forbade her from joining the Group, believing it would take her time away from their home.

But Sonia went to the Literacy Group anyway.

Peter couldn’t understand education’s value. He told Sonia if she went to the Group she should not return home. So, she didn’t. Sonia surprised Peter - she went to stay with their neighbours, and after completing her literacy & numeracy training she began saving with the Group.

Peter was afraid when Sonia began talking about borrowing a loan - he thought the Group may take their land as collateral. Sonia explained that this Group was from and for their community, not like some of the loan sharks Peter had heard of.  She did not let his fear stop her, she continued going to the Group and eventually took out a loan to sell vegetables in the market. Her neighbours reasoned with Peter to let Sonia return home. He still feared her Group, but Sonia was committed. She came home with new clothes for their children and fresh food for the family.

Peter watched as Sonia grew. He could see the changes in his home and his family. He saw how Sonia’s education was supporting them. He saw her become business savvy, he saw the Group had value.

One day, Peter came to the Group too.

Now Peter & Sonia save their money together. They combined their savings to purchase a cow to produce manure for their land. They work side by side growing and selling maize and soya. Peter is committed to using the profits to pay for their children’s school fees.

Sonia’s dream to read is now a reality for all of her children.

What's on Rachel's Radar: COVID Edition

This blog was written by our CEO, Rachel Lindley.

At the start of the year, I foolishly tried to predict Five Talents' priorities for 2020. Little did I know... 

Of course, those priorities are still relevant - we must not lose sight of the big picture as we seek to respond to the immediate impacts of coronavirus. But the reality is that a big chunk of my home-working radar is now taken up with CV19. So what are Five Talents' three immediate priorities now?

1. How are our Savings Groups and local partners coping? 

2. So how should Five Talents respond? 

3. How much is Five Talents’ income going to suffer?

You can read more detailed thoughts on each of these questions by clicking on the links. 

It seems likely that we’ll be grappling with the impacts of CV19 for many months to come - but it is also certain that Five Talents’ work will be needed more than ever in eastern Africa. With your help, we are determined to make sure we can continue supporting our programmes and reaching out to new, even more vulnerable, regions too. 

A renewed appreciation of the importance of resilience, community and (re)building local economies may make Five Talents relevant as never before to new UK supporters too. So as ever (indeed, as predicted on the January blog - that one came true!), we ask you please to keep telling others about our work. 

Thank you for all your support. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. 

1) How are our Savings Groups and local partners coping?

Savings Group meets in Baringo, November 2019.

So far, there have been thankfully relatively few deaths in the countries where we work compared with the UK; at the time of writing (12th May), WHO data shows 31,855 deaths in the UK and 99 deaths across the 6 countries in eastern Africa where we have programmes (0 recorded deaths in Uganda and South Sudan, 1 in Burundi, 21 in Tanzania, 33 in Kenya, 44 in DRC). 

Is there a glimmer of hope that governments are containing the virus better than the US and the UK? As this challenging article asks: "the legacy of colonialism has perpetuated the lie that Black bodies are to be pitied and to exclusively be the recipients of aid. Is it possible for African people to be regarded as experts rather than passive victims?" 

Many African countries have extensive experience of containing epidemics; in our programme in DR Congo, for example, the message of hand-washing was already well-known in the villages from Ebola, and health workers are familiar with contact tracing methods. Equally, though sadly, many of our Savings Groups are far better acquainted with crisis than we are here in the UK. They always live 'on the edge' and regularly face droughts, flooding, war, displacement, domestic violence, failed harvests, outbreaks of violence.... Does this make them better able to cope with a crisis like coronavirus than we are?

Or... Is the relatively low number of deaths due to under-reporting and lack of testing and diagnosis?  Is the worst yet to come?

We must hope and pray not. The reality is that healthcare infrastructure where we work is weak. Kenya, for example, with a lower 'poverty count' than all of its neighbours, has just 130 ICU beds for a population of 50 million. And social distancing is impossible in over-crowded slums or markets, whilst hand-washing is an aspiration if you have no water, or soap. The virus could yet spread, and coupled with the impacts of drought, flooding, locusts and insecurity, the worst forecasts could come true. 

We know that many of our members are already struggling economically. With no state assistance (indeed, perhaps the opposite), if our members cannot run their small businesses because markets have been closed, their savings will soon run out and they will be unable to put food on the table. And our members, who at least have some savings and have received training on planning for unexpected events, are more fortunate than others in their communities. 

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2) So how should Five Talents respond?

Member at her business in Baringo, November 2019.

Our experience is building resilience through savings, training and community groups BEFORE a crisis - we have no expertise in delivering relief after (or during) a crisis. Larger NGOs have Disaster Relief teams ready to act at a moment's notice - and they have the financial capacity to disburse millions of dollars in aid (or goods, or vouchers - without distorting local markets). Five Talents does not.  

Equally, we have always said we give a hand-up, not a hand-out. Our funds pay a network of trainers across eastern Africa to unlock the 'talents' (skills and money) of communities themselves. Our message in every new community is that we give training - nothing else. It's a difficult message to deliver in communities which have become dependent on food aid after years of NGO programmes - but we find in the longer-term, it is much more sustainable and much more empowering. We believe communities have their own solutions. Resilience is local. 

And if we were to turn to aid now - after all, we might say, these are unprecedented times (overused as that phrase is) - what happens in the next crisis? And the next? And the next? Sadly, there is almost always a state of crisis in the places where we work. That is why we work there.

Does that mean we should walk by on the other side of the road? 

No, of course not. We want to stand by our communities in this and every crisis. The question is, how? 

As ever, there is no one-size-fits-all answer - although there are some common principles. Broadly, we’re responding in four ways: 

• Pastorally (messages of encouragement and support to remote communities)

• Health messaging (using our network of trainers to ensure even the hard to reach communities are hearing genuine WHO advice) 

• Technically (helping our savings groups think through how they can keep their assets safe at this time, or how to manage a ‘rush’ on the group savings)

• Mapping (how are our groups coping in different places? What are they already doing to adapt? Which other agencies are there to help if it gets worse?)

We know these times are tough in different ways for everyone. We’ve all learnt the value of a friendly phone call or a smile in the street. We’re asking our programme leaders to share messages of encouragement with our groups everywhere too.

And everywhere we work, we want to make sure remote communities have heard genuine WHO advice on coronavirus. There is a lot of false information and damaging rumours. We have a vast network of trainers in the hard-to-reach places, who speak the local languages and are trusted by the communities. So we've asked all of our trainers to disseminate proper health messages and advice to all of our groups - including by phone where the groups themselves can no longer meet. We're also sharing messages of hope and encouragement in these isolating times. 

Where Savings Groups can still meet physically (South Sudan, Burundi, DR Congo, Tanzania - albeit with social distancing or in smaller sub-groups), we're seeking to make sure they have plans in place in case a lockdown is suddenly imposed. How will they keep their savings safe in this period if the group has no bank account? Will they pause the savings cycle? Will they share out the group savings in case members need the money? How will they handle a large number of applications to the group emergency fund at once? 

These discussions are not just focused on the group - we're also asking our members what plans they have to support others in their communities too. Each Group may have its own needs, but we know they are part of the solution too. They are groups of well-organised, dynamic women and men, used to leadership, used to handling money - we know many groups will already be planning for how they can help the most vulnerable in their own villages. We want to find out how, so we can support their ideas and share the good practices emerging with other groups. 

