Shawn Holden Cheung

Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Honoree
2020

Founder & CEO
Raising The Village

Since 2005, Shawn’s work has focused on finding solutions to the problem of ultra-poverty. After graduating from McMaster University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce, he joined a grassroots microfinance organization in Uganda, working alongside many families living in ultra-poverty. During this time, Shawn identified gaps in services and opportunities that kept these communities trapped in the cycle of poverty. Working as a management consultant at Accenture by day, Shawn continued his research at night, funding program pilots with his personal savings to develop the model and methodology behind Raising The Village before officially launching in 2012. During this time Shawn also received his MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. To date, Raising The Village has successfully partnered with over 65,000 Ugandan families, helping them move out of ultra poverty and pave a pathway for economic self-sufficiency. At the intersection of practical fieldwork and rich analytics, the affordable and evidence-based program Shawn has developed is highly scalable, replicable, and has the potential to reach millions living in ultra-poverty. Recently, Raising The Village was able to respond to the impact of COVID-19 on food scarcity in rural Uganda by providing a reliable and sustainable food supply for a family of five, for twelve months, for less than $1.50, in the form of Ready-To-Eat garden boxes. This new initiative has reached 220,000 beneficiaries and is on track to reach 1 million more in the coming months.