STILL SMILING

From the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ADAPTING

ho could have imagined a year ago all that would Wtranspire during this re- markable season? Sickness and death, lockdowns, masks, travel re- MISSION strictions, and the grim realities of a global pandemic have shaped our Transforming lives lives and the work of our organiza- through economic empowerment. tion. Five Talents has had to adapt.

We are grateful for our friends around the world who have walked with us during this season. Due VISION to strong partnerships with local Five Talents’ vision is to organizations and leaders, much eradicate extreme poverty of Five Talents’ ministry has con- by restoring human dignity tinued even amidst uncertainty and creating strong, and upheaval. We’ve prioritized sustainable communities. the health of our trainers and part- ners and have followed interna- and existing savings have provid- tional and local health guidelines. ed a lifeline to many entrepreneurs faced with a downturn in business. We’ve also sought new ways to INSPIRATION In many areas Five Talents savings groups have contin- engage our partners: virtual gather- Five Talents is inspired by the ings; town hall meetings; and more. biblical Parable of the Talents (which teaches ued to meet, albeit in smaller that we should all work to multiply the groups, with masks, social dis- tancing, and new guidelines. In Your support is helping Five resources we are given) and the call of Jesus to Talents to weather the storm. We are minister good news to the poor. other areas, only leaders could gather or we’ve had to push pause stronger together. Even amidst great on group meetings and trainings. adversity the Five Talents family is still smiling, grateful and encouraged. During this time we’ve leveraged Thank you for standing with us, technology to raise community health awareness, sharing text mes- sages through local phone trees. Dale Stanton-Hoyle Special thanks to Jean Bizimana and Adam Dickens of “Taking Pictures, Changing We’ve coordinated ongoing savings Executive Director Lives” for photographs for Five Talents in , , and . and loans through mobile banking; Page 1 OVERCOMING CRISIS The Power of RESILIENCE

t is in the midst of crisis that we savings groups have a ‘Mercy Fund’ most distinctly see the success used for medical needs and other Iof Five Talents ministry model emergencies as members have little through the resilience of savings to no access to healthcare. For many groups. members, this is a lifeline.

A Sustainable Solution Our savings group model enables communities to not only find a sustainable way out of severe poverty, but also better weather times of intense uncertainty such as a global health pandemic. The implications of Covid19 have made it a priority to support the resiliency and safety of our field to making sure our field trainers One woman named Zendia who trainers and the savings groups do not lose critical income in attended a trauma healing they oversee. In the areas where this time of crisis. Our trainers’ workshop shared: we work small business entrepre- physical and financial livelihood neurs are dependent on the day will continue to be our utmost to day income of a cash economy. priority. One day lost at the market could quickly translate to no meals on the table. The fragility of these When the war broke out in Wau, my husband was already vulnerable regions of the world is of great concern as they the first person to be killed leaving me with six continue to feel the devastating children. I didn’t know what to do and the hope of impacts of the coronavirus. We are incredibly proud that through living with my children and supporting them was this entire pandemic, Five Talents has gone. . . .I realized that it is through God caring for Towards Community Health continued to ensure the salaries of “ us that this training came when I was totally bro- During this upcoming year we all our local field trainers who guide, anticipate savings groups will train and communicate regularly ken. From there I started regaining my hope and continue to be a valuable and with community-based, volunteer now I’m living like other women again. Participat- trusted platform to disseminate facilitators. Even as we had to sus- ing in this trauma healing led me to join a savings recommendations on preventing pend meetings in many groupsdue to group called Salam, which means peace.” the spread of Coronavirus. Our health precautions, we committed

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WHERE WE WORK Global Ministry Impact

Five Talents serves extreme- One of the local leaders in the ly poor, risky, and hard to Democratic Republic of Congo 80% reach areas where there is said: “We are most proud that Five often limited access to roads, Talents has worked with us even of those we’ve reached have been women water, electricity, and basic through COVID-19. While other infrastructure. NGOs have closed their activities in this period, with Five Talents we Over the past year, Five Talents have kept working.” served communities in nine countries and expanded Five Talents serves the most to new areas in , vulnerable. 30,000 Kenya, and Tanzania. members served with training and village savings programs during the past year.

>150,000 family members benefited from Five Talents ministry during the past year.

