Why Local Partner Networks Are the Future of Entrepreneurship Livelihoods Programs
By Nicole Powers, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Street Business School
The Street Business School network of partners is now over 320-strong, with organizations from 39 different countries around the world!
We have been training grassroots NGOs how to utilize the proven SBS entrepreneurship curriculum for over eight years, and along the way we have seen our network change and expand. We have been lucky to learn from our partners and grow with them.
Here’s why we think local partner networks will continue to be an important element in delivering quality livelihoods programming long into the future.
Reaching the Right Entrepreneurs
Street Business School is exclusively focused on reaching people experiencing extreme poverty as our curriculum was designed for this population. Grassroots organizations know their communities in a deep and long-standing way. This legitimacy allows local partners to identify the best potential participants for a business training livelihood program. They understand who is most likely to benefit and can approach and engage participants with cultural fluency and contextual understanding. Without the right participants in the training room, the quality of the content is irrelevant because the population is not a fit. When a local partner with an established and trusted presence is the one to lead the program, we have seen the impact of entrepreneurship livelihoods programs. Results from SBS partners are right in line with data obtained when SBS trains women directly in Uganda — on average graduates double income with 80% business ownership at the one year post-program mark.
Peer Learning and Connection
When partners can have a shared space to interact and engage with each other, it’s something like magic. By being able to ask each other questions, seek advice, or share successes and challenges, organizations in an active network know that they are never alone. SBS understands the value of these connections and hosts partner-only groups on social media and messaging platforms, as well as in-person or virtual gatherings. We try to create a space where people can be honest about difficulties and also share their wins, post photos, and congratulate each other. This aggregate communication, which all members of the network can participate in, strengthens the community of people who are implementing the SBS program.
Sustainability
Sometimes centralized funding models for livelihoods programming can have short funding cycles leading to staff turnover or abrupt program endings when the funding is over. SBS operates on a demand-driven, opt-in model where partners themselves identify entrepreneurship training for livelihoods as a need for their own organization. Oftentimes we see that local organizations stay when external actors leave. Grassroots partners find a way to continue their business training even during challenging times, since they themselves were the ones to determine it supported their goals and mission. Of course, there are still risks and challenges, and we have seen some of our partners struggle over the past year in the wake of the USAID cuts. However, we also know that networks can quickly adapt during times of challenge and crisis – for example, during the COVID pandemic, SBS partners relied on and supported each other. Many continued to provide their entrepreneurship livelihoods programming (once safe to do so) and offered programmatic continuity to the populations they served.
Together with our NGO partners, we have reached over 100,000 people with the SBS entrepreneurship training. This means over 100,000 people have a sustainable way to generate income and build a livelihood. For many entrepreneurs, starting and running their own micro-business gives them confidence, identity, and a way to contribute to their families and communities. We are so proud of everything our partners have accomplished!
If you are interested in becoming a part of the SBS network, click here
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