Where our Groups can no longer meet (Kenya, Uganda, Myanmar, Bolivia), our trainers will be carrying out this data collection by phone to the Group leaders. 

And everywhere, we are trying to map which other NGOs, Church or government agencies are present, and what they are doing to help. If the worst happens, we want to be able link our groups up with expert providers of aid, those with the capacity (financial, technical) and experience to deliver.

Will we launch an emergency appeal ourselves? We are still considering that. Right now it feels unlikely - but we might, if in the coming weeks and months we identify several groups with urgent needs for food, soap or other essentials and we can’t find any other agencies able to meet those needs. But, along with all the other caveats above, pragmatically we also need to be sure we could actually raise enough money to offer meaningful assistance. And we need to be sure we can raise that money from ‘new’ sources, without jeopardising our ability to continue funding our usual programmes. Compassion can’t always be strategic, but it doesn’t seem strategic to raise additional short-term funds now if that leaves us short of funding to pay our trainers in 6 months' time - when we know our work to rebuild local economies, which really is our expertise, is likely to be vital. 

If we do raise any funds for emergency relief, we have three clear principles: to follow: 

• The funds would be in response to the needs expressed by communities themselves - otherwise, we risk falling into the trap of thinking we know what's best, despite our years of experience to the contrary!

• The funds would be channelled through the Church or another appropriate agency - not through Five Talents partners. Otherwise, we risk creating a precedent that means our own partners cannot effectively deliver their trainings on self-reliance in future, and we risk over-burdening our partners who are not experts in delivering aid. 

• Any funds we raise would be for the whole community too, not just for our members. 

But we are not at that stage yet - and we may never be. First, we need to do some more data collection to identify the gaps and the needs based on evidence, and to hear more about how our Savings Groups and the local Church are already responding themselves.

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3) How much is Five Talents' income going to suffer?

Savings recorded at a Group meeting in Baringo, November 2019.

The British press is full of stories of charities facing catastrophic drops in their income. We're so grateful that so far, Five Talents has not lost any income. In fact, we have raised slightly more money so far in 2020 than at this stage of 2019. Unlike some charities, we don't rely on events (like galas, auctions, major sporting challenges) or charity shops to raise a large amount of funding to support our income. Instead, around two thirds of our income comes from generous, loyal individual supporters. 

Of course, we know that some of those individual supporters may be struggling financially, whether through job insecurity or loss of investment income. We are expecting that some of our supporters may not be able to give as generously this year - and to you, we want to say of course we understand that. We would hate you to feel any pressure or obligation to give - now, or any time. We ask all our supporters to Pray (if you are a person of faith), Tell a friend about Five Talents, and lastly, to Give to our work. If you are unable to Give, please continue to Pray (if appropriate) and Tell. And let us know if you are in need of prayer or a friendly phone call yourself. 

At the same time, some of our supporters have been more generous than ever before in this period. As always, but perhaps now more than ever, your support means so much and is so humbling. Thank you. 

We've loved being able to keep in touch with our supporters in new ways during lockdown - much as we miss face to face contact, we're finding some of our supporters have a little more time to chat now, and others have been able to join our Zoom events where they could not have managed to attend in person. 

We are continuing to monitor our income carefully and have prepared five different income forecasts for the year and identified some savings we are already making (reduced travel, for example, both in our programmes and amongst the UK team). We have also identified further savings we could make - which might, in the very last resort, include furloughing staff. However, that really would be a last resort. 

We’ve lost count of how long we’ve been working from home now, but we remain really productive - I’m so proud of the way the team has adapted and remained so focused and committed. I know it’s foolish to make predictions, but I predict we will continue to need all of our small team firing on all cylinders so that we can keep raising funds and supporting our programmes as they too adapt to ever-changing circumstances. At present we are all incredibly busy, even at our kitchen tables, and grateful to be so since it shows you, our wonderful donors, are still giving - and that means our programmes are still thriving, even if differently from what we expected. Long may that continue. 

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Resilience, Adaptation & Community: Responding to Coronavirus

This blog post was written by our Communications & Events Officer, Megan Henderson.

Every day the latest news on coronavirus changes not just here - but in the 8 countries we work in abroad. Some of the communities are able to meet normally, while others are facing lockdowns and strict punishments for breaking lockdown rules. Even in the face of adversity our Groups have built community cohesion, and seek to remain resilient and face challenges head-on. We’ve heard great stories from our programme leaders as our Groups work together to help form a community response to the global pandemic.

Members in Embu handing out soap.

Several of our Savings Groups have received training in soap making. Originally the training was helping members diversify their income, now it plays an important role in supporting the community too. In Embu, Kenya, for example, our members are giving soap to poorer members within their communities so they can follow handwashing guidelines.

In Myanmar our partner, the Mothers’ Union (MU), trained members of our Savings Groups on how to make soap and hand sanitizer to help establish businesses. These members have partnered with others working as tailors to put their talents to great use supporting their communities. Members are sewing face masks and making soap and hand sanitizer and distributing them to vulnerable people. 

Our programme leader in Tanzania, Lugenge, is in charge of the Diocese’s COVID Committee. He is tasked with spreading messages to congregations about using masks, handwashing, and combating the virus. His leadership is helping not only our members but other vulnerable people in Morogoro respond to coronavirus. And because he is well known to many of them through our programme, they listen to him and respect his health advice - which is essential in the face of much misinformation and rumours.

Similarly, our Programme Leader in Aru, DR Congo, Grace Maneka, is giving a weekly broadcast on the local Church radio station to share health information with the remote communities she can no longer visit in person. Literacy rates are low in Aru, but many can listen to the radio even through a Nokia phone so it is a great way to make sure the messages are heard.

One of our members in Myanmar sewing a mask.

Community, adaptation, and resilience are at the heart of every action taken by our members and programme leaders.

Five Talents is continuing to monitor the situation with consultation from our local partners who are much better equipped to understand the impact coronavirus will have on their communities. We are encouraging partners to share health messaging to stop misinformation from spreading and urging leaders to spread messages of hope and solidarity as we know how frightening this virus can be. Sadly,  the communities we serve are used to handling these harsh times - far more so than we are in the UK. Our members have come together to face drought, locusts, ebola, flooding and other immense difficulties. 

We are currently gathering more information from our members and local partners so we can formulate a strategy adapted to these times but which continues to provide communities a hand up - not a handout. And of course, we are committed to empowering communities to rebuild their economy and secure their livelihoods through our programmes when coronavirus has passed. You can read more about our coronavirus response by clicking here.

Sustainable Development Goals: How Do We Stack Up?

This blog post was written by our Creative Communications & Events Officer, Megan Henderson, with help from author & former Ambassador to Ethiopia, Myles Wickstead (our SDG expert).

The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are universal - they apply to countries like the UK and France as much as to Kenya and Senegal. The goals are not just about what Governments can or should do, and SDG 17 specifically recognises the key role the private sector and civil society play in ensuring the Goals are delivered. But how do we ensure each country is meeting them? With 17 goals underpinned by 169 Targets (and even more ‘Indicators’, designed to measure progress against those Goals and Targets where possible) - it’s no easy task, even for aficionados. Relying on the Five ‘P’s outlined below gives achieving the Goals a little more perspective.

