Skilling for Change in Rwanda
Our ‘Skilling for Change’ project in Rwanda took place in 2014.
According to the World Bank, between 2001 and 2012 Rwanda’s economy grew 8% per annum, making it the fastest growing economy in East Africa. As the country’s economic development continues, it is crucial that women are able to access the opportunities afforded by such rapid growth.
In 2014, with the support of Accenture, as part of the Accenture Foundation’s corporate citizenship focus Skills to Succeed, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women launched its ambitious ‘Skilling for Change’ project in partnership with CARE International.
Over the course of two years, the project trained more than 16,000 women from CARE International’s village saving and loans associations in financial literacy and investment readiness. We also connected women entrepreneurs to mentors from across the world, and devised a new series of training modules and webinars for our mentoring platform.
Through the project, over 14,000 businesses were either sustained or established and over 3,000 new jobs were created. In addition, over 4,000 women gained access to formal finance and 91% saw an increase in profit. Overall, the financial situation of the women improved by 110%.
Watch the Foundation’s then-CEO Sevi Simavi talk with Jill Huntley from Accenture about our Skilling for Change project, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, 2016:
Putting women at the centre of development efforts is a catalyst for fighting poverty.
14,000 Business supported
91% of programme participants saw an increase in profit
110% Percentage by which programme participants financial situation improved