RAPID GROWTH AND RESILIENCE CHANGED 55,000 LIVES IN
CRISIS-AFFECTED COMMUNITIES
Bpeace works to create jobs and accelerate business growth that uplifts communities and improves thousands of lives.
OUR PROVEN MODEL DELIVERS GROWTH AND SPARKS INNOVATION
Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone that lifts families and communities worldwide.
Bpeace connects Fast Runners (small and medium-size businesses) with Skillanthropists (volunteer business experts) to foster and accelerate job creation and drive economic prosperity in communities where it is needed most.
For 20 years, in seven countries, we’ve worked with hundreds of business owners across political systems, cultures and sectors. We’ve seen that steady employment is the key factor in people’s health and economic well-being, as well as a path to community stability and peace.
More businesses than ever are turning to us for expert advice on growth, resilience, and securing the jobs of thousands of employees. In 2021, we paired 137 Fast Runner businesses with 400+ volunteer Skillanthropists in our portfolio.
137 Fast Runner businesses in Bpeace's portfolio in 2021
More jobs
mean
less violence®
A community of 400+ volunteer Skillanthropists
1,900 jobs created in 2021
Bpeace Volunteers set in motion ripple effects that change lives
We measure our impact by the number of jobs we help create which produces a powerful ripple effect: we support business owners, so they can support employees, who in turn can support their families, transforming entire communities.
Businesses in crisis-affected communities create jobs, providing alternatives to gangs, illegal migration and a lifetime of poverty.
WE HAVE A BIAS FOR WOMEN, AND WE ARE PROUD OF IT
When women have a secure income, they invest 90%* of their paychecks back into their family. As a result, the local economy improves.
In 2021:
- 28 Women Forward Fast Runner businesses employed 2,400+ Salvadorans and generated $70+ million in revenue.
- 60% of the small businesses we advised were women owned or led.
- 50% of the jobs created in 2021 were held by women.
- Fast Runners employed 6,261 women, representing 45% of their workforces—especially significant when compared to all of Latin America, where female employment stalled and has not recovered post-pandemic.
*When women work, they invest 90 percent of their income back into their families, compared with 35 percent for men. By focusing on girls and women, innovative businesses and organizations can spur economic progress, expand markets, and improve health and education outcomes for everyone. Source: UN WOMEN
SETTING THE BAR HIGHER: MEASURING JOB QUALITY
Quality jobs are critical for security, health, and inclusive economic growth. In countries like El Salvador and Guatemala, informal employment represents 68.5% and 79% of the total employed population. Moreover, climate change, weak governance, unequal access to education, and poor working conditions contribute to higher rates of poverty, violence, and illegal immigration.
All Bpeace Fast Runners create formal jobs that offer legal social protections, and we encourage them to go well beyond. As a result, our Fast Runners provide better-quality jobs than most of the region’s private sector.
In 2021, Bpeace went a step further and measured the quality of the formal jobs our Fast Runners provide. The results affirm the role we play in fostering decent work conditions and provide insights that will guide us as we strengthen our focus on quality jobs.