Prosperity:  the need for inclusive economic growth;

People: the importance of equity and fairness, and leaving no-one behind, whatever their ethnicity, sexuality, disability etc.;

Planet: the importance of respecting the environment and dealing with the causes and consequences of climate change;

Peace: progress on any of the above will be difficult or impossible without a reasonable degree of peace, security and good governance; 

Partnerships: the three key organisational pillars – Governments, civil society and the private sector – need to work together to make progress.

But how does Five Talents stack up against the Five ‘P’s?

Prosperity: We are helping the most marginalised communities in the world diversify their income and build a sustainable route out of poverty.

People: Our programmes are open to everyone - regardless of faith, gender, ethnicity, sexuality or disability. We encourage all members of the community to join our Savings Groups and learn, earn, save and invest together, and we deliberately seek to work with more marginalised groups (such as women).

Planet: Many of our members are adversely affected by climate change. Our programmes help them build resistance to drought, poor harvest and other environmental factors. Our members are also conscious of their own effect on the planet and are learning about deforestation, soil erosion, rainwater tanks and solar power.

Peace: Our Groups often bring together communities of different religions and ethnicities. Building a safe place where neighbours can learn from one another and establish trust fosters peace. We find people from different backgrounds who save together discover new bonds of trust.  One of our members in South Sudan said, “Peace begins with us.”

Partnerships: Local partnerships are at the core of each of our programmes. We work through our Anglican Church network and find programmes established within the Church infrastructure means they are made to last - even after they stop receiving funding from Five Talents.

Supporting Five Talents means supporting an organisation dedicated to lifting communities out of poverty with a hand up, not a handout, while positively supporting the Sustainable Development Goals.

Programme Updates: Response to Coronavirus

This blog post was created by our Communications & Events Officer, Megan Henderson.

We have been flooded with messages from our local partners as we check in on staff and ensure they, and our members, are remaining safe. Below are a few updates from our partners in their own words - you can even listen to them too!  We hope their positivity, faith and prayers for all of us encourage you.

Please note - these messages were received between 19 to 26 March. Things may have changed since their initial recording as we find the pandemic is creating change daily for us in the UK and our programme staff & members abroad.

KENYA

Revd. Elema, Mothers’ Union Coordinator - Marsabit

Elema in Marsabit.

“Receive Lent greetings from us here in northern Kenya. I’m Revd. Elema, the Mothers’ Union Travelling Secretary, Diocese of Marsabit. We are thankful to the Lord because for the last few days we have had good rainfall in a number of places in northern Kenya. We pray that the rain will continue into the month of April - this is a good start for the rainy season. On a sad note, about 31 persons in Kenya are now confirmed to have the Coronavirus. As a measure to prevent its spread all schools, colleges and universities county-wide were closed a week ago. Further church services are suspended until further notice. In addition to this, people have been advised to stay at home to help in preventing its spread. Nonetheless, a number of people have not heeded to this call because they to go out and work to put food on the table for their families.

Many in this part of the country just live from hand to mouth. We are also advised to wash our hands 12-14 times a day. Now washing your hands frequently with soap and running water is a huge challenge for many in northern Kenya. First and foremost, water itself is hard to come by for most communities living in the north. However, what has to be done, must be done. We are encouraging mothers to keep their families safe by practicing the science of washing their hands as required. Meanwhile, some women’s groups are asking us whether we can provide them with hand sanitizers to help reduce the risk of contracting the disease.

Please continue praying for us and the health workers as they treat the sick and try to contain the spread of the disease. We will be praying for you, please stay safe.”

Cynthia, Programme Coordinator - Western Kenya (Butere, Mumias & Maseno North)

Cynthia in Butere, western Kenya.

“Hope you are fine and doing quite well in the UK despite the challenge that the entire world is facing. We are doing quite well as the WECODET programme though most of our field activities have been suspended until further notice because of the pandemic that is affecting the entire world. I have managed to talk to a few Group officials concerning their meetings and the mode of payment for their savings, and most of them did not manage to save because the government’s instructing them to sit at home and take care. The majority of them are small scale traders. They depend on their businesses in order for them to save. They depend on their day to day activities like farming. It has been quite challenging to them. Though as a programme we had effected a payment model via the MPesa platform whereby an individual can send his contributions direct to the group account through his mobile phone. From the look of things it seems that most of our group members won’t manage to save, and that is quite challenging. We are hoping that our good God may have mercy on us, hear our humble cry, and restore the situation that the world is undergoing to normal so that we can go back to our normal life. Wish you all the best and have a Blessed day.”

TANZANIA

Kalistus Lugenge, Programme Leader - Morogoro

Lugenge in Morogoro.

“I am speaking from Morogoro, Tanzania, my name is Kalistus [Lugenge]. Thank you for sharing how the world is concerned about Corona{virus]. [For] Worship, the number of attendants has increased because some people believe this is the right time to ask God for forgiveness, and this happened because some believe that the disease comes because of sin. In the area of business it is not going well, especially for those products which are imported from other countries like China - its [imported products] price has raised [risen] up. But even local produced goods have gone up in price. This is because of the fear of COVID-19, and the fear of more spread of this kind of virus. People are fearing - there is a lot of fear now. In making sure that people are safe, the Diocese itself has got its statement towards its congregations. In many places: business areas, hospitals, churches and all offices, sanitisers and running water to wash hands have been placed so that people can serve themselves. I was just trying to talk with some group members. Unfortunately, they said they have no idea of what to do - but they are praying and asking God for mercy. We are very much concerned the spread can [will] not be as huge as we are hearing [it is} from the other places around the world. Thank you very much.”

DR CONGO

Irene Nyambura, Programme Advisor - Aru

Irene with our CEO Rachel in Aru.

“I wish to convey my greetings to all of you, our friends, from all of us here at Aru, Democratic Republic of Congo. Just like everybody else in the world, the news about the Coronavirus has reached us, even though to date we have no case reported in Aru. However, in the Democratic Republic of Congo 54 positive cases have been reported. Since March 19th social activities for more than 20 people were banned by the government and the public were encouraged to practice safe distancing. However, commercial activities are ongoing. We are praying, and hoping, that if we stick to the directives by the government, that this {COVID-19} will not hit us. We are very sad to learn of the effects the virus has had in other parts of the world, and we are praying very hard that this pandemic comes to a stop.

Since the directive by the government discourages social gatherings of more than 20 people literacy classes have been ongoing in our project locations. Savings Groups are operational, and we are praying that we shall be able to continue with the activities, and pray that the virus does not spread. We have held a session on sensitizing our community partners on how to prevent themselves from getting infected. We are grateful for your support and we are grateful that there exists this structure that is already adjusting to the local situation in order to keep the communities informed, despite the challenging situation, the difficult moments we are going through at this time. We thank you for your support, and we pray that all will be well very soon.”

BURUNDI

Claudette Kigeme, Programme Coordinator

Claudette in Burundi.

“Greetings from Burundi, I hope that this message finds you well. During this hard time I take this opportunity to encourage those who are effected by Coronavirus, and assure them of our love and prayers. In Burundi we are still fine, as no case has been officially declared. People continue to work and meet, and children go to school (except to international schools). Our literacy and Savings Groups continue to meet and save. However, measures of protection have been taken like quarantine for those coming from affected countries and closing airports. People are sensitized to avoid shaking hands. Even if Coronavirus is shaking the world and forbidding people to shake hands, lets keep connected in prayers and action - and we shall overcome.

