Abari Collective

Mission

Mission: Empower Rwandan women through access to skill development, entrepreneurial training, and leadership development towards economic stability for themselves, their families and communities.

Description

Richard's Rwanda (RRI), over thirteen years strong is more than school fees support, it's a way to create a future for the incoming Rwandan female generation. We designed a vocational and technical entrepreneurship program, The Abari Collective, an RRI initiative, which will prepare women after graduating from secondary school to develop a trade/craft and launch a business. We believe that through the empowerment of female entrepreneurship we can promote socio-economic development, redistribute economic power, and achieve gender equality.


The Abari Collective partners with public and private entities in Rwanda to launch strategically identified post-secondary skills training programs for women. We identify opportunities for new industry and invite expert trainers to engage with local institutions as they create and launch job readiness programs. 



The program goals and objectives will teach widely applicable skill sets to enhance economic empowerment. Richards Rwanda already has several partners including the Imbuto Foundation, an organization founded by the First Lady of Rwanda, Janette Kagame and the Rwandan Ministry of Education. 



Our goal is to reduce gender discrimination that prevents girls from completing secondary education and to pursue their dreams of becoming economically independent as a basic human right. By designing a vocational and technical entrepreneurship program we will create a pro-growth business environment and mindset and instill a spirit of entrepreneurship that can transform lives and offer a platform for sustained growth that can help emerging economies achieve economic strength.

Recognition

Our board members are Lori Markowitz, Jessica Markowitz, founder, Emmy Neilson, Christina Dawson, Lisa Kartiganer, Molly Hallahan, Ilse de Villiers, Terri Dawson, Abra Gibbons, and Edna Kainz.