Akilah Wins OpenIDEO Youth Empowerment Challenge Grant
We’re excited to announce that Akilah has been selected as one of six winners of an OpenIDEO Youth Empowerment Challenge grant. The grants recognize promising solutions that create economic opportunities for youth in East Africa.
Akilah will receive between $50,000 and $150,000 and design support from IDEO.org to expand its workforce education model for women throughout East Africa.
Want to know more? Here’s the full scoop.
What exactly is OpenIDEO and the Youth Empowerment Challenge?
OpenIDEO is an innovation platform that uses design thinking to address some of the world’s most pressing problems. The Youth Empowerment Challenge grant is part of OpenIDEO’s Amplify program, a series of innovation challenges that focus on improving the lives of people living in extreme poverty around the world.
Akilah responded to an Amplify challenge to expand economic opportunities for youth in East Africa. Our plan to grow Akilah’s leadership and workforce development program for women was one of 568 submissions!
Why does the grant matter?
The grant will allow Akilah to expand its unique approach to education to serve exponentially more women. Akilah’s intensive focus on preparing graduates for the workforce has real results: 88% of our alumnae find jobs within six months of graduation.
Now, with the help of IDEO’s team, we’ll build out our strategy to bring the Akilah experience to women around the globe through a regional network of campuses and an online platform for global e-learners.
What’s next?
Some of Akilah’s staff will attend a human-centered design boot camp with the IDEO.org team. We’ll apply design principles to our curriculum, online coursework, and education technology so that our students have the best experience possible.
Growth plans for opening new Akilah campuses throughout East Africa are already underway. The grant funds will help us push these plans along and allow us to start scouting locations for our next campus. To learn more about Akilah’s vision, please visit our proposal.
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