#AkilahHighlights2018: Welcoming our Largest Class Ever!
Thanks to the incredible ongoing support of our donors, supporters and other stakeholders, 2018 has been a year filled with accomplishments for the Akilah Institute!
This year, we welcomed our largest class ever!
The Akilah Institute Class of 2020 is 460 women-strong — future CEOs, scientists, entrepreneurs, businesswomen, tech innovators, community leaders, and so much more. We have certainly come a long way since our initial class of 50 students when the Akilah Institute opened its doors in 2010.
2018 Student Orientation
Our progress has not been in isolation — Rwanda has set the pace for Sub-Saharan Africa when it comes to women’s access to higher education.
Despite this progress, less than 10% of women in the region attend a college, institute or university.
Ensuring women’s access to education is a development priority for Africa and the world — the upside opportunities are endless. In a very real sense — it makes the world a better place:
Women and Girl’s education is the 6th most impactful solution to climate change [Source: Project Drawdown].
For every additional year of women’s education, family sizes drop by 20% [Source: Women are the Answer].
For every additional year of women’s education wages increase by 20% [Source: UN Girls’ Education Initiative].
Financially empowered women re-invest 90% of their earnings in their family and community [Source: Global Partnership for Education].
A 1% increase in female education raises the average gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.3 percentage [Source: Global Partnership for Education].
The 460 young women in our latest intake represent Akilah’s ongoing contribution to making the above a reality.
It is our mission to educate the future female leaders to solve the world’s most pressing challenges through a lens of opportunity and sustainability.
Help us do more!
We plan to have an even larger intake next year, but we can’t do it without the support of our donors.
Please consider being a champion for women’s education — and donating to the Akilah Foundation by following the link below: