Background

Rwanda is a small, land-locked country located in east Africa. Bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda has a population of 10.5 million people. The major economic sectors are tourism, mining, and agriculture. The three official languages are Kinyarwanda, English, and French.

We will be working with youth, young mothers and community members in one of the disadvantaged suburbs of Kigali. The objective of the program is to upskill our beneficiaries to help them qualify for better-paying jobs, catalyze entrepreneurship and empower marginalized women.

One of the biggest challenges in the community we are working in is child abandonment due to the economic insecurity of their parents – especially among single parents and young mothers.

Many of the young people come from disadvantaged families – meaning the poorest households. They have little opportunity to access computer lessons and often do not have basic computer literacy. The competitive educational and economic environment in Rwanda increasingly demands computer literacy skills. Computer lessons will give these young people the foundational skills to be able to compete favorably in the job market and work their way around educational activities. Having these skills will also contribute to their sense of empowerment in the job market, and empower their families and community economically. It will reduce poverty among young people and their households and enable them improve their lives. Stronger families leads to reduced chances of family breakdown and child abandonment.