Vote for the Photo of the Month: February 2025
Our monthly photo series highlights the beauty and emotion in the lives of our clients around the world. This February, witness different facets of love–parental, communal, and environmental–that motivate our clients to lift themselves, their families, and their communities out of poverty.
“Love is the most powerful motivator in the world. It spurs mortals to greatness. Their noblest and bravest acts are done for love.” These words from author Rick Riordan strike a powerful chord this month.
In the tapestry of human resilience, love emerges as the most powerful thread—weaving together stories of hope, innovation, and transformation. This February, TechnoServe invites you to explore how love transcends romance, becoming a catalyst for profound change across continents.
We hope these stories featuring three of our hardworking clients motivate you to take care of your family, build community, and protect our planet.
Photo 1 | Honey of Hope
Baranon Houdou is rewriting his family’s future—one jar of honey at a time—in Tchaourou, Benin. As a young entrepreneur supported by TechnoServe’s BeniBiz 2.0 program, Baranon isn’t just producing honey; he’s cultivating a better future for his three children.
His story is more than a personal triumph. In a country where only 33% of young people find paid employment, Baranon represents the transformative power of targeted business support to entrepreneurs. Through access to skills, finance, and market connections, he’s turning passion into sustainable progress.
BeniBiz 2.0 is funded by The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the Delegation of the European Union.
Photo 2 | Bridging Futures
Across the globe in India, another form of love unfolds—the collective camaraderie and community of young people determined to break cycles of poverty. TechnoServe India equipped college students like these young women with the necessary skills to succeed in the formal job market. The program gave them not only skills, confidence, and connections but also a community of mutual support and shared dreams.
Every year, millions of families in India’s low-income communities send their children to college, hoping that this will be the start of a successful career that will help lift their households out of poverty.
In their final year of college, our program gave them a much-needed edge to compete and succeed in a competitive job market.
Photo 3 | Nurturing the Earth
Love extends beyond human connection to our most fundamental relationship—with the planet. In Mexico’s strawberry fields, the Madre Tierra (Mother Earth) program demonstrated how agricultural innovation can simultaneously support farmers and regenerate local ecosystems.
Smallholder farmers are becoming stewards of biodiversity by implementing low-carbon, water-efficient farming techniques. They are learning how to improve irrigation and regenerative farm practices, such as the use of cover crops, improved agrochemical control, and integrated pest management.
This collaborative effort, which brought together Danone, TechnoServe, Grupo Altex, and other partners, such as the Walmart Foundation in Mexico and the German development agency GIZ, proved that love for our planet can be both practical and profitable.
These stories from Benin, India, and Mexico highlight a universal truth: love is an active force. It’s not just an emotion but a powerful motivator that spurs us into action. Whether through entrepreneurship, education, or environmental stewardship, love propels communities toward better futures.
At TechnoServe, we are privileged to witness and support these journeys.
Join us in celebrating love in all its powerful, practical forms.
