September « 2009 « The Akilah Institute for Women

Archive for September, 2009

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Meet the Akilah Team: Albert Nzamukwereka

I met Albert Nzamukwereka when I first moved to Rwanda in June 2006. Albert is the co-founder of Never Again Rwanda, an organization that works with youth to analyze the root causes of past conflicts and to create space for dialogue to generate ideas and actions supporting conflict resolution and sustainable peace.

Albert in front of the dining room and kitchen at the Akilah campus

I had arrived in Rwanda with Global Youth Connect to participate in a human rights delegation. Never Again was GYC’s local partner and Albert took on the exciting task of showing around a group of young Americans during their first time in Rwanda. Today, Albert is the Country Director of Survivor Corps and a member of our Rwanda Advisory Committee. Albert has extensive experience in the Rwandan non-profit sector and has traveled through the United States and Europe to speak about reconciliation in Rwanda.

Trip down memory lane: Part of the 2006 GYC delegation. Elizabeth (far left) and Albert (second from right)

Posted in Elizabeth D Davis, Rwanda, Site work | No Comments »

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Political Support

The Rwandan government has demonstrated a strong commitment to educating and empowering women.

In the fall of 2008, Rwanda became the first country in the world to have a majority of women in Parliament.

The Rwandan Ministry of Education constantly emphasizes their commitment to developing vocational and technical training in the country. This enabling environment is a critical part of why we are confident that what Akilah has undertaken today will have lasting resonance far beyond this nation and the generations to come.

Posted in Rwanda | No Comments »

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Akilah Admissions

I don’t know how they tracked me down but I’ve recently started receiving emails and phone calls from young women inquiring about the Akilah admissions process. This began before we launched our new website or had circulated any information about the 2010 classes in Kigali. But the word has gotten out.

Through their emails, text messages and phone calls these young women asked how they could apply and even rattled off their educational history, accomplishments, and why they should be accepted to Akilah. They passionately explain how they want to continue their studies but they simply cannot afford to go to university. One young woman told me that she cannot afford to pay any school fees but that she would be willing to stay late at night and help with the cleaning if we could provide her with a scholarship.

I can’t wait until we finalize our admissions process and can start accepting students! All of the details will soon be posted in our Admissions section.

With Sharon, a student at Nyamata High School

Posted in Elizabeth D Davis, Rwanda | No Comments »

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Good Publicity

CNN’s Fareed Zakaria calls Rwanda “Africa’s Biggest Success Story”.

You remember what happened in there just 15 years ago — over a period of 100 days 800,000 men, women, and children were killed — most of them slaughtered with knives, machetes, and axes by their neighbors. It is perhaps the most brutal genocide in modern history.

By the time it ended, one tenth of the country’s population was dead. Most people assumed that Rwanda was broken and, like Somalia, another country wracked by violence, would become a poster child for Africa’s failed states. It’s now a poster child for success.

Read more.>>

Posted in Rwanda | No Comments »

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Tampa, October 1

Akilah Co-Founder and CEO Elizabeth Dearborn Davis will be speaking at the Athena Society on October 1 in Tampa, Florida.

Posted in Elizabeth D Davis, Events, Rwanda, U.S. office | 3 Comments »

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Rwanda: Top Business Reformer

The World Bank Doing Business 2010 Report by the World Bank has ranked Rwanda the top reformer in the world for passing reforms encouraging domestic and foreign investments.

clapping-women

183 countries are surveyed for this report. Rwanda moved up from 143rd last year to the 67th position.

The reforms encourage investment and make it much easier for individuals to register businesses, build warehouses, etc.

Read the full article here.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »