How Poverty, Inc. became the foundation for transforming nonprofits in Ecuador
Laura Venzal discovered Poverty, Inc. the way many people do—through late-night internet searches trying to find better answers to persistent questions about poverty and development. What she did next, however, was uniquely her own: she organized a theater screening in Ecuador specifically for nonprofit organizations.
"I've always been interested in how to end poverty effectively," explains Venzal, executive director of Auge Aceleradora, a social enterprise accelerator in Ecuador. "I discovered the PovertyCure series on YouTube and then got in touch with them because I wanted to screen the movie Poverty, Inc. in a movie theater in Ecuador for plenty of NGOs (non-governmental organizations)."
That screening has become the cornerstone of Venzal's work with nonprofits throughout Latin America. As someone who helps traditional charities transition into social enterprises, she has found that Poverty, Inc. accomplishes what years of academic research and persuasive arguments often cannot: it changes minds.
"For us, Poverty, Inc. is always the first activity we do with nonprofits so that they can reset their minds and start working on a more technical way on how to become a social enterprise," Venzal explains. "It's very hard with words to change minds, but once you see the examples—and you even feel, because it's a movie, so it's really thrilling—once you see how entrepreneurship and creativity drive development, it's very easy for nonprofits to start thinking, 'Hey, is what we are doing the best way we can do things? Is there another way?'"
The documentary's impact on Venzal's organization has been profound. "The whole purpose of our organization was to do what Poverty, Inc. showed us on the screen, but before knowing about Poverty, Inc.," she reflects. "For us, Poverty, Inc. saved us years of research and finding a way to change minds."
Venzal's approach reflects her understanding that good intentions alone are insufficient. Working in a region where well-meaning aid efforts often create dependency rather than empowerment, she has witnessed firsthand the challenges that Poverty, Inc. illuminates. "Sometimes because of your background, you know that everyone is unique and special and has a lot of potential, but when you are just working and surrounded by a society that leads you to pity others and pity the ones that are less fortunate than you, it's very difficult to keep going, and you start questioning yourself."
This is where Acton University has provided crucial support. Venzal attended her first Acton University in 2023, returning again this year. "My first impression of Acton University was I didn't know there were so many people just thinking like this and acting like this—so many people with good hearts but also looking with a humble mind for the truth and trying to discover ways of really doing things to promote human flourishing and development."
For Venzal, Acton University serves multiple purposes. "It's a guide. It gives me clarity on ideas I had just been grasping. It broadens the scope of the ideas—I had just tiny lights," she explains. "It's also like an actual university, so it's a path on what I can read next, who I can reach next to keep learning and keep deepening my thoughts on how to end poverty."
The connections she has made through Acton have proven especially valuable. She has met social entrepreneurs from Mexico and Colombia who are doing similar work, opening possibilities for collaboration across Latin America. She particularly values meeting people like Matt Hengen, whom she describes as "a great example of everything we are promoting—a vivid example, a successful case model to show and say, 'This is the way. This is how it's done.'"
What excites Venzal most about Acton's work is its ecosystem approach. "I love that Acton is putting together all these people, all these ideas, all these initiatives from the business world but also from academia, and they are inviting people from all over the world who think, 'What am I doing? What am I really achieving? Am I having this little impact in the world?' But Acton brings us all together and strengthens our capacity to do more and really spread good ideas into good initiatives that really need this ecosystem to grow."
The clarity that Acton provides has been particularly important for Venzal's work in contexts where cultural pressure often pushes toward traditional charity models. "It's very helpful to find people who speak so clearly about how, in the real world, in specific situations with examples, promoting virtue in people, in each one of us, promotes liberty, promotes development because it promotes creativity."
This understanding shapes every aspect of her work with Auge Aceleradora. Rather than simply providing grants or donations, the organization helps nonprofits develop sustainable business models that create lasting change.
Many people and organizations in Ecuador work to overcome poverty through an entrepreneurial mindset, but they often lack the guidance, tools, and support they need because the worlds of NGOs and entrepreneurship have been separate for many years. At Auge, Venzal aims to bridge these two worlds by enhancing the efforts of these individuals and organizations. By bringing the innovative ideas and experiences she gains at Acton into the NGO ecosystem across the country, she helps provide the tools and mentorship needed for sustainable impact. The transformation begins with that crucial first step: screening Poverty, Inc. and watching organizations realize that there might be a better way to serve the people they want to help.
Through her work, Venzal embodies the global reach of ideas first crystallized in a documentary a decade ago. From a theater in Ecuador to nonprofits across Latin America, Poverty, Inc. continues to challenge assumptions and inspire new approaches to development—one screening, one mind, one social enterprise at a time.