I leave you with this word of encouragement that we find in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 58 saying: ‘Therefore my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.’

God bless you.”

UGANDA

Anne Lokure, Programme Coordinator - Karamoja

Anne in Karamoja.

“Following confirmation of new cases (18 people tested positive to Covid-19 to-date), the government introduced new measures including suspension of public transport and closure of all shops/markets dealing in non-food items for the next two weeks (beginning 25th of March).

While the serious effects of these measures might not be strongly felt in the short term, the long term negative impacts on the people’s livelihoods and overall economy can not be over emphasized. Our groups will with no doubt be negatively impacted especially on the savings as their small businesses from which they get regular disposable incomes for weekly savings will be disrupted.

At the moment, we have encouraged the groups to be innovative e.g. scaling down to 10 the number of members that meet during the weekly saving sessions in a rotational manner so that they comply with the government directive that allows a maximum of 10 people at any one meeting. Besides, safety measures of social distancing and sanitation should also be in place. A few groups are trying this out whereby the executives and 6 other members on a rotational basis meet and transact business on behalf of others. The rest of the members entrust their savings with the treasurer. Those groups in the urban/peri-urban areas like Moroto and Amudat respectively have been encouraged to also use mobile money to make their savings.”

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Please, continue to stand with our programmes as they stand with each of you. We remain connected in our mission, faith and prayer.

If you’d like to help our programmes remain resilient and continue to move forward consider joining our prayer network, giving online or inviting someone new to learn more about Five Talents at our first-ever digital event. Thank you.

Coronavirus: Remaining Resilient During Uncertain Times

This blog post was written by our CEO, Rachel Lindley.

Lake Baringo, Kenya.

You have no doubt been inundated with updates from all kinds of companies, individuals, and charities regarding the developing Coronavirus pandemic. Five Talents does not want to add to the panic and disruption the virus is causing, but we thought many of our readers would like to know how Five Talents is adapting both in the UK, and across our programmes globally, in response to the outbreak.

In line with government advice, our little UK team began working from home last week. None of us have experienced any illness, but we felt this was an important step to safeguard not only our staff, but also the most vulnerable in our own communities. 

Unfortunately, social distancing means Five Talents has had to press pause on some of our exciting upcoming events. We know many of you will be stuck at home for an extended period of time and looking for something interesting to remain engaged and inspired with the outside world! Keeping in touch is more important now than ever. We’ll be sharing some new ways to keep up with Five Talents soon - but in the meantime we encourage picking up the phone to check in on neighbours, friends, coworkers, church members and loved ones to ensure we all keep a positive outlook!

Many of you will wonder what is happening on the ground - and have concern for members of our Savings Groups. Our members and programme staff remain our top priority. Thankfully, in the countries we work in only a small number of cases of coronavirus have been reported. We are recommending our staff follow local government advice and travel restrictions. If you would like to monitor how our programme countries are being affected, you can do so by clicking here. 

If our trainers cannot travel to remote villages to train and support Savings Groups, and if Savings Groups themselves can no longer gather together, clearly much of Five Talents' valuable work will have to pause. We have committed to continue paying the salaries of our trainers as long as we can, even if they cannot travel to train. We are exploring digital alternatives for training, although the remote places we work means this might not be possible everywhere.

Our programmes have been building communities and resilience for 20 years - they are equipping members to face emergencies just like this one! We are also using this as an opportunity to share learning between programmes via phone calls and some programme staff are embarking on online courses - something they don’t normally have a lot of time for!

We are remaining positive, finding new approaches to training in our programmes and exploring new ways to engage with all of you here in the UK, but we recognise there will be tough times ahead - and as always, toughest for the most vulnerable both here and abroad. For those of faith, we ask you to pray for members of all our programmes, and for everyone affected by Coronavirus, as well as for all those in the health, education, charity and other key sectors seeking to keep essential work going throughout.

Please continue to check our blog or opt-in to our mailing list to keep up to date with ways you can stay involved with Five Talents. You can click here for more information on Covid-19. For ways to cope, we’ve found this website useful.

Empowering Women: International Women's Day

This blog post was written by our Creative Communications & Events Officer, Megan Henderson.

Many of our female members face serious adversity. They have many obstacles: societal pressures, gender stereotypes, lack of education, inaccessible financial services, childhood marriage, domestic abuse, female genetal mutilation (FGM) and so much more. In all eight countries we work in men are more likely to make it to secondary school. In almost every country we work in less than 50% of women have an account with a bank or mobile money service provider. 

But there is hope for change. Time and time again we find that empowered women are leaders in their homes and their communities. Our female members strive to create a better future. We’d like to introduce you to several strong women in our programmes who are paving the way forwards - they are building businesses which support their families and communities.

Winifreda in Tanzania.

Meet Winifreda: "I have hope for the future."

Winifreda knew she was a talented seamstress - but she wasn’t sure how best to use her talents. A Five Talents Savings Group began at her local church and she decided to join so she had a safe place to put the small amounts she was earning. With a little training and support from her Group Winifreda became a shrewd business woman and found her niche - she crafted beautiful, colourful bed sheets! Soon, Winifreda had to make a new plan to meet the growing demand for her sheets. With help from her local trainer she made a budget and savings plan so she could soon take a loan to buy a few more sewing machines and employ other members in her community.

Rebecca in Uganda.

Meet Rebecca: “I am still learning and saving."

Rebecca has been selling clothes in the market for one year and spends most of her profits on school fees for her six children. She finds that her business can be very profitable, but there are many challenges she is still working to overcome. Rebecca noticed that clothes don’t always sell well. With our business training she was able to identify another item to sell at her stall too: sugar! With business training and access to a safe place to save Rebecca hopes one day she can walk away from her market stall and build a bookshop instead.

Edith in Kenya.

Meet Edith: "I am the breadwinner in my home."

Edith supports 10 children and is the third wife to her husband. Before joining our programme, Edith states that life was hard; her husband did not support her financially, and she struggled to provide for herself and their children. After joining our Savings Group Edith had a bright business idea. Her village is not served by a main road, but Edith thought there could be enough footfall to set up a resting-stop. Through support from her Group, she borrowed a loan to set up her business. Today Edith serves tea & chapati and sells beans & maize (basic household staples) to local villagers and those passing through. Her ‘hotel’ as she calls it, has brought new revenue to the community as now passers-by have reason to stop in the village; to buy various goods from her, and now also her neighbours. 

Winifreda, Rebecca and Edith inspire other women in their communities to succeed too. Five Talents is empowering women by offering training and financial services which are inaccessible elsewhere, but even more importantly we provide women with the support and community they need to thrive.

Combating Climate Change

This blog post was written by our Creative Communications & Events Officer, Megan Henderson.

Landscape in Marsabit, Kenya.

Five Talents has provided innovative microfinance training and support in sub-Saharan Africa for over twenty years. In that time we have been unable to ignore the clear connection between climate and environment with the increased threat of disease, poverty and food and water shortages our members face.

When we visit our programmes we often hear stories of regular flooding, drought and crop failure which directly affect communities. Before joining our programmes most members did not have a financial safety net to combat emergencies. When their crops failed they could not eat, and did not have the financial resources to buy food elsewhere. 