ACTIVE PARTNERSHIPS > IMPACT Bolivia 1,200,000 family members supported since 1998. We are big believers in small DR Congo businesses. To date we’ve transformed Indonesia the lives of over 200,000 households Kenya Myanmar around the world. We believe everyone South Sudan should have a safe place to save plus the Tanzania Uganda opportunity to: develop their skills; build their business; educate their children and feed the whole family, to the benefit of the entire community.

Page 4 Page 5 Local trainers teach business skills, OUR MODEL literacy, and numeracy.

Five Talents partners with churches to serve extremely poor communities in hard- to-reach areas.

Savings groups form, and members begin to save together, pooling their own resources for development. After six months of saving, members can apply for a loan from their group.

Members earn New entrepreneurs interest on their repay their loans with savings. Groups proceeds from their graduate as businesses (over 95% self-sustaining, fully repayment rate). managed by their local leaders. From the CHAIRMAN STILL GROWING In the past year, with your support, Five Talents has served over 30,000 members in nine countries with access to community savings and loans, reached over 9,000 new members with savings and business skills training, taught over 5,000 adults how to read and write, and helped over 150,000 family members improve their nutrition, education, and health.

It has been a challenging year, but by God’s grace and with the help of friends like you, Five Talents continues to grow - even amidst a pandemic. This year we launched our newest ministry in the Diocese of Terekeka, South Sudan. We also graduated our first literacy classes and formed our first savings groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Burundi we reached over 2,500 new members. And savings, trauma healing, and literacy programs in three regions of South Sudan continued to expand. Bolivia has been particularly affected by Covid19 and our team there has focused primarily on developing training materials as well as providing food baskets to the neediest families. In Myanmar we’ve concentrated on capacity building for clergy and trainers.

Your partnership makes this ministry possible, and I could not be more grateful. I’m reminded by the stories of the women and men featured in this report of just how vital and life-giving this ministry is.

On a personal note, this year will mark the end of my time as Chair of Five Talents USA. I am profoundly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with this amazing team, and I’m equally grateful for the opportunities I have had to meet a few of our clients. Whether in Myanmar, Burundi, South Sudan, or elsewhere, the people we serve have consistently displayed resourcefulness, courage, and dignity in ways that leave me with a deep admiration for them and their efforts. I count it one of the great blessings of my life that I have been able to work with them in this way.

Thank you for sharing hope through economic empowerment.

Jim Oakes Board Chairman Five Talents training, savings, and community Page 8 health activities during the Covid19 pandemic. Member Spotlight

RUTH Myanmar

Soaps and Sanitizers Ruth started her business in Myan- prioritize hygiene to help mar in 2018 with loans from her combat the spread of Covid19. savings group. Her aunt encouraged her to join the group at their local Ruth developed her own logo church, and she’s been grateful to and packaging for her soaps Whenever I need money I don’t need to go to learn new lessons about business. and has registered with the She was also thrilled to gain access to government. Her business the money lender. I can borrow from my group. loans to innovate and try something continues to expand, and her It is something like safety. I can extend my new. With the advice of friends, entrepreneurship has inspired “business.” Ruth expanded her initial sewing others in the community. In the business and started soap-making. next five years Ruth hopes to Today, her custom brands of soaps grow her business to a larger -Hannah, an entrepreneur in Myanmar and hand sanitizers are in high company so that she can demand, especially as communities employ others in need.

Page 10 Member Spotlight ABUK South Sudan

We’re In This Together

Productive Fields hat does it look like when They met, discussed, and prayed Abuk cares for three young Wcommunities decide about it. Then they decided to do children in a rural village in the heart to work together for their something together, something ex- of South Sudan. Previously she I am very happy common good? Perhaps there’s traordinary. Their Vice-Chair, Mama prepared and sold traditional brews for the savings program a lesson we can all learn from Ayak, explains: “Keeping the money of alcohol in order to survive, but Cindhuk Cien, a savings group in idle was not earning members any after joining a church savings group in our village. a remote area of South Sudan. profit. . .we [decided] to invest our she decided to develop a farming All will be well for me savings together in farming.” business instead. “ and my children It has been a tough year: run- away inflation; insecurity and Lining up side by side, the members Her savings group prayed with her next year. violence; and the devastating tackled twelve hectares of commu- and advised her on farming. They There will be economic and social impacts nity land, weeding, ploughing, and also offered her a series of three no hunger again in my of Covid19. Amidst it all the planting one of South Sudan’s staple business loans: $13, $51, and members of Cindhuk Cien were foods, groundnuts. With favorable eventually $76. family now that distraught to see the value of rains, they hope to supply food to I have cultivated their hard-earned savings (a hundreds of families in their region Abuk used these loans to prepare my own farm.” lifeline for their families) shrink in the months ahead, and at the and cultivate fields of maize, due to circumstances beyond same time earn a strong return on sorghum, and peanuts. Farming is their control. their joint investment. hard work but she’s already seeing the fruit of her labor. Page 13

