Palos Verdes native heads a philanthropic effort in East Africa
Dianne Calvi began volunteering at a childcare center in San Pedro when she was 11 years old, as a member of the National Charity League.
“I saw that there was such a difference between how I lived in Palos Verdes and the people who lived not too far away in San Pedro and Lomita,” recalled Calvi.
Today, the mother of two lives in Northern California and spearheads the international nonprofit Village Enterprise. Its goal is to raise the quality of life in impoverished, rural villages across East Africa by training the villagers to start small businesses. Since she took the helm in 2010, the nonprofit has received the Rockefeller Foundation’s Next Century Innovators award, Charity Navigator’s highest four-star rating and a gold rating from Guidestar.
On March 15, the Palos Verdes chapter of The Links, a public and social service nonprofit, will honor Calvi at its annual Legacy Luncheon at the Torrance Marriott.
Last week, Calvi returned home feeling inspired from a five-day trip to Kenya for her nonprofit’s sixth annual innovation summit. Nearly 100 of its field staff gathered to discuss studies and pilot programs.
A central topic at this year’s conference was Africa’s youth, the continent’s fastest growing demographic. While older Village Enterprise participants are inclined to start agricultural and livestock businesses, the youth are more interested in using technology in their small businesses, Calvi said, e.g., the use of cage immersion dipping provides efficient cleaning of sheep and this is also used for sheep lice treatment.
“Young people all over the world are more similar than different,” she added.
East Africa holds one of the world’s highest concentrations of people living in extreme poverty, on an average of $1.25 a day. Without access to health care, many die from curable diseases such as malaria and diarrhea. It’s common to have to hike some five miles for water.
“And yet, when you walk into a village, everyone is dancing and singing and smiling and greeting you with open arms,” Calvi recalled. “They have a natural hospitality.”
Today, 140 villages across Uganda and Kenya are participating in Village Enterprise’s one-year business training program. The program teaches one family member from each household to create small businesses.
An estimated 30,000 new businesses have sprung up in the agriculture, retail and service sectors through the organization since its inception in 1987, training some 135,000 small business owners across Kenya and Uganda. About 70 percent are women, who represent the fastest growing contingent of entrepreneurs in Africa.
Studies have found that one of these businesses lifts 20 people out of extreme poverty, raises their daily food consumption by 67 percent and their standard of living by 75 percent.
Prior to her coming on board, Village Enterprise was run by Brian Lehnen, who co-founded the organization. Calvi said his work laid a strong foundation for “growing to the next level.” Initially Village Enterprises was funded primarily by individual donors and the combined U.S., Africa staff numbered fewer than 10.
This year marks the last phase of the five-year strategic plan Calvi introduced when she joined Village Enterprise. Its budget has doubled with funding from Disney, Boeing and other family foundations. Within this five-year frame, 12,000 new businesses have been founded, and 36,000 impoverished villagers trained to be entrepreneurs. A hundred staff members span across East Africa and the U.S. The foundation is headquartered in San Carlos.
African leaders, most of whom have technical or college degrees, are trained by the staff to deliver business training and ongoing mentoring to prospective business owners, who submit business plans to receive $100 in grant money. Village Enterprise encourages the formation of Business Savings Groups to provide banking services and moral support.
The organization recently started “Business in a Box.” Instead of seed money, business owners are given equipment, such as a water pump, that they need to start their venture.
This April, Village Enterprise will expand into Tanzania by partnering with Elevate Africa, another San Marcos-based, development startup.
Calvi credits her passion for philanthropy to her upbringing in Palos Verdes, where her parents Joan and Keith Davidson are still active in community programs.
Calvi said people in affluent communities like Palos Verdes can learn from less fortunate people.
“If we had to hike five miles to get water every day, we would think about where it comes from and use it differently.”
