DREAMS: A bold, new model for lasting change
Extreme poverty is on the rise for the first time in two decades, violent conflict is currently at a 30-year high, and we are facing a global climate emergency— a crisis that is most felt by the communities that have least contributed to it. Without a new course of action, conflict and climate change will continue to drive rising hunger, water shortages, loss of income, violence, and displacement over the next decade. As Mercy Corps works to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping build secure, productive, and just communities, we know the challenges of our time require new ways of working and innovative approaches.
That’s why we’re teaming up with Village Enterprise to prove there is a better way to support refugees and others facing extreme poverty through the DREAMS (Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems) program. This innovative model merges Village Enterprise’s poverty graduation program with Mercy Corps’ expertise in market systems development to equip people with the skills, resources, and markets to start sustainable businesses and promote economic self-reliance. Program participants engage through training, mentoring, seed capital grants, and savings groups that enable them to set up durable businesses. Then, we connect entrepreneurs to local markets and services necessary for thriving business, including input suppliers and buyers, financial services, and access to land.
The first cohort of DREAMS entrepreneurs launched their businesses in the fall of 2022 in the Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda. Since then, the award-winning program has continued to grow in Uganda and is getting set to launch in Ethiopia. In total, DREAMS will reach more than 33,000 households across the two countries and impact more than 200,000 lives.
“Self-sustaining solutions like DREAMS have never been more essential. As we look for solutions to address multiple forces—from climate change to the rise of violent extremist movements and globalization—rising global inequality will continue to play out in ways that profoundly impact the ability of poor households to sustainably escape from poverty.”
- Allison Huggins, Mercy Corps Deputy Regional Director for Africa
A transformative solution for global poverty alleviation
DREAMS’ impact will be studied in an independent randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted by IDinsight, providing valuable research that can be used across the international development and humanitarian aid sectors to better serve refugees in the future. DREAMS aims to transform not only refugee relief—it strives to provide a new model for ending extreme poverty in the world’s most challenging environments, supporting millions of people globally in achieving financial autonomy.
“At the center of DREAMS is the unique partnership between Village Enterprise and Mercy Corps that drives innovation as we take on two of the biggest challenges facing the world today—forced displacement and poverty. DREAMS is not only transforming refugee relief and poverty alleviation, it's also transforming how NGOs work together to solve the most pressing issues of our time.”
- Dianne Calvi, President and CEO of Village Enterprise
Awards and support
A 2021 winner of the Larsen Lam ICONIQ Impact Award for refugees managed by Lever for Change and the recipient of Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas Award for the EMEA region, DREAMS is a transformative solution for global poverty alleviation.
DREAMS is funded by Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, ICONIQ Impact, IKEA Foundation, Sea Grape Foundation, and The Patchwork Collective.
Learn more about DREAMS
Over the next three years, we’re focused on fine-tuning the DREAMS model and building the evidence base for wide-scale replication through local organizations. With further support, we can accelerate our progress and break the cycle of intergenerational poverty in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. Please reach out to our team to learn more.
Chelsea Wieber
Director, Foundation Partnerships
cwieber@mercycorps.org
Britt Rosenberg
Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships and Philanthropy
brosenberg@mercycorps.org
For media inquiries:
Natalie Fath
Director, Global Communications
nfath@mercycorps.org
