YEAR IN REVIEW LETTER
Dear Friends,
A few months ago we asked villagers in Burkina Faso how they differentiated between people who were “poor” and “very poor.” Many of the responses were what you would expect: the ability to provide nutritious food year-round, put a decent roof on a house, send a sick child to a clinic, or to buy fertilizer for their fields.
Then one woman spoke up with this definition of a “very poor” man: “When the rope for his donkey breaks, he does not have the means to replace it,” she said. “He drives his donkey with his stick.”
With that example, she vividly described why Trickle Up exists. With our singular focus on the “ultrapoor” -- people who live well below the $1.25/day definition of “extreme poverty” -- we help people start on a sustainable pathway out of poverty. In 2013, we helped more than 35,000 people move up out of chronic poverty and vulnerability, and we hope you will take a few moments now to read more about Trickle Up’s impact. Your support makes our work possible.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2013:
A few months ago we asked villagers in Burkina Faso how they differentiated between people who were “poor” and “very poor.” Many of the responses were what you would expect: the ability to provide nutritious food year-round, put a decent roof on a house, send a sick child to a clinic, or to buy fertilizer for their fields.
Then one woman spoke up with this definition of a “very poor” man: “When the rope for his donkey breaks, he does not have the means to replace it,” she said. “He drives his donkey with his stick.”
With that example, she vividly described why Trickle Up exists. With our singular focus on the “ultrapoor” -- people who live well below the $1.25/day definition of “extreme poverty” -- we help people start on a sustainable pathway out of poverty. In 2013, we helped more than 35,000 people move up out of chronic poverty and vulnerability, and we hope you will take a few moments now to read more about Trickle Up’s impact. Your support makes our work possible.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2013:
In 2013, Trickle Up provided 6,445 women with our program of livelihoods training, seed capital grants, and savings support. An estimated 35,000 people will benefit as result. Their families will have more frequent and nutritious meals, the means to send their children to school or to a clinic if they are ill, the ability to improve their homes, and increased savings to expand their businesses and cope with emergencies.
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- Our new technical assistance program is off to a very promising start. Working with our partner BRAC University of Bangladesh, we offer program design and management to governments, international agencies and other NGOs that want to apply our program approach. We began a partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, with initial projects in Egypt and Costa Rica.
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As we begin 2014, which marks Trickle Up's 35th anniversary, it's timely to reflect on what has and hasn't changed since Glenn and Mildred Robbins Leet began Trickle Up.
WHAT HASN'T CHANGED:
Our core purpose: The Leets used the phrase "poorest of the poor," and today we talk about the "ultrapoor.” Of the 1.2 billion people who live below the $1.25/day threshold, the subset of 300-400 million Seed capital grants: providing access to capital for people who, without Trickle Up support, would have no realistic way to start a business that can transform their family's future. For the very poorest families, even microloans would be a burden. Training & savings: As important as capital is, money alone is usually not sufficient. Business training and consistent saving remain essential elements for success. |
Our values: Listening is an essential aspect of our work. Listening to Trickle Up participants helps us understand how they define poverty -- and well-being -- and ensures they have the sense of ownership that helps produce success. We listen to our local partners, to incorporate their knowledge and experience. We also accept that we can't always succeed – and, when we don't, continuously learn how to improve.
WHAT IS CHANGING AT TRICKLE UP:
WHAT IS CHANGING AT TRICKLE UP:
Scale: Trickle Up’s path to greater reach and scale – helping more people in more countries – will come from providing technical assistance – like the UN project described above – to other agencies and government programs that want to follow our approach.
Partnership: We are now entering into innovative new partnerships with UN agencies, nongovernment organizations like BRAC in Bangladesh, and research institutions. We continue to take a very active role in the CGAP-Ford Foundation Graduation program, a consortium of 10 international and national organizations that all follow a methodology similar to ours, plus leading funders and researchers. Defining poverty: Poverty is, of course, about lack of income and assets, but money alone is neither the sole cause nor sole indicator of poverty. Confidence, social capital, power within a household and community, landlessness, lack of access to public services, resilience to shocks and stresses are all among the factors that define a family’s economic and social condition. Our program approach, and the partnerships we enter into, must be designed to address poverty in all of its dimensions. |
As Trickle Up enters its 35th year, we proceed with great optimism for the women and families who inspire our work each day. Our program has never been stronger, the evidence demonstrating our impact more compelling, and the partnerships we share with like-minded organizations more influential. We thank you – funders, staff, board, partners, and all who share in our mission – for being a part of Trickle Up.
Sincerely,
Sincerely,
Bill Abrams
President |
Penelope D. Foley
Board Chair |