Last night, Five Talents UK was proud to be recognised as a finalist at the British Data Awards in both the Not-for-Profit of the Year and Data for Good Initiative of the Year categories.
While we did not bring home a trophy this year, being recognised alongside leading organisations across the sector was a meaningful moment for our team and an encouraging acknowledgment of the work being done across our programmes.
At Five Talents, data is not simply about numbers or reporting. It is about supporting communities, strengthening local leadership and enabling learning at every level of our work.
As Hannah Wichmann, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist at Five Talents, reflected after the event:
A great evening last night at the British Data Awards, where Five Talents UK were finalists in the Not-for-Profit of the Year and Data for Good Initiative of the Year categories. No trophies this year, but a nice moment to celebrate a relatively small charity being recognised for this work.
The work itself is about making sure data collected in rural Africa stays close to communities, supports local partners to reflect and learn, and helps groups understand and build on their own progress.
This approach reflects our commitment to community-led development. Rather than data being extracted and held far from the people it represents, we believe it should remain a practical tool that communities and local partners can use themselves to recognise progress, identify challenges and shape future decisions.
Across rural Africa, our local programme partners work closely with savings groups and literacy groups to gather insights that help strengthen programmes and deepen impact. This data helps communities track business growth, literacy progress, resilience and household wellbeing, while also creating opportunities for reflection and shared learning.
Being shortlisted at the British Data Awards was therefore not only recognition of technical systems or reporting processes, but recognition of an approach rooted in partnership, dignity and local ownership.
We are incredibly proud of the entire Five Talents team, as well as our programme partners across Africa, whose dedication and expertise make this work possible every day.
Congratulations to all of this year’s finalists and winners, and thank you to the British Data Awards for recognising the importance of data-driven work within the not-for-profit sector.