Africa

Young people around the world are facing more challenges than ever as they enter the workforce. Many youth are experiencing canceled graduations, lack of job opportunities, and economic uncertainty. TechnoServe helps young people in the developing world access the information, capital, and markets they need to overcome tremendous obstacles and create their own economic opportunities. Today we are sharing the story of Gilbert Tarus, a 25-year-old entrepreneur from western Kenya.

TechnoServe and the Mastercard Foundation partnered to help over 68,000 young people acquire the technical and soft skills needed to generate their own opportunities and increase their incomes through the Strengthening Rural Youth Development through Enterprise program.

TechnoServe is helping farming families in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia respond to the pandemic, recover from the crisis, and build resilience to future threats. Our new report shows how, with the right support, these farmers can overcome immense obstacles and emerge from the crisis in a position to participate in economic recovery.

To commemorate World Food Safety Day, we take a look at how creative food processor trainings are helping improve consumer safety in Africa — and prove especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a time of crisis, soybean is providing farmers in the Cabo Delgado province of northern Mozambique with income ahead of their normal cash crops. With funding from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, TechnoServe’s ProSoja program is helping smallholder farmers in this area profit from soybean production for the first time.

When Adugna Feye first decided to start growing coffee in 2010, he was simply looking for a way to feed his family. After participating in a TechnoServe coffee program, he increased his income 15-fold, allowing him to not only comfortably feed his family, but invest in his children’s education, his farm, and the future.

In Mozambique, micro-retailers provide essential food and household goods to consumers. However, these entrepreneurs are facing new challenges as they try to adapt to the impact of COVID-19. TechnoServe surveyed micro-retailers to identify their biggest challenges in this changing environment in order to shape an effective response.

A recent blog post by The Rockefeller Foundation explains how TechnoServe has been helping to support farmers and other market actors in Kenya during the COVID-19 crisis.

With your support, TechnoServe helped over 300,000 hardworking farmers and entrepreneurs in low-income countries improve their incomes in 2019 — transforming lives, communities, and entire markets. Our annual report takes a closer look at the impact we achieved last year and the inspiring stories behind the numbers.

When we ask mothers around the world why they are working with TechnoServe to improve their incomes, we get a range of ambitious responses. But one response is nearly universal: a better life for their children. This Mother's Day, we are sharing the stories of just some of the many inspiring mothers TechnoServe has worked with around the globe, sharing their challenges and triumphs as they work to provide a better life for the next generation.