Who is Five & Two?
We are a network of community builders and activists who are passionate about thriving, healthy communities. Working in a variety of countries and cultures, our leaders are focused on working with people who are hungry for change.
We activate leaders in community-centered development around the world. Because we begin with the vision and assets of the local people, our work takes on many forms, from health care and agriculture to social justice, fair trade and entrepreneurship.
The common thread across our network is a shared belief that sustainable developmental outcomes are best achieved when the vision, knowledge, skills and resources come from the community itself. We call it community development from the inside out.
Our Vision: a global movement of locally-empowered, flourishing communities.
We do this by training leaders with vision, capacity, and ownership who are invested in seeing their communities transformed for long-term, sustainable change.
What’s In Your Hands?
Voices of Hope from the Five & Two Network
In a world weary of top-down charity, a new and empowering approach to community development is bringing hope, peace, and dignity. In this new globe-spanning video, you will hear firsthand stories from leaders in Congo, Colombia, India, Iraq, and beyond—who are reimagining development through the lens of local vision and resources. In raw and personal interviews, these leaders reflect on the deep pain in their communities but then also describe hopeful and sustainable transformation that is happening from the inside out.
Watch the three-minute version: What’s in Your Hands?
Our Mission: activating leadership to transform communities from the inside out.
We activate leadership that…
1) cultivates lasting impact through local hands
2) inspires communities to discover their potential
3) ignites regional and global movements
The Story Behind Five & Two
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” -John 6:9
Our Values
Discovery. Helping each other see not what we need, but what we already have.
Generosity. Encouraging each other to open our hands and give of ourselves for the common good.
Co-creation. Coming together to explore and generate ideas in a dynamic and adaptive environment.
Reconciliation. Transforming the inevitable conflicts among us into opportunities for new understanding and community growth.
Innovation. Taking risks to do things differently, making room for experimentation and failure, and rewarding courage and creativity.
Our Locations
Our Partners
We collaborate with people who are engaged in development throughout many sectors. Whether in nonprofit, business, agriculture, or education, our partners are trained in community-centered development to ensure sustainable practices, flourishing communities, generative initiatives, and thriving people from the inside out!
“The fulcrum for transformational change is no longer transferring resources or building capacity or increasing choices, as important as these things are. But these things count only if they take place in a way that allows the poor to recover their true identity and discover the vocation God intends for them.”
— Bryant Myers