JUTO began with a simple conviction: people in rural Liberia can build their own way out of poverty when they get the right mix of support for long enough. Our work since then has been about finding that mix, testing it and getting it right.
How JUTO started
JUTO was established by Genesis Sylvester Kolliemene as a response to persistent rural poverty and economic exclusion affecting women and vulnerable households in Liberia. The venture was inspired by the BOMA Rural Entrepreneur Access Program (REAP), a proven poverty graduation model focused on helping extremely poor households transition toward economic stability.
With Seed funding from D-PRIZE, the organization was conceptualized and piloted in Liberia, focusing on adapting poverty graduation principles to local realities and community structures. Genesis built a team of young professionals who came from, had lived in, or had worked in rural counties. That local knowledge shaped how we work from the start.
Today, JUTO’s approach emphasizes practical entrepreneurship, community engagement, Seed funding support, mentoring, and self-help mechanisms that help participants build sustainable income streams.
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“We are building trust with every life we touch.”
Genesis Sylvester Kolliemene, Founder and CEO, Pilot Phase Impact Report 2023/2024
What we value
Value
What we commit to
Community ownership
Community advisory committees help shape the program and select participants. Savings groups set their own rules and elect their own leaders. We plan our exit from the first day.
Dignity
Participants choose their own businesses. We call them entrepreneurs, not beneficiaries. We photograph and quote people only with their informed consent
Women at the center
Women own the businesses, hold their own savings, and make the decisions in JUTO enterprises.
Inclusion
We seek out those most often left behind, including young people and refugees, and design the program so they can take part fully.
Lasting change over relief
We fund productive assets rather than consumption, and we judge success by whether households stay out of extreme poverty.
Accountability
We report what we spend and what we achieve, including results that fall short
Learning
We track progress every month and change the program when the evidence says we should
Partnership
We work alongside government, civil society and other graduation practitioners instead of building everything ourselves.