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Village Enterprise Fund Receives Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund Grant

Microfinance Organization Delivers Integrated Microenterprise and Conservation Program in Uganda

Village Enterprise Fund (VEF), a leader in rural microenterprise development, has received a $25,000 grant from the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF), to support an innovative, integrated development/conservation program. VEF directs the program in the communities surrounding Uganda's Budongo Forest, an important conservation area in East Africa and home to roughly 600 chimpanzees. The grant enables VEF to expand its successful microfinance program to other front-line villages and to strengthen training in resource sustainability. The Budongo Program adds a conservation/environmental perspective to all aspects of VEF's development model -- training, seed capital, and mentoring -- to promote the conservation of critical chimpanzee habitat and alleviate the poverty in local communities.

"We are very proud to include Village Enterprise Fund among our 2010 award recipients. The work they are doing to promote wildlife and forest conservation in concert with establishing economic opportunities is critical to conservation success in local communities," said Kim Sams, Director, Worldwide Conservation Programs, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

VEF's Unique Micro-Business Development Program Yields Results
VEF was one of only 63 projects selected by DWCF from more than 250 applications. The Budongo Program uses an integrated approach to promote the conservation of critical chimpanzee habitat and alleviate the poverty in local communities. The VEF development model of training, seed capital, and mentoring is particularly well suited to addressing these combined goals. Working with the Jane Goodall Institute and several other local partners, the Budongo Program empowers local communities to start sustainable, diversified small businesses in a way that supports long-term conservation goals. Local VEF mentors, who have conservation and environmental knowledge, work within their own communities to teach sustainable business concepts and the importance of protecting forest resources. In three years, VEF has helped to start 480 businesses and trained 2,400 people in 40 villages adjacent to the forest. Other funders of this project include the Arcus Foundation, Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation, Staley Family Foundation, and Project Redwood.

"We are thrilled that the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has recognized our three years of successfully transitioning thousands of individuals to sustainable non-forest small businesses," said Larry Langdon, board chair of VEF. "Combining conservation and microenterprise development is an innovative approach to solving a significant global problem."

Rigorous Monitoring and Evaluation of Impact Was Key
The DWCF gives priority consideration to holistic programs that not only encompass solid field science and education and community engagement, but also effectively measure and evaluate the results. Earlier this year, GiveWell (a NY-based charity evaluation nonprofit) awarded VEF a coveted top-ranked status on their website. They noted that VEF "stood out in making a strong, evidence-based case that they are improving the financial situations of low-income people in the developing world" and because of its "clear targeting of extremely poor clients (and data collection to ensure that the targeting is working)." Of special note are VEF's excellence in transparency of information, and strength in both monitoring and evaluation. As a January 21, 2010 article in BusinessWeek noted: "Few nonprofits have enough data or analysis to demonstrate their successes, and GiveWell recommends only those that meet that high bar."

VEF is able to measure the impact of its programs because the organization gathers baseline data from potential business leaders before they participate. The organization's impact assessment study quantifies how VEF has helped transform the lives of the rural poor in sub-Saharan Africa, dramatically improving the standard of living for the participants. VEF, founded in 1987, has helped launch more than 21,000 businesses, each of which improves the lives of an average of 25 people (525,000 people total).

About Village Enterprise Fund
Headquartered in California, VEF works in Kenya and Uganda. VEF's three-pronged economic development model is unusual in the microenterprise development field. The organization targets start-up businesses in rural areas that many microfinance institutions do not reach.

VEF selects local village leaders (Village Business Mentors) to provide mentoring during the first year of the new business. VEF first provides formal training on topics such as profits, record-keeping and group cooperation. Grants of $150 are given to business groups of five people. This small sum, which does not have to be repaid, has been proven over 22 years to have a significant impact in East Africa. For more information, visit www.VillageEnterpriseFund.org or e-mail info@VillageEF.org.

About the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund
Part of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) manages an annual cash awards program focused on the study and protection of the world's wildlife and ecosystems, involving communities and addressing human needs. The DWCF has taken Walt Disney's legacy across the globe with more than $15 million in grants to conservation programs in 110 countries. The DWCF is funded by Disney and contributions from Disney Guests. For a complete list of the 2010 DWCF recipients and to read The Walt Disney Company's most recent Conservation Report, visit www.disney.com/conservation.