“Well done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” Matt. 25:21
Talanton’s Harry Turner just returned from two encouraging weeks in East Africa. His goal was to find and build relationships and expand our pipeline of job-creating redemptive businesses with which to work. It was a fruitful success!
“I had the pleasure of meeting with over a dozen partner organizations and businesses in multiple industries in Kenya and Uganda. The urgent message is clear – there are exceptionally skilled business owners, growing and seeing strong market demand, who are continuously stymied due to a lack of access to affordable, reliable capital. This destroys their momentum. Talanton is uniquely poised to help these businesses grow and continue to create jobs, bring hope and transform lives for thousands of people.”
– Harry Turner
Stories Harry heard from passionate entrepreneurs in the “missing middle.”
Meet Ephantus, Founder of an affordable housing SME (pictured above with Harry)
“Building one apartment creates five jobs. We already have completed ten projects with 770 units, that’s 3,850 jobs. The laborers in the area that farm cashews may work for two months harvesting, with inconsistent pay, then be out of a job. We have provided laborers consistent employment for the past four years. I see locals now sending their children to secondary (high) school because they are employed by us.”
-Ephantus
“Before we break ground on any project, our pastor dedicates it to God. Our pastor visits each site weekly. This has helped our employees to not feel desperate, they have started saving. His message to them is that this is not just a house you are building, but a home you can own yourself one day. My greatest achievement is seeing people become homeowners that never thought they would.”
Meet Pamela, Founder of an SME which transports agriculture products
Pamela was introduced to us by our in-country partner Sinapis.
“I met Sinapis when they attended a business leaders seminar at my church. I recently had a large contract canceled because they were not given sidekicks (kickbacks). That’s when I learned their way of doing business. Sinapis taught us to have the moral courage to stand for the truth, even when it costs you more at the start. I made the decision never to give sidekicks.” -Pamela
We employ twenty people and it feels good to contribute to someone’s life, medical costs, school fees, food, etc. Employing one person helps the whole family. Being able to work at a good job is a gift. If you have a good job you love doing, that can also put food on the table and pay bills, it is a blessing. It is one of the best gifts you can ever have in life. The more we grow, the more we can help our employees and the maize farmers we support.”
This is only the beginning of Talanton’s journey supporting exciting redemptive businesses, seeking funding to grow and transform lives in their communities.
Prayer request
Please pray for an outpouring of generosity by God’s people in Q4 to allow Talanton to “serve the least of these” by investing in job-creating redemptive businesses in E. Africa in 2020.
God’s Blessings, David and The Talanton Team
Create Jobs • Bring Hope • Transform Lives
P.S. Do you know anyone with a passion for tackling poverty and injustice in the developing world? If so, please forward this note and introduce them to Talanton. Together we can help create thousands of good jobs and spread the holistic gospel of Christ. Thanks!