Increasingly our programmes are addressing issues of climate change by providing members with tools and knowledge to build resilience against major environmental setbacks. How do we do it?

1. We show members how to build their savings so they have a safety-net if crops fail due to drought or flooding;

2. We provide members with business skills training which helps them diversify their incomes to build business opportunities which are not subject to environmental factors. For example, a woman who earns a living by growing and selling bananas might also begin buying and selling clothes or cooking utensils, which are not dependent on a good harvest;

3. We encourage members to use their savings to invest in environmentally friendly assets like rainwater harvest tanks, solar panels and smokeless cooking stoves.

While the communities we work in have a low carbon footprint compared to the western world, we do want to encourage environmental responsibility in our programmes too. For example our literacy lessons are based on local issues. The communities we work in select an issue affecting them and discuss the causes and consequences of that issue. During one visit we sat in on a class discussing drought. The Group identified deforestation as a cause and discussed tree-planting as a possible solution.

What about here in the UK? We believe in climate justice; we in the UK need to act to combat climate change which is directly affecting the lives of the marginalised poor we work with. But what can we do here to combat climate change?

1. Recycle! 

2. Use sustainable products - investing in recycled paper or biodegradable toilet tissue is a small change for you but big help to the environment.

3. Reduce your waste - carrying your own reusable coffee cup is better for the environment, and you can often get a discount! 

4. You can even adopt an environmental policy in your office - check out ours here.

Take a Trip, Change Your Life

This blog post was written by our Creative Communications & Events Officer, Megan Henderson.

View from the top of a crater in Marsabit, Kenya.

Travelling abroad isn’t new to many of us. In fact about 1 billion people travel internationally each year, but how many of us are travelling to see a community’s transformation? When you visit a programme with Five Talents, it doesn’t just make an impact on the community, you change your own life. Our entrepreneurs love when visitors attend their Group meetings to learn all they have achieved, and seeing our work with the most marginalised communities around the world humbles you to your very core. 

But what should you expect when travelling in East Africa? Here are some of our Dos, Don’ts and expert travel tips!

1. Do pack clothes you’re comfortable in, but don’t be surprised when you get funny looks! In many of the communities we work in women are expected to dress more modestly, so while the sun is shining and it is tempting to wear your running shorts we ask women travelling with us to bring lots of skirts and dresses to show the communities that we respect them. Men too should wear trousers rather than shorts when visiting rural communities or church. We have a saying in the office: cover knees & wear sleeves!

2. Do bring your camera, but be sensitive. When travelling anywhere it’s always handy to have a camera (or your phone) so you can capture lots of memories - but it is always important to respect other people’s privacy; would you want to be photographed by a stranger as you walked through your local market? Always ask permission before you take a photo of anyone - and in particular, never take photos of children without their parent / guardian’s consent. Some people in the communities you visit will not be used to being photographed and may find it alarming.

3. Do have fun, but don’t put yourself in harm’s way. Travelling in East Africa isn’t all that different from travelling to other places across the globe - wherever you go, it is best to travel in groups and let others know where you are going and how long you’ll be before you head off. On our trips, we ask you not to go out after dark alone. 

4. Do embrace African Time! Although we always set out with an itinerary for our trips, it’s important to remember some things just go a bit differently when you arrive. Our local partners always know where we’re going, but they don’t want to rush us through any experience. Communities where we work are patient, and they live at a more relaxed pace than some of us city workers are used to! So be prepared to leave your watch at home!

5. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but do find the right time to ask them. Seeing how things operate can bring up lots of questions, and our hosts will always be happy to answer them, but be prepared for extensive greetings and introductions before the Q&A! Ceremony is a huge part of the culture in many places where we work, introductions are a part of showing courtesy to newcomers.

6. Expect long distances & bumpy roads. There’s not much we can say to this one except that it makes for a fun, unforgettable journey, and you’ll bond with your fellow travellers faster than ever when you’ve rattled along an tarmacked road together. Of course safety is always our priority, but you’ll come home with at least one interesting journey to tell friends about.

7. Don’t forget some loo roll and hand-sanitizer in your pocket for those long journeys; loo facilities may be more basic than you are used to when we’re visiting projects (although don’t worry, all the hotels we use have ‘proper’ facilities). It’s a good idea to carry snacks too; we take good care of supporters while they’re far from home, and we always hope they’ll be open to trying new foods. But sometimes you just want a pack of your favourite biscuits to munch on at the end of the day. 

8. Don’t bring gifts for people. This is a tough one - when you’ve seen the poverty, it is tempting to want to give money to people you meet who might request it. But as outsiders, we can never really understand the relative needs of different people in the community, and we can inadvertently make things worse. If you are moved to help street children you see (for example), far better to ask our local partner if there is a regulated charity or orphanage you could support. Also, giving ‘hand-outs’ can undermine the ethos of Five Talents projects, which is all about giving a hand up, rather than a handout, by using the resources communities already have. We still struggle with this! 

9. Do talk to your fellow travellers, friends and Five Talents’ hosts if you’re struggling to process anything you’ve witnessed. Especially if you have never travelled in a developing country before, it’s a lot to come to terms with. We all struggle at times, but it is good to talk and process together. 

10. DO share what you see. There are so many people who are unable to travel, or unsure about travelling to East Africa. It is such a unique, enriching experience, and you should share it with everyone you know.

Most of all, DO expect a lot of laughs, the most wonderful welcome from the warmest communities you will ever meet, and a truly life-changing experience! 

Join us on a supporter trip to Karamoja, Uganda in July 2020. My first trip to East Africa was with Five Talents to Karamoja. I met inspiring entrepreneurs and hardworking programme staff who changed my life - you can meet them too! Learn more about visiting Karamoja by contacting us at info@fivetalents.org.uk today or visit our website.

What does a Savings Group look like?

This blog post was written by our Creative Communications & Events Officer, Megan Henderson, with photos taken by Jean Bizimana from Taking Pictures, Changing Lives.

This is one of our groups in Karamoja, Uganda. Meetings usually happen outside under a tree or in the local church. Often the groups open meetings with a song, prayer, or Bible reading - each group decides together! This group began with the chairlady reading a passage from the Bible in the local language.

Group meets under a tree beside their local church.

Chairlady reads from the Bible.

Next, our local trainers discuss the day’s lesson with the group. This will vary with each group we work with, and by how far along into the curriculum they are. Some days business training may be delivered on diversifying products, while other days groups may be learning how to budget and save or practise literacy and numeracy.

Our local trainers discuss the lesson with the group. They will practice literacy & numeracy!

The group members take part in the lesson using a chalkboard and practice books. The trainers guide them through the lesson. Sometimes they will create problem trees, recite the alphabet or even learn how to hold a pencil!

Learner practicing in her book.

Group member practices writing on the chalkboard.

After the lesson concludes, it’s time to start saving and borrowing. Each member will bring their monthly savings contribution to the group’s leadership, who will record it in their passbooks. Every member has their own passbook to log their total savings, loans and repayments. The group’s treasurer and secretary count and confirms the amount and (if necessary) our local trainers will also assist group members with this process.

The group’s treasurer holds the passbooks.

The group’s treasurer records savings in members’ books.

Our local trainer helps a member record savings and loans information.

As savings are being recorded, members with loans will also make repayments. Then the group turns to issuing new loans. This always happens in front of the group so that all members are aware and each member with a loan can be held accountable. The group makes decisions together on who receives a loan and what happens if a member cannot repay. 

