In 2023, Prosper empowered 1,200 women in remote areas of Sierra Leone to build a business of their own and support their families and communities. It runs bespoke, tried-and-tested entrepreneurship training, enabling women with no formal education to build a sustainable income.
Prosper’s Sierra Leone programme originated as part of Peace Child International, a charity with a 40-year history and UN consultative status. Known as ‘Be The Change Academy’, the programme supported 16,000 women in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea to start businesses between 2011 and 2022. In 2022, the Peace Child International board decided that the best way to build and develop the programme’s impact in West Africa would be to set up a dedicated charity,
Olivia 'Polly' Hutchinson is one of the founding members of Prosper. Having previously served on the Peace Child International Board (2021- 23), she worked with a team of fellow Trustees and Prosper's now CEO to establish the organisation as an independent entity: Prosper became a UK registered charity with Gift Aid and Fundraising Regulator status in December 2023. She now serves on the Board as Trustee and Safeguarding Officer, and leads the strategy subcommittee, helping shape the direction for the charity’s expansion.
As a public policy and human rights professional, Olivia is passionate about advancing opportunities for women and building more inclusive societies for all. Following a stint in the UK Civil Service where she completed the Generalist Fast Stream and worked in a wide range of roles including at the forefront of the COVID response in the Department of Health, Olivia has recently moved to a role with the Czech INGO People in Need's Centre for Human Rights and Democracy.
Now in its first year as an established independent entity, Prosper is looking to grow its charity partnerships, enabling it to spread its unique and effective programming to other parts of the country.