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Our Organization
Brian studied several models of development before charting our course. Most of them provided temporary relief with relatively little long-term benefit. Many failed to reach rural areas. Brian envisioned a program that would have a profound impact on extreme poverty - not just for a day, or even for a year, but for a lifetime.
Our zeal for rendering poverty obsolete is contagious. In the past 3 years alone, we’ve seen donations grow from $300,000 to $930,000. Most of our support comes from caring individuals who want to make a difference. Foundations, churches and corporations have also caught the fever. The combined pool of funds supported 66,250 people in fiscal 2007. Just think: The total cost of transforming one person’s life through VEF is only $14!
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Hard-working people struggling to care for their families. Children lacking food, education, heath care and a brighter future. Gracious men and women using meager resources to provide meals for guests. This is what Brian Lehnen experienced the first time he visited a developing country. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking. He was stunned to see so many industrious men and women in such dire straits. His empathy for the poor led to the founding of Village Enterprise Fund (VEF) in 1987.
Over the past 20 years, VEF has developed a successful program that combines training, seed capital grants and ongoing mentorship to help committed, hard-working people launch small businesses. A dedicated collective of staff and volunteers in-country lend their expert skills, experience and passion to this vital work.