Most groups have an ‘emergency fund’ too - at each meeting, members contribute a small amount which can be used to make emergency grants or loans to any member facing a sudden crisis such as a hospital bill. Some groups extend this support to those in need in the wider community too. Any fines levied by the group (eg for arriving late at the meeting) often go into the emergency fund too, or are sometimes used to buy sodas or other treats at Christmas or when guests are visiting.

In very rural areas, where there is no bank within reach, all of the money collected is put in a lockbox along with the passbooks. The box has three padlocks and three members take home a key each whilst a fourth keeps the box. The box is not opened again until the next meeting. But if there is a bank, bank agent or mobile money agent nearby, two of the group will go together to deposit the funds in the group’s bank account.

The group’s lockbox holds money before it is deposited in the bank, passbooks are also kept securely in the box.

For some groups in Karamoja, a secure bank van comes to collect the money so our trainers and group leaders do not have to carry the money themselves, reducing the risks of harm, such as robbery. 

After savings & loans have been accounted for, the group will discuss any further issues - the group provides a safe place for members to talk about business ideas, problems at home, or simply have fellowship. Our members always say how much they value this solidarity aspect of the group. When the group finishes they often conclude with a song.

Group concludes by singing a hymn.

You can visit a Savings Group to see the immense impact social support, training and financial services has on an entire community! We’re taking supporters to visit Karamoja in July & and Kenya in October 2020 - learn more by clicking here.

What’s on Rachel’s Radar: Our Plans for 2020

This blog post was written by our CEO, Rachel Lindley.

Rachel visits with trainers in Aru, DRC.

I love that quote: ‘If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans…’ 2019 was such a year of uncertainty on the national stage that making any predictions for 2020 seems bold, if not foolish.

But of course, we have a plan and vision for the year at Five Talents, as well as some questions we’re still grappling with. Here are three priorities we predict 2020 has in store for us:

1. Tough times – but we’ll thrive because of YOU

Last year, there was a sense of people ‘battening down the hatches’ in the face of political and economic uncertainty, perhaps an increase in insularity. We felt it at Five Talents; we had fewer invitations to speak at City groups and fewer new donors. Of course, it has always been hard for a small, Anglican charity to open doors in the City, even when our focus on sustainable microfinance is such a good ‘fit’ with the banks and law firms that surround us. But in 2019, it felt even harder. 

And with rumours about the future of DFID and concerns that the international aid budget will be diverted into trade deals, foreign policy and defence, development charities like us will have our work cut out to keep the focus on the most vulnerable.

But Five Talents is remarkably resilient to these ructions. Much as we might have wished for DfID or EU grants in the past, perhaps we’re fortunate now that we don’t rely on them. Instead, we rely on a whole army of wonderful people – you. We’ve grown enormously since 2015, and we’ve done that primarily through you. We don’t have a huge marketing budget, we never do ‘direct mailshots’ or TV campaigns - but we have you. You already love Five Talents and when you introduce somebody (individual, trust, foundation, corporate) who respects you to our work, that’s by far the most effective marketing there is.

So this year, I know we’ll be asking you again to do just that.

2. Environment, Youth, Security - and Partnerships

Perhaps the international community taking stock on the Sustainable Development Goals (five years on, ten years to go) will help keep international poverty on the agenda. The climate emergency is on everyone’s radar now, including ours. And with youth unemployment reaching new heights and increasingly being linked to migration and security issues, you’ll hear Five Talents frame our work against these topical and hugely important issues too.

Rachel met members in South Sudan.

Of course, we’ve always tackled these, but expect to hear more about them this year.

That said, you won’t find us broadening our programme interventions too much. We know we can’t do everything; we need to focus on what we’re good at (literacy, savings groups and business skills training delivered through the Church in rural communities), without being distracted. We’ve introduced trauma counselling in some of our post (or mid) conflict programmes as we’ve seen that is essential to release members’ potential – but another question we’ll grapple with this year is where to draw the line, and who to partner with to meet the needs we don’t.

3. “One Five Talents” and new programmes

Perhaps counter-culturally, given the B-word, I predict we’ll be focusing on what we call ‘One Five Talents’ this year too – a closer union with Five Talents Kenya and Five Talents USA. The greatest joy of that is the potential for programmes to share learning. As I write, Claudette of our Burundi programme is leading a training workshop for teams from Kenya and Uganda, whilst we’re also teeing up a full partner workshop for peer to peer exchanges and some safeguarding training.

Together, we’ll be investing in our new programme in Marsabit and also preparing the ground for work in Mombasa this year. We’ll be beginning work in Terekeka, South Sudan, too, and partnering with the Mothers’ Union in Tanzania to help scale up their savings groups there.

Ready for the challenges

Despite my prediction of tough times ahead for development charities, I’m actually really optimistic about 2020. We have a great team in the UK, US, Kenya and across our programmes; we have a model that works; hugely supportive Boards and all of you – our wonderful donors. None of us would be here to make these plans for 2020 without you – and the fact that we’ve grown so much over the last 5 years tells me you’re still behind us, and together we will reach even further this year.

Thank you so much for all your support, and may 2020 bring good things to you and yours.

Meet a Microfinance Member: Lilly from DR Congo

This blog post was written by Megan Henderson, our Creative Communications & Events Officer, from trip notes taken by our CEO in October 2019.

Lilly practising literacy exercises with a trainer.

Our programme in DR Congo began in 2018 and has already established 61 literacy centres and registered 1,300 members to begin literacy classes. One of the members signed up is Lilly. 

As a single mother of two young girls, Lilly is the breadwinner for her family. She started her own business in 2017 selling cassava and flour, but like most women in Aru, she is illiterate and innumerate. Often she would deliver flour to customers’ homes, and they would give her their telephone numbers so she could call them and confirm their orders. Without a primary school education, Lilly found making the phone calls incredibly difficult, as well as handling money when she made deliveries - but now things are changing. 

Lilly has only just begun her literacy and numeracy training, but already sees some improvement in her business. She can count change correctly and can read out the correct numbers for telephone calls. Lilly’s youngest daughter, Sarah, is in primary school, and she loves coming home to study letters and numbers with her mum.

Lilly’s group has 27 members, but they expect the group will grow once they begin saving and loaning large amounts. Her group provides her social support - the ladies look after one another when they face difficult challenges at home like sickness, a death in the family or conflict with their husbands. Lilly’s group gives her hope; she is now planning for the future, which she’s never been able to do before. 

Lilly has big dreams for her business, but she also wants to ensure Sarah and her other daughter, Esther, finish secondary school. She values the literacy and numeracy skills she has acquired and knows without them, saving, loaning, running her household and managing her business would not be possible.

“Once I have more money I want to stop using my head to carry the cassava and hope to buy a motorbike or a bicycle. This way I can make more deliveries and carry more flour with me.”

The Other Side of the Mountain

This blog post was written by our Creative Communications & Events Officer, Megan Henderson, after visiting our programme in Baringo, Kenya in November 2019.

Mountains beside Trust Group in Baringo, Kenya.

In some ways I still feel fresh off the plane from Kenya writing this, though I’ve been back in the UK for about a month now. Once again, I’ve returned home from my Five Talents’ trip humbled and inspired by the courageous, ambitious women I met.

