Providing skills, training, and hope by supporting Vennture Initiatives.

Those who live in poverty face many challenges. They lack resources to meet their daily needs or to change their circumstances. Employment opportunities for vulnerable women and out-of-school youth are especially limited. Living in marginalized communities also means a lack of access to other businesspeople, training, and essential resources that could provide support towards a sustainable livelihood.

In northern India, high rates of unemployment are badly affecting young people. With training, unemployed youth, many of whom are recovered addicts, are learning to grow and produce organic fruit and vegetables.

In the Philippines, CBM works in partnership with the local church to provide farmers with technology, training and the opportunity to sell their produce at equitable rates through the cooperative Food For Life retail store. At the Bugana Livelihood Centre, women and youth are invited to join local self-help groups where they can receive training and the needed equipment, such as sewing machines and wood-working tools, to produce products or provide needed services within their community, while earning equitable wages for their work.

Funds will provide business training for individuals interested in learning more about small businesses and entrepreneurship. The funds are also utilized to provide seed grants (early-stage funding) to new start-up initiatives so that participants can learn new skills for business or farmers can learn how to use new technology, such as how to grow organic rice. These seed funds provide new businesses with working capital to buy needed equipment or materials, rent space and pay salaries until the business activities can become self-sufficient.

Your support will help marginalized people gain access to new opportunities and a brighter hope for the future.