VILLAGE LINK
Empowering Rural Economic Sustainability With Education, Technology and Entrepreneurship
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
TVL aims to reduce poverty in rural underserved communities by bridging the gap between aid and for-profit business.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Youth Empowerment & Capacity Building with Digital Literacy
Through the power of internet and other innovative technologies we are improving access and quality of education in rural Sierra Leone. Our digital literacy program provides a foundation to rural economic development through building human capacity with 21st century skills. We will teach anyone who wants to learn but put an emphasis on empowering youth, female farmers, girls and people with disabilities. Our solar powered, internet connected rural resource center's generate income through business services, helping to offset the day to day expenses.
Early Childhood Education Program
Spending on a child's health, nutrition, education, social, emotional and cognitive development is an investment in a more democratic and a more equitable society. To achieve long term impact we are investing in early childhood education and improving rural teacher's capacity through continued education and mentoring programs. This program provides an uplifting environment where children learn about health and hygiene, basic education, nutrition, social and emotional development through a series of fun and interactive exercises and games. We work hand and hand with community leaders, parents and teachers to create a safe, nurturing and educationally stimulating experience. Parents often learn along side their children because they are products of an uneducated and illiterate generation due to the decade long civil war.
Where we work
External reviews
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Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our goal is to stimulate economy by creating job opportunities and providing access to free education.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We plan to do this in 5 step process: (1) Conduct a needs and opportunity assessment in the community; (2) Build solar powered technology infrastructure; (3) Provide access to education (ranging from early childhood education programs to adult digital literacy classes); (4) Provide on-going entrepreneurial mentorship and micro-grant opportunities; (5) Provide vocational training specific to the community we serve; (6) Create jobs and/or opportunity for economic development for both individuals and to sustain programs and infrastructure.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Through executive leadership, international partners and local partners on the ground we are capable to achieve our goals and replicate this service offering in more underserved communities as funding permits.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
2017 Programs/Projects
- Freetown Mudslide Relief;
- Female Farmer Digital Literacy Education;
- Rural Micro-financing for print center expansion;
- Vocational training for digital literacy instructors.
2016 Programs/Projects
- Installed internet and upgraded solar and computer equipment;
- Launched Sierra Leone's first ever rural all girls coding course;
- Expanded digital literacy classes to include 4 classes per day, 5 days a week.
- Developed 4 revenue channels;
- Facilitated the development of 4 new libraries through partner nonprofit, African Library Project;
- Launched early childhood development program reaching 500+ children, ages 2 - 10 with weekly classes;
- Installed solar power at the June Hanfrant Memorial Girls School in Moyamba.
2015 Programs/Projects
- Installed digital library;
- Successful ran a Radio Education Program during the last 6 months of Ebola;
- Launched first series of digital literacy classes.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
VILLAGE LINK
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
RoseAnn Rotandaro
Michael McGirr
USDA-National Institute of Food & Agriculture
Evelyn Lewis
SBTS Group, TrainingSol
Tamba Lamin
TpISENT, Accenture
Colleen Rossignol
The Village Link, University of Rhode Island
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Not applicable -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Not applicable -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/20/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.