What I find even more compelling about the work of Five Talents, is the immense reach our programmes have within the communities we work in. Our programmes cover a huge range of diverse members - and it’s often lost until you meet them face-to-face and see them all mixed together in their Trust Groups. The Groups I visited in Baringo had ages spanning from twenty to seventy years old with a mix of men and women who didn’t always speak the same language or come from the same cultural background.

On day one I met a group up the side of an incredible mountain (it was a bumpy and dusty road up!) who had minimal education and were saving very small amounts each month. An hour down the same bumpy road (but closer to the town) the very next day, I met a group where nearly every member had finished primary school and a young woman was running a business to save money for university. Our groups permeate entire communities. They serve young, old, educated, uneducated, rural and urban.

It is amazing to see how microfinance and Five Talents continues to reach people regardless of faith, gender, education or socio-economic status.

Even more impressive were our trainers in Baringo, Eva & Elijah, who have to juggle how best to train each group. A short journey down the road can bring our trainers to a group with completely different needs than the one they visited the day before. Many groups face the same issues: climate change and drought, educational disparity and traditional gender roles. But often there are compounding issues that not every group will face: political insecurity, ethnic tensions, cattle rustling and distance from the nearest hospital, bank or market.

Five Talents tries to reach poorer, riskier, more marginalised communities - an ambitious goal. But it is encouraging to see that microfinance, and our Groups in particular, lend a hand-up to people across backgrounds and economic class. Five Talents isn’t limited to serving one community - we’re expanding our reach to serve poorer communities, while continuing to encourage our existing programmes to flourish and diversify in all areas of our partner dioceses.

Breaking stereotypes & exceeding expectations in Morogoro

This blog post was written by our Trusts & Foundations Officer, May Mak, after visiting our programme in Tanzania in October 2019.

Mountains near Morogoro, Tanzania.

I was privileged enough to visit Five Talents’ programme in Morogoro, Tanzania recently and meet the people on the ground who realise our mission to transform lives through economic empowerment (and indeed, the lives that have been transformed through our programme). This was not my first time in sub-Saharan Africa, or even Tanzania, so I thought I had some idea of what I was to see and experience...but apparently not.

Tanzania is beautiful, but like most low-income nations, wide economic disparities exist. Morogoro city centre is a modern, buzzing and thriving hub - but Morogoro diocese is huge and it wasn’t until I’d spent several hours on the road travelling to meet some of our members and Trust Groups (savings and loans groups), that I realised and appreciated the immense challenges our local trainers face. Within minutes of leaving the town, brick houses became huts, shops became few and far between and tarmac roads turned to dust.

Our local partners, Organization for Matumaini Communities (formerly known as Mama Bahati) has established and serves 45 Trust Groups through three local Tanzanian trainers, bringing training and support to the most remote and rural regions of Morogoro - often hundreds of kilometres apart. Each group we visited, we were met with warmth, joy, hope and gratitude. I heard countless testimonies of lives transformed through being part of a community that learned, earned, saved and invested together - one story that particularly spoke to me was that of John’s.

John’s wife & daughters.

John is a fervent advocate of Five Talents’ Trust Groups. Within his community, he has become a role-model, breaking down stereotypes that Trust Groups are for women only. Having only been in a Trust Group for 8 months, John was able to save profits from his small farm and took a loan from his Group to start a small, roadside shop selling household groceries and necessities. With his new profits, he has been able to increase his stock and support his children to further their education. Not only has he encouraged his wife and daughter to join the Trust Group, but many others in his community too - especially men. While Five Talents focuses on empowering women, we know that transformation requires understanding and support across genders - and that’s exactly what John models and advocates within his own community. “People often stop me, because they have seen how my life has changed and they ask me how I’ve done it - I tell them it’s because of saving and my microfinance group.”

While Five Talents continues to find poorer, riskier communities to serve, we also enter a community with understanding and encouragement. The challenges they face are immense, but finding ways to work together, across gender stereotypes and ethnic divides, makes our groups stronger, and more successful. Just like John.

A Year On From the 2018 Big Give Appeal: DR Congo, the end of the road...

This blog post was written by our CEO, Rachel Lindley, after visiting our programme in DR Congo in October 2019.

Numeracy learner waiting for class to begin with her baby.

The border between Uganda and DR Congo is marked by a length of rope suspended between two posts, policed by a couple of friendly immigration officers and sleepy dogs. 

The bustle of the Uganda side – taxis, motorbikes, pedestrians, all jostling for space on crowded roads; bright billboards urging you to buy, bank or bet; electricity pylons and cables; radios, music, car horns – stops abruptly as you cross, along with the tarmac. DR Congo begins, literally, at the end of the road. 

Visiting our projects in DRC, I didn’t see a single strip of tarmac. No taxis, no garish banking or betting billboards, no electricity pylons. The sun set promptly at 6:10pm, and it was dark. 

But this is not a story of deprivation. Every night, the church guesthouse where I stayed was lit by solar power – and the cheerful chatter and laughter of our partner staff. We bathed in abundant rainwater, heated over the ever-glowing kitchen fire. We ate copiously. DR Congo is fertile and beautiful; above the ground, maize, bananas, sorghum, mango, pawpaw, oranges, flourish everywhere. Below the ground, potatoes, carrots, cassava, squash, arrowroot. Deeper still, gold and cobalt worth trillions. 

So why is the country still so poor? The wealth of the land flows in one direction – away from 77% of the Congolese who live on less than $1.90 a day. The statistics speak for themselves – over 42% of children suffer from malnutrition, over 50% of women 15 and older suffer from gender-based violence and over 54% of the population drop out of primary school. People I met had lost loved ones to preventable diseases and even snake bites, for lack of affordable (or any) healthcare. 

It would be easy to believe the dirt road is going nowhere. But thanks to the visionary leadership of Bishop Ande of the Diocese of Aru, our partner along with World Concern and the Mothers’ Union, that’s simply not true any more. Aru is on the move – and you are helping. 

Bishop Ande’s Diocese is fourteen years old, and in that time he’s transformed the place. It now boasts a primary & secondary school, a theological college, a medical training school, hospital and even a dentistry centre. A church shop, computer room and tailoring project generate income whilst teaching employable skills to young people. But the Bishop says his greatest achievement is changing attitudes.  

“When we began, there was nothing. Whatever I proposed, people said: ‘Hatuzwezi’ – ‘We can’t.’ But we did, and gradually attitudes changed. Now, when I come with a new idea, people say ‘Tunaweza’ – ‘We can!’” 

This new mindset was evident in the mothers and young men I met who joined our adult literacy groups a year ago and are now graduating on to savings groups. They all had such ambition; one woman said she wanted “to be in charge of myself” (a big deal in a culture where some women still kneel to greet men), and another, Sheerah said, “I want to learn to use a computer.”

Numeracy training in a village outside Aru.

Sheerah joined one of our literacy groups recently and is learning to read and write in Lugbara (her mother tongue) with a smattering of French and Swahili. Now that she knows numbers and can read, she’s learnt how to use a Nokia phone for the first time. Next, a computer.

These are not small dreams or small changes. Being able to use a phone means Sheerah can also listen to the radio, which in turn gives her much more access to education and information. Being able to read means she can follow instructions on medicine – not to mention learn new songs quickly for her choir. 

