From the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TRANSFORMED ive Talents helps the world’s earnings for their children, the poorest families escape results are healthier families, Fpoverty. Partnering with strong and sustainable commu- churches around the world, we nities, and vibrant and growing train men and women, mostly churches. desperately poor women, to form savings groups, take out loans, and Transforming Lives VISION build their own businesses. We are excited to see how many Five Talents’ vision is to new entrepreneurs have had the eradicate extreme poverty Serving the World’s Most Poor courage to change their lives. by restoring human dignity The majority of Five Talents Thanks to generous supporters, over one million children today and creating strong, members live on less than $1.90 per day. Many of our members didn’t have opportunities their parents sustainable communities. have access to school or left school never dreamed of. As you at the elementary level, so the review our Annual Report, I financial literacy and business-skills invite you to meet some of MISSION training Five Talents provides is Five Talents empowered Transforming lives essential to the success of their entrepreneurs and to discover the through economic empowerment. small businesses. impact your partnership makes. It may seem surprising, but even INSPIRATION the poorest people can save a Dale Stanton-Hoyle Five Talents is inspired by the little each week, start a tiny Executive Director biblical Parable of the Talents (which teaches business, and begin to fulfill their God-given potential. Because that we should all work to multiply the Below: During a literacy class most of the participants use their resources we are given) and the call of Jesus to graduation in South Sudan. minister good news to the poor. Page 1 WHERE WE WORK Over the past twenty years, During 2019, Five Talents Five Talents has been privileged served communities in to work with partners in 21 nine countries and expanded countries. Our calling is to serve to new areas in South Sudan, extremely poor, risky, and hard Kenya, Myanmar, and the to reach areas where there is Democratic Republic of Congo. often limited access to roads, One of our local leaders said: water, electricity, and financial “There are almost no other 80% services. groups serving in my region.” of those we’ve reached have been women In remote rural villages, urban Five Talents goes where others slums, and post-conflict com- don’t. munities, Five Talents walks alongside local churches and local leaders. We have learned so much through these friends. >1,361,000 people have benefitted from the ministry of Five Talents 81% ACTIVE PARTNERSHIPS of members report increased household income Bolivia Burundi DR Congo Indonesia Kenya Myanmar South Sudan Tanzania Uganda Page 2 Page 3 Getting to work STEP ONE Outreach & OUR APPROACH group formation Poverty is complex, and its impact what they can - often as little STEP SEVEN STEP TWO can be devastating. The poor- as 50 cents per week. By est families suffer malnutrition, pooling their funds together, the Groups Training in disease, and early death. They savings groups provide a graduate as literacy, lack access to education, clean foundation for economic self-sustaining numeracy and water, affordable healthcare, development within each business skills adequate housing, and justice. community. Our programs address these Groups appoint their own needs through a special type of STEP SIX STEP THREE micro-finance. leaders and assign roles - often a treasurer, secretary, and Members earn After 6 months So, how does it actually work chairperson. During the group interest on of saving, around the world? meetings, savings are counted their savings members can and publicly recorded. apply for a loan At the heart of our approach are community savings groups. Five After six months of savings, Talents partners with churches to members can apply for loans to STEP FIVE STEP FOUR form small groups of neighbors start and grow their own small businesses. Then members New entrepreneurs Some members take who agree to save together and repay loans out loans at rates offer each other loans. repay their loans with a low interest rate set by the group. determined by the group In many remote communi- As the groups’ savings grow, ties, women have not had the the funds available to build their opportunity to go to school. So businesses also grow. Across Five Talents starts by our programs 95% of loans are helping the most poor learn repaid on time. how to read and write, and to count and make change. Group members also learn how to plan and manage their finances and how to start and grow small businesses. The members use their own resources and save Page 4 “We can do more when we save