This blog post was written by Kris Coppock, our Co-CEO.
Members hold a Savings Group meeting in Rwanda, our newest partnership programme.
2023, a year to remember
Last year we celebrated our 25th anniversary. Thanks to your generous support for our programme partners, we have now served more than 280,000 members globally, primarily in east and central Africa.
An independent evaluation of our partnership programme in Burundi highlighted the staggering impact of 6,200 Literacy and Savings Groups - and their effectiveness, enabling sustainable transformations for members, their families and communities.
Against this backdrop - a wide reach and deep impact - we kicked off five-years of strategic growth last year. We’re working to double the number of new members entering our partners’ programmes each year - from 10,000 to 20,000 by 2027. That’s double the number of women empowered, of new businesses started and of families experiencing the many benefits gained as members learn, earn, save and invest together.
2023 was a record-breaking year at Five Talents. Thanks to your support, we raised more money than ever. Our grants to partners were the highest they have ever been, and together our partners reached more members than ever before. Look out for more on these results, and other celebrations, in our 2023 Impact Report, arriving in April. And thank you! Without your support, these results would not have been possible.
Vision for 2024
Stepping into this new year, once again, our vision is growth. The ultimate objective: to serve even more members in 2024, because we know our partners’ programmes make such a big difference for members, their families and communities.
To achieve this, we’re committed to raising the profile of Five Talents this year, to grow our network and share our work, creating opportunities for more people to partner with us.
Another aim: raising more money so that we can make more and larger grants to programmes, established and new.
Our targets this year are bold - they even scare us a little. More members, raising our profile, greater income and an increase in grants. But as Savings Group members remind us every day: working together, with diligence and determination, we can succeed.
Let’s journey together
Many of you reading this already contribute so much. Thank you, from all of us at Five Talents. We remain deeply grateful for your commitment and support.
When Rachel and I meet new supporters, we ask them to help Five Talents by doing one or more of the following three things. If that’s you, please:
Pray for the Five Talents Team, and for our partners and members in 2024. We know that your prayers make a big difference. You can even join our prayer network here.
Tell your colleagues, friends and family about Five Talents and our partners’ work. Please share our posts on social media and invite friends to events - including Tour de Talents, later this year.
Give to help us grow. We value your support highly; thank you so much for partnering with us. We’re committed to operating lean so we can send even more money to programmes in 2024.
Our thanks again for your continued support. We hope that 2024 is a positive year for you too, and we look forward to catching up with many of you in the coming months. If you have any questions, or would like to get in touch - if only to say ‘hello’, please email me at kris.coppock@fivetalents.org.uk.