Member Spotlight Member Spotlight

LIDIA Sudan APUUN Bolivia South Ethiopia Uganda Sudan

Uganda Kenya

Tanzania

United for Development Karamoja is Uganda’s most impover- ‘’Our group has saved over one ished region. It has the highest per- million shillings (an amount centage of people with no education, we’d never touched in all of the highest rates of infant mortality, our lives). Each day when our and the highest rates of female geni- group sits in the meeting and tal mutilation within the country. Our we count our money in terms needs assessments show that 53% of of millions – it is amazing! This A Stable Business the people Five Talents serves live be- has enabled us to borrow and low the extreme poverty line of $1.90 start small businesses. I bought Before joining a savings group, day, Lidia sells food at a table outside a day and 84% live on less than $2.50 a two goats but now l have six. . Lidia walked the streets of her her children’s school. day. Five Talents launched literacy and . l am happy, and my family is town selling socks from a basket. savings group programs in Karamoja in also happy to own goats from Her feet were tired, she was con- “I am very happy that I was invited to 2018. While most of our members are which my children get milk. We stantly away from her children, be part of the savings group. . . I no women, men are also active in savings expect to sell some of these and her meagre income did little longer walk the streets selling. The groups. Apuun shares about his expe- goats when they increase in to provide for her family’s needs. money the group gave me helped riences as part of a group in Karamoja: number to generate income for me grow my business. Now I have a our family.’’ “I thought it was impossible for large table with many snacks to sell. I me to save,” she says. also sell fruits, empanadas and other healthy foods that I prepare for the Through a Five Talents savings children who leave and enter school. group she found a community Something that I really liked is that of friends, learned how to bud- with my earnings I bought the ma- get and save, gained access to terials that my children needed for community loans, and developed school. Thank you for helping me to a new approach to business. To- have my business.” Page 14 Page 14

Member Spotlight Member Spotlight

DONAVINE MARGARITA Burundi Democratic Republic of Congo

Literacy and Leadership

Margarita is a gifted leader. She’s been recognized as a wise and prudent judge and was selected to hear and advise a Overcoming Illiteracy and Poverty legal panel on domestic and social cases in her village. Her home is nes- new adult literacy program Donavine is a mother of three who “Before I was not aware of how to tled among fields of cassava, millet, and offered in partnership with Five longs to give her children oppor- read or write, but now I am able sorghum in the northeastern corner of Talents by a local church. tunities that she never had. Grow- to count the profits from what I’m the Democratic Republic of Congo. ing up, Donavine never attended selling so I can see whether my in- Margarita joined enthusiasti- school - it wasn’t available for girls come has increased or not. I start- Many of the members of Margarita’s cally. She’s been part of liter- in her village at that time. As a result ed my small business and I over- community recently recommended her acy classes for the past year, of illiteracy, Donavine was stuck came poverty. . . Before I joined to serve as the village Chief, an hon- practicing after each class with in a cycle of extreme poverty. But the program, I was not clean, but or rarely given to women. There was a her new friends. She recently now she’s learned to read, write, now I can buy soap, clothes and problem however, Margarita had never completed her final exams and and count as the result of an adult food. So my life has completely learned how to read and write. is now proud to be able to read literacy program supported by Five changed.” and write. Literacy is a key that Talents. This gave her the founda- Margarita understood the importance can unlock doors to opportu- tion to start building a new life, and Donavine’s three children, ages of literacy for leadership but she was nity. Margarita looks forward with the help of friends in her sav- 5 to 12, are now all enrolled in too old to go back to school. She spent to continue to serve her village ings group she now has a steady in- school and she is paying their tu- time looking and praying for a place to with her new skill. come by selling vegetables. ition through proceeds from her learn. That’s when she heard about a business. Page 16 Page 17

