Krochet Kids intl. Innovates Social Good Landscape by Evaluating Big Data of Program Participants to Showcase Global Impact

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Krochet Kids intl. (KK intl.) today published its 2013 annual report featuring unique data that illustrates the company's impact on empowering women and their families. To confront poverty's multi-dimensional causes, KK intl. takes a holistic approach by giving women in the program the tools and opportunities to care for themselves and the world around them in the long term. For the first time ever, KK intl. is releasing program metrics that illustrate how skills, education and basic resources can forever change a life.

The 2013 Annual Report showcases KK intl.'s sustainable economic development programs that support individuals and communities in Uganda and Peru. Economic, physical, psychological, intellectual, social and spiritual indicators allow KK intl. to measure the progress each woman and her family makes on the road to empowerment. By tracking the monthly progress of each participant, KK intl. is utilizing big data to measure impact in an unparalleled way compared to others in the social good landscape.

This big data featured in the report illustrates the organization's holistic approach to poverty alleviation and the breadth of indicators they measure to ensure effective impact in the communities where they work. According to KK intl. data, the clearest picture of a person's empowerment is best understood across multiple categories of their life and well-being. KK intl.'s work in developing countries disrupts the social-good field and advances the conversation beyond a buy one give one approach to helping others.

In 2013 alone, KK intl. mentors provided 10,560 hours of one-on-one counseling and more than 80 training programs were made available to program participants. But perhaps the greatest evidence of sustainable impact can be told by those working on the ground, according to KK intl. Ugandan Country Director Idro Dominic.

"I've witnessed an extreme transformation of our local community in Gulu," said Idro Dominic, a local Ugandan who was promoted from Program Director to Country Director in 2013. "This year we saw lives impacted far beyond job security—program participants have empowered their entire families to rise out of poverty. Our first Krochet Kids Uganda graduate, Beatrice, has been an inspiration to over 150 of her peers who are striving every day to change their lives forever."

To support key program activities and mentorship, KK intl. has created a sustainable revenue generation model that has spurred the brand toward continued growth. In 2013, 86% of the organization's revenue was generated by product sales—and retail sales of hats, scarves and clothing made by program participants increased by 36% from the previous year. An astonishing $2,131,904 was generated by product sales and donations, and only 11% went to overhead expenses. The remaining funds were invested directly back into program initiatives and providing program participants with training, mentorship and other program activities.

"Our impact on individuals and communities within developing nations has grown immensely in the past year," said Kohl Crecelius, CEO and co-founder of KK intl. "We've found a way to re-imagine the traditional impact model by monitoring and evaluating the data of each program participant individually to ensure they achieve independence and empowerment that lasts forever. Through the faithful participation of women and their families in Uganda and Peru, help from our donors, and support from the local communities of our supported countries, we're on the road to making an even greater impact in 2014 and beyond."

In 2014, KK intl. will continue to drive beneficiaries' impact by providing customers with a wide selection of high-quality items. Its newest Cut & Sew program in Peru, for example, has broadened the team's impact by expanding its retail categories. All products—from hats, to apparel, to travel bags—bear the name and the story of the woman who made it, through a hand-signed tag with her name.

For more information about KK intl., visit KrochetKids.org. To view the interactive annual report online, visit http://www.krochetkids.org/report-2013/.

About KK intl.

Krochet Kids intl. (KK intl.) is a lifestyle brand and an innovative non-profit that exists to empower people to rise above poverty by providing jobs, mentorship and educational programs to women in local communities in Uganda and Peru. Participants create products which are sold in the U.S. to generate revenue that is invested directly back into the KK intl. mentorship program. The company's goal is to holistically equip people living in poverty with the skills education and resources to change their circumstances forever.

SOURCE Krochet Kids intl.