But there’s another change she mentioned that made my heart stand still: She now gives her children breakfast every morning. Not because she has started a small business and has more money (not yet, at least), but because of a change in her mindset. Before, she thought she was poor, and poor families in DRC like hers only ate one meal a day. That’s just how life was. So her children went to school hungry. Now Sheerah feels she is on her way somewhere, and her children eat breakfast every day.

Is DRC at the end of the road? Absolutely not – this is just the beginning, for Sheerah, her children and hundreds more families in Aru. 

Thank you for helping them get started, especially those of you who supported last years’ Big Give Christmas Appeal. Your support makes all the difference.

Our 2019 Big Give Christmas Appeal will support a new programme in Marsabit, Kenya. Check our website from 3rd December for more information.

Making the most of a muddy run with Five Talents

This blog post was written by Clare Evans, a winner from our 2019 Eden Project Marathon & Half competition.

Five Talents’ team of runners with Benard & Martin on race day! Photo by Anja Konter.

When I won a place at the Eden Project Half, I genuinely did wonder whether to take it up. It was a long way to go and I knew my training time would be limited. On reflection I’m very glad I went! It was a really fun weekend with great people, in a great location, on a great course, all raising money for Five Talents.  

After meeting other runners on Friday evening we arose bright and early Saturday ready for parkrun. Eden Project parkrun is one I’ve wanted to do, just because of the unique location. Over breakfast, we were all watching the Ineos 1:59 challenge and bemoaning the fact that we would miss the end - so much so that a couple of people from the Five Talents group were watching it on their phone as we were running the parkrun! It was a really fun, unique place to do a parkrun (plus you get free entry to the biomes afterwards, although I believe you have to stay "parkrun fresh”). 

Later in the day we enjoyed a guided tour of the biomes with Eden Project’s CEO, Gordon Seabright - it was an amazing opportunity to see all the different displays & plants. We walked along the Rainforest Canopy, which allows you to ‘climb’ through the treetops rather than staying on the forest floor. We went up to the Rainforest ‘lookout’ (thank God that wasn’t after the race!) which allows you to look down on the biome below. 

Following our tour, we attended a Q&A with Marathon Talk’s host Martin Yelling and 2:10 Kenyan marathoner, Bernard Rotich (who breezed past me at parkrun that morning and set a new course record!). I heard fantastic stories about the work Five Talents does in rural East Africa by providing savings schemes, small loans, and business training for those in need. 

One story that struck me was about a pregnant woman in South Sudan. She lost everything in the fighting and had to move and start her life afresh. When she first tried to set up a business, she was unable to count as she hadn’t been to school. She didn’t know if customers were paying her the right amount. Five Talents taught her all the skills she needed and now, less than a generation later, she has been able to put her children through school and her oldest is at university. 

Clare poses with her medal, Martin, Benard, and other Five Talents’ runners in front of a biome after completing the half marathon. Photo by Anja Konter.

Race day dawned a bit drizzly. In the beginning it was a steady climb on muddy trails, (which had me wondering if I had worn the wrong shoes) and quite narrow in places making it difficult to overtake others. I was quite happy to stop along the way and take some pictures. The run took us into the village of Luxulyan and along country roads with a fair amount of up & down which made pacing the race a challenge.

The last 5km was back on the trails before the final mile downhill through the Eden Project estate to the finish in front of the biomes where we received medals plus a free beer and Cornish pasty (winner!).

Despite the challenges of the hills and mud, I really enjoyed the course and running as a part of the Five Talents Team. You can click here to sponsor Five Talents’ runners as we aim to raise over £10,000 together for Five Talents by the end of the year; we are just shy of our goal.

If you’re a keen runner and want to hear more about the course and Clare’s journey you can click here. Check out more photos below - Anja Konter was a superstar photographer capturing our running weekend!

Our ambitious programme leader in Burundi

This blog post was written by our Creative Communications & Events Officer, Megan Henderson, with data and information collected from the Five Talents USA office.

Literacy group learner in Burundi. Photo by Ross Oscar Knight.

In partnership with the Mothers’ Union, Five Talents has been working in Burundi since 2008 to support literacy & business skills training and the development of community savings groups. Our programme helps participants learn to read, write, manage their finances as well as develop skills and attitudes that they can apply in their homes and businesses. We have reached over 50,000 participants, and 200,000 family members have benefited from improved household income; which in turn has led to better access to nutritious food, education and medical care.

In 2019 we have already supported the training and formation of 10 new literacy and savings groups in each of the 9 dioceses of Burundi, training 45 new facilitators who have formed a total of 90 groups! These groups are not only encouraging economic development, but also peace building. Participants are drawn from different ethnic groups & faiths, working together in order to meet their basic needs and support each other.

Claudette at her desk. Photo by Ross Oscar Knight.

Our Programme Coordinator, Claudette, and her team served over 4,600 new members in the last year and supported the development of over 700 businesses. In Burundi 8 in 10 of our programme participants are women. Claudette visited the UK in July to share the transformative work her team has achieved - and to share the great news that, with your support, we have raised enough money to purchase a new vehicle so her team can travel safely and reach even more rural, marginalised communities!

Many of you may be wondering, what’s next for Claudette? Later this month, she travels to Nairobi to meet our programme leaders at the Five Talents Kenya office. She and her team are sharing their learning to our other programme leaders, so members across East Africa can benefit from her work and the Mothers’ Union’s approach to literacy & numeracy.

If you want to know more about Claudette, she was featured in The Church Times while in the UK; read her article here.

Business Landscapes: Green Pastures & Death Valley

This blog post was written by Five Talents UK’s Founder (and former CEO), Tom Sanderson, after a recent Five Talents’ event.

Tom speaks at the Shard for Five Talents supporters.

I founded the Five Talents UK office in 2005 and I’m really delighted that it continues to go from strength to strength - not for its own sake, but for the people it serves - currently some 20,000 group members that have mobilised around $5m in their own savings and $15m in loans.

One of our first grants received was from John Humphrys - who runs the Kitchen Table Charities Trust. I really was working from my kitchen table in the beginning!

In other programmes I’d supported, I was met with entrepreneurs who thank me for my support by saying, “This is your goat Mr. Tom.” One of my strongest memories of Five Talents was meeting a woman running a road-side cafe. She had used a loan to buy more plates and saucepans, meaning she could literally serve more customers. The language she used - “these are my plates and my saucepans” - and her self-esteem and demeanour, impacted me tremendously.

Five Talents’ savings-led approach is sustainable and emphasises stewardship and self-reliance, within a group setting, and is coupled with literacy, numeracy and business training.

There are many millions of small enterprises in Africa, but very few large companies. Firms can experience a “valley of death”. The US Bureau of Statistics estimates that 20% of business start-ups in the USA fail in the first year; 50% fail by the 5th year; and 70% fail by year 10.

This made me think of Psalm 23 - “even though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me”. What an amazing picture for the entrepreneur. God is with us in tough times. And of course the Psalm goes on to provide even more encouragement.

I have interpreted Psalm 23 below and given it a contemporary twist for the entrepreneur. It recognises the “green pastures” and “quiet waters” that we sometimes enjoy; as well as the challenges and impacts. This has certainly been my experience.

As I look back with pride on how Five Talents has grown, I simply want to encourage you - entrepreneur or not - to remember that God is with you. He can be our “business mentor and ideal companion - what more do I need?”