MJ

Women's Education in East Africa

May 14, 2014

LL
Stage· 105 messages
May 14, 2014

The Akilah Institute for Women is the only women’s college in Rwanda and Burundi. Akilah offers a unique model of market-relevant education empowering graduates for success in careers and leadership roles. Students select to major in entrepreneurship, information systems, or hospitality management. 97% of Akilah students are the first in their family to attend higher education. Akilah aims to build future generations of women leaders and professionals in Africa.

MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:02 PM

Hi Lisa! So excited to be talking about Akilah this morning with you!
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:03 PM

And I say this morning for me, but I know it's really afternoon for you since you're based in Lugano, Switzerland!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:05 PM

Hi Merrin!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:06 PM

Sorry I'm late - as usual, I am crashing to get something very important done for our 5th annual fundraising tour in the USA this year!
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:07 PM

No worries! Excited that we can do this!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:07 PM

Hi Tawkers who are participating!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:07 PM

Let me start with a very short background of Akilah, and then I'll get to Ryan's comments/questions.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:08 PM

Elizabeth Dearborn-Hughes and her husband Dave (then friends) launched Akilah in 2009 in order to address 2 major gaps in Rwanda.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:09 PM

1. the lack of opportunity for girls and young women who finished secondary school (they typically have ZERO options, besides getting married and having babies)
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:09 PM

and
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:09 PM

2. the desperate need of the fast growing LOCAL private sector for skilled professionals to meet their growing demands.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:09 PM

Remember that Rwanda has been growing at an average of 8% over the past 10 years -- GDP growth, that is.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:10 PM

So businesses are heating up, meanwhile, women weren't able to take advantage of the expanded local job opps, as they didn't have the training and skills
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:10 PM

Enter Akilah!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:10 PM

We decided to build a college that prepares young women - ages 18-30 years - to enter these new hot sectors of the local economy.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:11 PM

Et voila - proudly, we have 92% placement rate for our graduates who now occupy excellent jobs in the private sector.
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:12 PM

We have had such great success with the opening of our Rwandan campus that we recently opened a campus in Burundi
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:13 PM

Akilah has proven to be a scaleable model and our vision is to graduate 1200 women by 2020
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:13 PM

We are focused on scaling across the East Africa region! Stay tuned...
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:14 PM

Hi Ryan!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:14 PM

So about this region --
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:14 PM

Yes, we picked Rwanda because of it's national commitment - at the highest levels - to girl/women's empowerment, as well as it's tremendous growth trajectory.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:15 PM

Did you know that 65% of Rwanda's Parliamentarians are WOMEN?!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:15 PM

That's the most in the world!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:15 PM

way surpasses the US and Europe, for example.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:16 PM

Regarding Ryan's second question - yes, we also chose Rwanda as the place to open our 1st Akilah campus b/c of how much potential, but how little opportunity, Rwandan women had.
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:17 PM

Very true Lana! We are committed to our students!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:18 PM

★ Spotlighted from Ryan Wilson

“I'm curious if there was a reason you picked this particular region in Africa... did you find that women there were especially in need of help?”

MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:18 PM

We even have a dedicated career development office unlike many other universities, so we help connect our graduating students to jobs and opportunities
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:19 PM

so many of our graduate also are set to become entrepreneurs - and we are also enabling those women!
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:19 PM

★ Spotlighted from Lana Jay

“I read that 100% of students graduate with job placement... wow... wish my college could say the same!”

LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:19 PM

Thanks Trey!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:20 PM

Couldn't agree more, obviously. But, I feel very personally motivated by what we do --
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:20 PM

I left a great government job - 8 years in US government doing economic policy work - to join Akilah.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:20 PM

Why did I do that?
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:20 PM

Because I was tired of not seeing the direct benefit to people in dire need of a hand up.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:21 PM

I couldn't agree more that this kind of tool -- market relevant education AND career development -- is the best development tool.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:21 PM

And what's more is that WOMEN are known to invest up to 90% of their wealth back into their families, something that families in developing countries desperately need -- empowered women!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:21 PM

★ Spotlighted from Trey Williamson

“Just getting here, but I have to say these kind of orgs make so much more sense than just dropping food an money... its the give a man (or woman) a fishing pole logic. Good for you guys!”

LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:22 PM

Merrin, why don't you share why you got involved w/ Akilah?
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:22 PM

Thanks Lisa, I actually interned with Akilah as a college student back in 2010 during the very first fundraising tour! So fun to look back on all those great memories
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:23 PM

And last spring Lisa asked me to come back on board (I honed my fundraising/development skills at NYU after graduation)
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:24 PM

I was thrilled to be back with Akilah - and to see how they had grown from 2 classrooms and a few teachers and staff to a fully operational campus!
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:25 PM

Today we have around 27 full-time staff including teachers, career counselors, principals, and country directors!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:26 PM

Did you know...
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:26 PM

Akilah started the first ever student loan program in Rwanda?
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:26 PM

We had some great partners -- i'd like to give a shout out to Vittana.org, who helped us build this program.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:27 PM

Loans for students -- in most of Africa -- just do not exist.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:27 PM

Then how, you ask, as I did, can the 95% (or more) of the population access real economic opportunities -- i.e., good jobs?
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:28 PM

Truth is, there's NO way unless credit is made available to these low-income youth.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:28 PM

That's what Akilah has done, and we are now growing our student loan program so that even more of our applicants can access the Akilah college education.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:28 PM

Hi Lana!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:28 PM

yes, we offer: Hospitality Management
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:28 PM

Entrepreneurship
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:28 PM

and
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:29 PM

Information Systems
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:29 PM

Our goal is not to offer all the subjects, like most colleges.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:29 PM

We are a specialized college -- we offer programs that respond to the local market's fastest growing sectors.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:29 PM

So right now, we've hit all 3 with our programs. IF another hot sector pops up, and there is demand for another program, indeed we will consider adding it.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:30 PM

★ Spotlighted from Lana Jay

“i understand that your students essentially choose one of three possible areas of study... do you ever plan to broaden that?”

MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:31 PM

Going back to you Trey and your comment makes me think of how many non-profites don't provide accountability on the part of who they serve
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:32 PM

At Akilah, 85% of tuition fees are paid by a scholarship we provide
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:32 PM

And the other 15% is paid by the student...meaning that every student is invested in their education
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:33 PM

I think this makes all our students feel really connected and proud of the fact that they are involved in their education - an education at Akilah is not a hand out
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:33 PM

good point Merrin...
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:33 PM

fun facts about Akilah
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:33 PM

in 2010, we opened with just 40 students.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:33 PM

39 of them went on to graduate.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:34 PM

17 of them went on to accept amazing careers with Marriott International!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:34 PM

Marriott is building Sub-Saharan Africa's very 1st Marriott hotel in KIGALI, Rwanda!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:34 PM

All students complete 300 hours of internship in the local business community...
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:34 PM

New fun facts --
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:35 PM

Every year, 2 Rwandan Akilah students come over to the USA to showcase their transformation to our huge network of USA supporters - we call this fundraising tour, Metropolitan Safari!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:35 PM

We visit Tampa, NY, Boston, Philly, DC, San Fran, San Diego and Chicago
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:36 PM

Our Burundi Campus opened in January 2014
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:36 PM

just 5 months ago! We have 75 students on campus studying now!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:36 PM

We just got an amazing grant to purchase e-readers for a small portion of our student body
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:37 PM

we are piloting this new tool, because it is MUCH easier and cost-efficient than purchasing textbooks which get outdated immediately & ruined by intense East African rains and climate conditions.
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:37 PM

Remember, not all our students live in posh apartments...
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:37 PM

Ryan - it is THE coolest experience for these students!
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:38 PM

We call them our Akilah Ambassadors!
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:39 PM

I've had so much fun in past tours getting to know these students and hearing about their lives in Rwanda and their new adventures in the US
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:39 PM

Seeing the US through their eyes is incredible
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:39 PM

★ Spotlighted from Ryan Wilson

“Wow what an awesome experience for the students to be able to see so much of the US”

LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:40 PM

Our Campuses in Rwanda & Burundi are ALWAYS open to visitors, so you can come see the experience for yourself! And these countries are absolutely breathtaking, too - I know, I lived in Kigali for 2 years :)
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:40 PM

I can't wait for me visit in June!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:40 PM

In case you can't make the trip to Kigali or Bujumbura, then you might want to meet us in one of our cities on the 2014 MS Tour!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:40 PM

Tampa - Sept 20
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:41 PM

NYC - Oct 1 and 16
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:41 PM

Philly - Oct 23
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:41 PM

Philly - TBD, i meant!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:41 PM

DC - Oct 23
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:41 PM

Boston - Oct 9
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:41 PM

San Fran & San Diego - first week of December
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:41 PM

Don't forget our Cali visits!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:41 PM

and Chicago - Oct 4! Windy City...
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:42 PM

Merrin, this was fun!
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:42 PM

San Jose and San Diego in early December
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:42 PM

Yes it was! I'm officially a Tawker!
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:43 PM

And for all those there - please visit www.akilahinstitute.org for more information or to contact Lisa or I!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:43 PM

Thanks for all for participating!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:43 PM

We hope to see you again!
LL

Lisa Lamprecht · 3:43 PM

Bye!
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:44 PM

Hope to see some of our new friends in the US on our Metro Safari tour!
MJ

Merrin Jenkins · 3:44 PM

Bye Lisa - See ya later Tawkers!