Project Akilah, Inc.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Africa is in the midst of a demographic explosion. By 2035, an additional 100 million people will join Africa’s working-age population, more than the rest of the world combined. To reap the dividends of this growth and avoid its pitfalls, Africa needs generations of young people who approach the world through a lens of opportunity and sustainability. The Akilah Institute has met this demand for young women in Rwanda since 2010. We have revolutionized education across the region to create transformative educational experiences for our student learners. As the only women’s college in Rwanda, Akilah's accredited diploma programs in Hospitality Management, Information Systems, and Business Management and Entrepreneurship are designed to move graduates directly into the workforce. The pillars of our model -- innovation, sustainability, and curiosity -- and our multidisciplinary approach empowers students with the skills, attitudes, and frameworks to tackle complex global problems.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Hospitality Management
The Hospitality Management Major is a direct response to the needs of the private sector and the courses combine classroom instruction, based on proven training models, with entrepreneurial skills. Linkages with the industry have been prioritized from the initial development phase to ensure that Akilah has strong relationships with the private sector, and that Akilah graduates will gain the technical skills to move directly into the workforce upon graduation.
Business Management Entrepreneurship
Business Management Entrepreneurship is a cornerstone of economic growth in today’s new and competitive business environment in Africa. The primary objective of this program is to prepare young business women for the various aspects of business management and entrepreneurship by equipping them with the key skills required in the local and regional markets.
Information Systems
Information technology has experienced tremendous growth in the past decades and is now one of the most dynamic industries in the world. The objective of this program is to provide students with the intellectual competencies and practical skills needed to use software applications in appropriate business processes.
The I.S. major combines technical knowledge of Information Systems with a solid understanding of business processes to create industry-ready professionals. Upon graduation, learners will be able to utilize, maintain and manage information systems to help increase the bottom line and ensure operational sustainability.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Average change in income of clients served (in dollars)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Akilah alumnae earn approximately $230 per month, nearly twelve times the national median income, and four times the national average income of $58 per month.
Number of students enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Akilah's vision: we are a global community of lifelong learners creating a more sustainable world. We envision a future where all individuals have the knowledge, skills, and resources to lead productive and purposeful lives on a changing planet.
To ensure that all of our academic programs and experiences serve our mission, we’ve identified five pillars. The pillars define our academic model and guide all of our programs. They include 21st-Century Skills, Innovation, Personalized Learning, Ethical Leadership, and Sustainability.
Under our new model, Akilah graduates will gain the skills necessary for professional success and the frameworks and knowledge to build climate resilience. They will lead critical conversations and push forward ideas that promote women’s empowerment, climate action, clean energy solutions, smart city innovation, and more. They will drive change in their families, communities, and countries.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Akilah’s academic model is different than anything else on the market today. Three components set Akilah apart: 1) a focus on competency-based education, which requires students to demonstrate proficiency or mastery in hard and soft skills critical to their area of study; 2) technical instruction combined with leadership development and community service, to foster values that promote gender equity, civic responsibility, and environmental stewardship; and, 3) a direct connection to the workforce through a required three-month internship and links to a network of 220 private sector partners.
At Akilah, students acquire the needed skills, confidence, and competencies to be successful in the workforce. Employers across the region gain access to competent, professional employees who don’t need upskilling like the graduates of other universities. Conversely, graduates gain the means and opportunity to define their own futures, setting them on the path to economic independence.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Akilah Institute was founded to bridge the gap between women, the workforce, and the economy by revolutionizing women's higher education and economic participation in Africa. Over the past decade, Akilah has proven expertise in educating young women through a competency-based education model, preparing them for meaningful careers in high-growth sectors of the economy. Akilah's academic model began with one diploma program in Hospitality Management but has since expanded to three, offering additional diploma programs in Business Management Entrepreneurship and Information Systems -all taught through the lens of sustainability education. After welcoming 50 students in our initial class in January 2010, we have grown rapidly and currently serve nearly 1,000 young women on our Kigali, Rwanda campus.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since welcoming its first class of students, Akilah has maintained strong programmatic outcomes while dramatically growing our program. Our most recent alumnae evaluation demonstrates the significant and broad impact our program has on students, families, and communities. We are proud to report the following:
88 percent of Akilah graduates secure jobs within six months of graduation and earn incomes that average 12 times the national per-capita median.
58 percent of graduates have received at least one promotion and/or salary increase since graduation.
36 percent of graduates are supervising at least one other employee.
90 percent of graduates are financially supporting at least one family member or individual from their community.
In the coming years, Akilah will focus on scaling our program to address the overwhelming need for accessible and affordable educational opportunities for East African women.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Project Akilah, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 07/21/2021
Ms. Mary Kay Vona
Elizabeth Dearborn-Hughes
Project Akilah, Inc.
Dave Hughes
Jade Water Group Ltd
Carmen Nibigira
East African Tourism Platform
Anne DiGiovanni
Jean Mulroy
Hank Pariseau
Lisa Lamprecht
Akilah Institute
Samantha Zinober
Annette Tryde Akman
Theresa Havell
James M Cavanaugh
Holland & Knight
Amy Pritchard
Caroyln Kim
Wharton School of Business
Amanda Arch
Kasha
Merrin Jenkins
Lisa Lamprecht
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data