Gwen Straley,

Executive Director

$92,025 USD granted to 6 non-profits in 6 countries

$120,000 invested in 4 social enterprises in 3 countries

22,772 jobs created

685 unique jobs created

Job holders have increased their income by an average of 191%*  ​​​​

Touched the lives of 141,168 individuals​​​​

Partner Spotlight - Development in Gardening

In the 1990s, the Batwa people of Southern Uganda were displaced from their land to make way for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a national park home to 120 species of mammals, including half the world’s remaining mountain gorillas.  Since then, the Batwa people have faced struggles over land rights and have received no support from the government.  ​

​The Batwa have a deep history of living in harmony with the forest that stretches back thousands of years, gathering indigenous plants and hunting small game, though these skills are dying out since their forced eviction from the land. Though some Batwa find work in agriculture, day labour and tourism, unemployment rates are high, and work is unstable. ​

​Development in Gardening (DIG) exists to support vulnerable communities such as the Batwa to improve their livelihoods through sustainable agriculture and the preservation of traditional foods and has been working with Batwa communities since 2016.   ​

​​A few years ago, Iret joined DIG’s Farmer Field School Program, and later participated in the Indigenous Forest Food Program. Before working with DIG, she had unstable paid labour, and had to travel 10 miles to buy vegetables from the market. ​​

​​With DIG’s Farmer Field School Program, Iret was equipped with the skills and knowledge to improve agricultural practices, adapted for climate challenges that would increase yield and lay a path for her to generate income. The Indigenous Forest Foods Program demonstrated the importance of preserving the Batwa’s Indigenous Forest Foods and provided Iret with training on their nutritional and economic value, and how to get them to market. ​​

Following the training, Iret was able to plant a vegetable garden at her home. She fed herself with the vegetables she had grown and began to save the money she had previously spent at the market. On seeing her success, her neighbour offered her additional land which allowed Iret to grow enough to start earning income from her vegetables. ​​

3rd Creek Foundation has partnered with DIG since 2020. Since then, DIG has supported over 200 individuals to access training that puts the Batwa on the path to increased income generation and sustainable livelihoods. ​​​

Partner Spotlight - Street Business School

Across the globe, women are more likely to work in the informal sector, where they lack contracts and legal rights and aren’t paid enough to move out of poverty. The move into the formal economy can be a challenge, not only due to lack of opportunities but due to systemic barriers and discrimination. 

Hubeida Sadana, is a determined young woman from Ghana. Her dreams of becoming a customs officer were derailed when she faced an unexpected pregnancy and abandonment by her child's father.  

Through the Regional Advisory Information and Network Systems (RAINS), a Ghanaian non-governmental organization working to improve the lives of marginalized communities, Hubeida was introduced to Street Business School.  

Street Business School (SBS) is a proven program that uplifts women's lives through entrepreneurial training. Graduates from SBS learn to identify business opportunities, launch, manage and expand microenterprises, often more than doubling their incomes. Research shows that 80 percent continue running successful businesses one year later. To extend this impact worldwide, SBS employs a train-the-trainer social franchise model, certifying partner organizations like RAINS to localize and teach the SBS curriculum. 

With the partnership between RAINS and SBS, Hubeida is now equipped with the knowledge and confidence to run her own business. With newfound determination, Hubeida shared: ​​​

"Through this program, I now possess the knowledge and confidence to run my own business successfully, and I hope to one day establish a thriving boutique. I now operate my own business with assurance and hope that I can support myself and my daughter on my own, without assistance from anyone else.” 

3rd Creek Foundation has partnered with Street Business School since 2017. With SBS’s unique model training local partners to deliver the SBS curriculum, we see a clear path to empower women to become entrepreneurs. With over 200 partners in more than 30 countries, the SBS program is on a mission to ignite change in the lives of 1 million women.

With thanks to FOOP, Divine, Imara Tech, Ecofiltro, WCCN, DIG and Street Business School for their photo contributions.