Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya remain some of the poorest countries in the world where poverty is a key structural barrier to accessing, not only financial servcies, but also education and healthcare. Although people in these countries have experienced declines in absolute poverty, this has expanded the demand for business training and charitable microfinance initiatives as more people get out of absolute poverty and into the category of the economically active poor.

In order to address the needs of the growing category of the economically active poor and the barriers to education and healthcare caused by poverty, there is a significant need for capacity building in financial management, business skills training, savings and microcredit facilities. Five Talents helps the active poor set up small businesses, manage them effectively, generate an income and then save their money. This empowers them to pay for their children's education and healthcare.