Digest in 3, 2, 1

2021 has been a year no short of challenges but our team has persisted and made 2021 a year of growth. In this Last Mile Dispatch, we are providing an update on our most telling impact, biggest updates, and most impactful story from the last few months.

The 3 most telling DATA POINTS:

Improved our unit economics by 82%- Our team has worked hard to implement new strategic processes that bring our operating costs down and result in more clients reached.  By improving our unit economics by 82%, we will be able to reach more clients with every donor dollar.

Grew our leadership team to be 66% East African- Over the past twelve months we have been focused on growing our leadership team to bring in leaders from all across East Africa. We are proud to share that our leadership team is 44% female and 66% East African.

Implementing 6 outposts- At Cycle Connect we believe that the closer we are to our last-mile clients, the better. This is why our team has made the decision to set up 6 outposts in the communities we serve in northern Uganda. This will allow us to operate more efficiently, reduce our costs, and overall serve even more clients.

The 2 biggest UPDATES:

Transitioning experimentation in our innovations department to include entire team participation- Since establishing our innovations department in 2018, we have learned so much about ideation and new product research. Specifically how to conduct research in rural settings working closely with smallholder farmers. This journey led us to the decision that experimentation needs to include the entire team participation rather than just one department. This new process will be led by our new Head of Innovations, Joash Mango, and we’re eager to see the ideas that will come from it.

Adopting a new posture across our team to realize our impact through the new normal- Over the past year and a half, our team has gone through two serious lockdowns that had major effects on our operations. We know that the future of this pandemic is uncertain, and we can’t be sure of the exact challenges ahead. Our team is working towards the same high level of impact we had pre-covid, but adopting a new posture to ensure we can do so through unforeseen challenges ahead.

The #1 most impactful STORY:

Through the pandemic not only have we had to change our ways to be resilient through ongoing challenges but so have many of our clients, including Aryemo Janeth Opira. 

Janeth has taken three product loans from Cycle Connect to help her build more wealth and income for her family. She first took a bicycle loan, which allowed her to start a new trade business. After seeing the impact of her bicycle, Janeth decided to work with Cycle Connect to help her invest more in other assets.  She decided to take on two additional loans for four oxen. Janeth uses one pair of oxen for plowing her garden and rents the other pair out to her neighbors for additional income. 

Janeth says that the products she has received from Cycle Connect have helped her increase her household income. By running a number of small businesses utilizing her assets through the pandemic, Janeth was able to be resilient through the uncertain times.

We’re committed to helping more families, just like Janeth’s. Donate today to join our journey in 2021; every $100 enables our team to reach one family in northern Uganda.