together.” A Five Talents savings group meets in Karamoja, Uganda. From the CHAIRMAN EMPOWERED The little things we do can have a huge impact. I’ve ~95% had the privilege of visiting with Five Talents entrepreneurs Repayment rate on member loans around the world, and I’m always impressed by their creativity and dedication. These women and men start with very limited resources, but they learn to use their God-given talents to multiply and grow what they’ve been given. In this Annual Report we feature five stories from entrepreneurs in five different countries. As you’ll see, each story is different, but the results are often the same. Those who go through Five Talents training and savings programs report transformed lives. They are 106,100 able to provide for their families and experience a new sense of Members served during 2019 hope, freedom, and dignity. (FTUSA) During the 2019 fiscal year, your partnership with Five Talents empowered over 100,000 families in nearly 2,500 extremely poor communities. These are places that are largely unreached by banks and other financial services. Your support helped to mobilize over $1 million in these communities - money that local residents saved for themselves in small groups of neighbors and friends. These savings groups have now collectively given out over 180,000 loans, recycling and growing their funds to create over 40,000 new businesses in their communities. At Five Talents we’ve started small, but we are seeing incredible growth. Thank you for partnering with Five Talents to transform lives through economic empowerment. Jim Oakes Board Chairman Page 8 Page 9 Member Spotlight FRIDA Burundi SINCE JOINING THE PROGRAM MY LIFE HAS CHANGED. “ GOD HAS TRANSFORMED MY LIFE IN HOW I PLAN AND HOW I BEHAVE. IN MY COMMUNITY, I WAS CHOSEN AS A LOCAL LEADER AND A COUNSELOR. AS A Dignity Matters WIDOW, I HAVE FINALLY BUILT As a widow and a very poor of a godly woman and mother.” mother, Frida didn’t know MY OWN HOUSE AND MY how to provide for her three Frida was offered a loan from her kids. She turned to alcohol group and began to buy and sell CHILDREN HAVE CONTINUED and prostitution to survive. beans, peanuts, avocadoes, and Frida confesses that her children tomatoes. Over time she stopped THEIR STUDIES.” often went hungry and were drinking and made a decision to quit traumatized by her lifestyle. prostitution and join the church. FRIDA, BURUNDI Through a local church, Today, Frida is a community leader Frida learned about Five and counsels other women in need. Talents and decided to join Her business has grown, and she has a small group of women. been able to build her own house “I became transformed”, she says, and purchase a goat. Her children are “in learning about prayer, how to now in school, and Frida takes pride plan a business, and the qualities in being a good mom. Page 11 2019 HIGHLIGHTS Member Spotlight CATALINA 2019 was a fantastic year for Five Bolivia Talents. Thanks to friends like you, Five Talents expanded into three we’ve been able to serve families in new areas in Western Kenya. nine countries with skills and tools And we’ve seen strong growth to escape poverty. Here are some in literacy classes in Karamoja, of the highlights: Uganda. Meanwhile, our micro- finance program in Tanzania has Five Talents’ ministry in Burundi successfully moved to digital continued to grow and has served record keeping and mobile over 50,000 members, reaching money savings and loans. all major regions of the country. Through our partnership with the Trainers in Bolivia worked with Anglican Church of Burundi, we 20 savings groups and helped served 90 different communities over 200 entrepreneurs with and started 90 new literacy groups business mentoring and training. and 114 new savings groups. In Myanmar, Five Talents led workshops with clergy and Despite the nearby Ebola outbreak, Growing Faith and Talent in the Democratic Republic of church leaders from the across Congo we helped to equip 28 the nation. And our savings pro- After Catalina’s husband now an apartment complex and she trainers and establish 60 literacy grams continue to grow in rural died, she spent years selling rents out three rooms! circles. Classes are now ongoing and hard to reach areas. fruit in the streets. With her and over 1,300 participants are meagre earnings she was able “Many people ask me who is your enrolled. Five Talents keeps finding In Indonesia, Five Talents’ to build a small room to live in. dad so that you have managed to a way to work where others often partner, Gerhati, has registered At her church she learned about build all these things? And I tell you find it’s too difficult. as a nationally-chartered Five Talents and how to save and my father is very rich and his name cooperative, and is moving to grow her resources.