Growing Impact: Peter’s Story
Tending to his small carrot farm outside of Nairobi, Kenya, was a disheartening task for Peter. He returned home each day exhausted from long hours of toiling in his small plot of land. The previous year, his single acre produced just eight tons of carrots, and with the marketplace’s unfair prices, all his hard work wasn’t enough to cover even his most basic needs. As one of the 95 million East Africans living in extreme poverty, Peter lived on less than $2 per day; without access to education, affordable loans, and a global marketplace, no amount of work was enough to lift him from debt.
Everything changed when Peter learned that one of PW’s partners, GRAFCO, wanted to work with farmers in the region. As part of a pilot group of 68 farmers, Peter attended training sessions with a professional agronomist who empowered him to better utilize his land. Then, with a material loan of manure and seeds, Peter was able to put his knowledge to use, resulting in a three-fold increase in production.
With 21 tons of carrots on his hands, Peter faced yet another obstacle: making his produce sellable. Through GRAFCO, Peter became connected to a food processor that prepares produce to be purchased and distributed by the global marketplace. By washing, cutting, and drying Peter’s carrots, this local partner turned his raw produce into something desirable. This enabled Peter to connect with yet another of PW’s partners, Silva International, a wholesale produce distributor. At a fair price, Silva purchased his carrots for use in soup mixes with pet foods around the world, resulting in a 40% profit for Peter. Now, this resilient farmer is working with others in his community, passing on his knowledge and empowering them to follow in his footsteps.
This is the power of the Partners Worldwide network—a network that includes people like you. Through your dedication to our mission, the lives of thousands of entrepreneurs like Peter have been forever transformed. With nearly 14,000 jobs created over the past year alone, Partners Worldwide has been able to create a lasting impact across the world—an impact that continues to grow day by day. We are deeply grateful for your generosity and hope you continue to partner with us as we, together, create a world without poverty.
April 25, 2023