Founded Through Visionary Collaboration

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The African Women Workforce Initiative was launched through a transformative partnership between Akola, Akilah Institute, and Google.org. This powerful collaboration brings together Akilah's proven model of women's education in East Africa, Google.org's technological expertise and funding, and Akola's deep community roots in Uganda. Together, we're scaling a solution that addresses the dual challenge of youth unemployment and hospitality sector workforce shortages across Africa.

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The Larger Vision: AWWI is part of a broader Pan-African initiative to transform Africa's hospitality workforce. By 2030, the program aims to establish training centers across multiple African countries, creating a continental network of skilled, confident young women ready to meet the demands of Africa's booming tourism and hospitality sectors.

 

The Proven Model: Building on Akilah Institute's successful track record of educating over 1,500 young women across Rwanda, with 88% employment rates within 6 months of graduation, AWWI adapts this proven competency-based education model to Uganda's unique context.

Technology Integration: With Google.org's support, the program integrates digital literacy from day one, ensuring graduates are prepared for increasingly tech-enabled hospitality environments. This partnership brings world-class resources to rural Uganda.

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The Partnership Story 

​The Google.org Challenge Grant Victory

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The African Women Workforce Initiative was born from an ambitious vision that captured global attention. Akilah Institute, recognized for its groundbreaking work in women's education across East Africa, partnered with Akola in Uganda to win a competitive Google.org Challenge Grant to scale its proven model beyond Rwanda. This prestigious grant recognized the potential to address two critical challenges simultaneously: the massive youth unemployment crisis affecting young African women and the hospitality industry's desperate need for skilled, professional staff.

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How Three Organizations United for Change

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Akilah Institute brought its tested competency-based education model that had already achieved 88% employment rates for graduates within six months. Their expertise in transforming vulnerable young women into confident professionals provided the educational foundation.

Google.org contributed not just funding but also technical expertise and global visibility. Their investment validated the model's potential for continental scale and brought world-class digital literacy resources to rural communities.

Akola Project served as the local implementing partner in Uganda, bringing deep community roots, cultural understanding, and existing infrastructure in Jinja. As a social enterprise already supporting over 400 women, Akola understood the unique challenges facing Ugandan women and could adapt the model to local contexts.

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From Competition to Collaboration

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The Google.org grant wasn't just funding - it was a vote of confidence in a revolutionary approach to workforce development. By combining Akilah's educational expertise, Google's resources and technology focus, and Akola's community presence, AWWI represents a new model for development: one that treats young women not as charity recipients but as future professionals who simply need the right opportunity.

This partnership demonstrates that when global expertise meets local knowledge and is backed by visionary funding, transformation at scale becomes possible. The success in Uganda now serves as a blueprint for expansion across Africa, with each graduate proving that investing in women's education delivers returns far beyond individual success - it transforms families, communities, and entire economies.