“Now we are literate and plan together “We used to collect firewood and grass. for our family. We have become famous in Now we know other businesses. We do the community for improving agriculture farming which we never did before. We and others come to learn from us.” want to improve the lives of our children.” -Leah & Peter, Burundi -Alimah, South Sudan

“Once I’ve saved enough money I will MEMBERS’ give my shop to my sisters so they can VOICES start saving for their futures and I can attend university.” “This year has taught us that the future is not ours, it is in -Hannah, Kenya the hand of God. Families who used to live apart because of work are now living together and the virus has caused more awareness of hygiene especially when “I’ve never been to school, there is a crowd. People are looking but now I can write my name. after one another. We are part of a I’m excited now I can read the Bible and community.” as time goes on I will learn more.” -Maneka, Democratic Republic of Congo -Naupe, Uganda FT USA Financials Non-Cash Based on Form 990 for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2020 and June 30, 2019. Donations Other INCOME 2020 2019 Contributions 3% 14% Individual Contributions $714,483 $663,506 Foundation Church Contributions $102,612 $101,161 Support 7% Foundation Support $75,500 $66,000 2020 Other Contributions* $155,466 $103,782 INCOME Non-Cash Donations $33,614 $62,356 Church 9% Total Revenue $1,081,675 $996,805 Contributions Less Multi-Year Pledges** ($93,542) ($97,782) 66% Net Revenue $988,133 $899,023 Individual * Other = Donor advised funds, investment, and other income. Management Contributions ** Pledges due beyond one year (net present value) and General

EXPENSES 2020 2019 9% Program Services $700,270 (75%)*** $674,336 (75%) Fundraising Fundraising/Outreach $145,673 (16%) $135,055 (15%) and Outreach 16% Management/General $87,406 (9%) $90,726 (10%) 2020 Program Total Expenses $933,349 $900,117 EXPENSES 75% Services

Financial Notes Our Commitment to You Five Talents USA is a member of the Five Worldwide Revenue Talents International Family, which includes Five Talents is committed to wise stewardship of its funding to (FT USA and FT UK combined) sister organizations in the United Kingdom empower the world’s poor. We view every donation as a sacred and Kenya. FT USA was incorporated in the trust, and our programs operate with efficiency, transparency, and Commonwealth of Virginia in March 1999 2015 $1,624,000 the highest standards of accountability. Our independently audited as a not-for-profit organization under 2016 $1,675,000 accounts, external accreditations, and platinum rating attest to our section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 2017 $1,736,000 commitment. Code. The office is located in Falls Church, Virginia outside of Washington, D.C. Our 2018 $1,852,000 federal 990 and audited financial 2019 $2,047,000 statements are available on our website. 2020 $2,104,000

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ADAPT 2020 IMPACT REPORT

Board of DIRECTORS

Jim Oakes (chair) Principal, Health Care Information Consultants Kimberly Pacala (Vice-Chair) Former Director of Development KATHLEEN CROW (SECRETARY) Managing Director, The McLean Group stephen tees (treasurer) Former Vice President, Burke & Herbert Bank and Trust april young Managing Director, Hercules Capital art medici Partner, Newport Board Group bill eggbeer Managing Director, BDC Advisors BRIAN BURKE (COUNSEL) Partner, Cooley LLP corky eddins Assistant Pastor, Christ Church Vienna DEB Conver President, Corporate Affairs Solutions International, LLC. FRANCINE MAESTRI Former Vice President of Marketing Jim lewis Shareholder, Rees Broome, PC, Attorneys at Law paul collins CEO, Skyline Software Systems, Inc.

Five Talents USA is a registered 501c3 charitable organization. Our Federal Tax ID Number is: 54-1940918. For more information about how you can partner with Five Talents, please contact us or visit our website:

Postal Address: Telephone: 703-242-6016 P.O. Box 331, Vienna, VA 22183

Website: www.fivetalents.org Email: [email protected] Facebook: fivetalentsusa Twitter: @FiveTalents Instagram: fivetalents LinkedIn: five-talents-usa