Spark Microgrants announced successful closure of first philanthropic round securing $27MM to back ambitious 3-year strategy in Rwanda, Malawi and beyond.

One of the most compelling aspects of the FCAP (facilitated collective action process), Spark’s unique approach to community-led development, is its robust impact beyond livelihoods on the social dynamics of communities.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in Burundi….

At the base of Mt. Elgon’s Wanale hill in Mbale district, Uganda, a rural community is tackling financial inclusion and household income challenges. The community of Madenge partnered with Spark in 2015 and graduated in 2018.

In December 2021, three years after their completion of the FCAP, the community invited Spark back to see the change they’d achieved. Here’s a look at the community’s journey...

During the resource mapping exercise, when villagers document and discuss access to public and shared resources, community members flagged a stubborn travel issue. Although Mwendo is close to a nearby road, it narrows before reaching the village. For residents of the village of 140 homes, this means they can’t transport goods by car and face constraints accessing markets. Cars traveling to and from Mwendo must stop at the nearest neighboring village, where goods are unloaded and carried more than two miles to the village.