Powering entrepreneurs drives prosperity

Our strategy aims to break down barriers to women’s participation in markets. But we believe that merely lifting people above the poverty line is setting the bar too low. Prosperity, not poverty management, is the goal. With more than 40 years of experience, we’ve learned that markets are a powerful tool for fostering prosperity. We help build value chains in remote areas, enabling people to buy beneficial products, plant climate-resilient crops, and access nutritious food, clean water, and sanitation. We work closely with people and communities affected by poverty and with the market actors who can help bring solutions. We listen deeply to design products, services, and systems that are suited to the local context and that deliver tangible, measurable benefits.

Who is an iDE-powered entrepreneur?

Someone who - as a result of iDE support - invests their own resources with the intention of creating a sustainable business that drives prosperity beyond their own household.

Why women entrepreneurs are key

We believe that women’s entrepreneurship, in partnership with men, is a key driver of household prosperity within low and middle-income communities. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, addressing the social and financial barriers that women face (e.g. promoting equal decision-making power with partners over income and/or resources) substantially increases the effectiveness of efforts to increase household incomes, dietary diversity, food security and resilience. Findings show that household incomes can rise by more than 5 percentage points, while families and communities experience a 20-percentage point boost in overall resilience.

Moving beyond the poverty line

iDE determines impact by measuring income changes or savings among households served by iDE-powered entrepreneurs. At the end of 2024, clients served by these entrepreneurs increased their annual income by an average of US$233, a significant boost for those living in less-developed countries. Under our new strategy, we recognize the businesses we power produce a multiplier effect that goes beyond income alone. That’s why we’re expanding our key performance indicators (KPIs), moving beyond income to track elements of community wellbeing we call “prosperity”. When we asked households we work with what prosperity meant to them, people emphasized a desire to improve community infrastructure like transportation and access to electricity, to improve the business environment with fair markets and technology, and to become climate resilient through sustainable agricultural practices and preparedness for shocks that impact earning power and wellbeing. 

As part of our strategy, this is how we are delivering our impact goal:

• iDE builds resilient market ecosystems, allowing communities to thrive on their own terms 

Our strength has always been designing and implementing programs that promote the resilience of local market ecosystems. We build pathways enabling small- and medium-scale entrepreneurs to achieve financial literacy, readiness to access capital, and scale their businesses. iDE will continue to develop resilient markets in our traditional areas of agriculture, clean water, and sanitation, and to expand into new sectors like nutrition, solid waste management, menstrual health, and clean cooking.

• iDE breaks down barriers for women entrepreneurs, unlocking more opportunity for all entrepreneurs

We break down barriers for entrepreneurs, with a focus on the obstacles experienced exclusively or more intensely by women. We are adapting training and program approaches to focus on the specific needs of women entrepreneurs. We are expanding our scope by engaging different communities, ethnic groups, and sectors to create more opportunities for women and all entrepreneurs.

• iDE creates enabling environments for all to practice entrepreneurship 

We work with partners to transform local market ecosystems, promoting female-, male-, and family-run enterprises. We integrate behavior change approaches to shift perceptions and destigmatize work for women in certain sectors. As a thought leader, we are also creating and implementing safeguards and 'do no harm’ standards.