WASHINGTON, DC, April 3, 2026 — Nuru is pleased to announce a new $7.5 million, three-year grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to launch a cross-border initiative designed to strengthen cooperative agribusinesses and unlock economic potential in marginalized rural communities in Burkina Faso and Ghana.
“We are deeply grateful for the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s investment, which builds on over a decade of partnership in proving that we can establish stability through prosperity. This generous funding allows us to connect our operations in Burkina Faso and Ghana, an important step in strengthening Nuru’s resilience corridor. Through this partnership, we can de-risk these geographies, paving the way for rural communities to access greater economic opportunities and support,” said Nuru CEO Aerie Changala.
This investment comes at a critical moment for West Africa, as rural communities face destabilization due to poverty, instability, and growing conflict. Recognizing that these compounding challenges are a regional problem requiring a regional solution, Nuru will use this funding to connect operations across borders through its resilience corridor–a network of thriving rural communities. This resilience corridor links communities and markets through locally-owned and locally-led NGOs.
“Nuru has a proven model for transforming communities of vulnerable smallholder farms into cooperative networks with shared economic interests. We invest in Nuru because we know that building foundations for sustainable livelihoods will have exponential positive impacts that cross borders,” said Walter Panzirer, a Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust.
The initiative targets 99,000 people and 85 cooperative agribusinesses across the Nahouri Province of Burkina Faso and the western half of Ghana’s Upper East Region. Nuru will bring these cooperative agribusinesses together to form unions, supporting improved market access and long-term land management incentives for farmers and pastoralists.
“This generous support arrives at a critical turning point for the communities we serve. It’s more than just funding; it’s a recognition of the hard work our team puts in every day. Despite the challenges of the past year, you can still feel the hope in our communities. We see it in the markets and the fields every day. This support helps us turn that hope into a more prosperous, stable reality for the families we serve,” said Nuru Burkina Faso Executive Director Aïssetou Sawadogo.
Key components of the initiative include:
“When farmers and their families can gain access to financing and global markets, they are better positioned to thrive and more protected from climate change and regional instability,” said Melissa Crutchfield, program director of the Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa Program at the Helmsley Charitable Trust.
The Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Over the last decade, Helmsley has partnered with Nuru to cultivate the resilience of rural communities in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Burkina Faso, equipping the organization to reach a total of 456,000 people during its 18-year history.
Nuru is honored to continue partnering with Helmsley Charitable Trust to connect additional rural communities to the global economy, turning proven resilience into scalable prosperity, while creating a lasting legacy for both people and the planet.
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About Nuru
Nuru is a global collective that enables inclusive and sustainable prosperity by identifying communities at the stability tipping point, strengthening rural livelihoods and market systems, and fostering stabilizing connections that repair social fabric and pave a pathway to peace.
Nuru envisions a world without cycles of unjust poverty, where resilience and hope are cultivated in the most marginalized communities. The Nuru Collective has impacted over 456K people through local organizations in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo. Learn more by visiting nuruinternational.org.
