Empower women in Africa through higher education!

These Numbers Have Faces believes strongly women are the secret weapon to fighting poverty. We work hard to make sure that at least half of the students in our University Leadership Program are women. Currently, 55% of our students are female. These young women are poised to lead their communities and countries to a new era of peace and prosperity. Through access to a university education, Leadership Development Workshops, and our women's mentorship program, we empower Africa's brightest young women to cultivate thriving communities. We also recognize that, if we are working to empower strong female leaders in a culture where gender roles remain very traditional, we must also work with the young men to learn how to work well with and alongside strong, empowered women. Emma is a wonderful example of the young women in our program. Emma grew up in a small town that valued encouragement and education. With all of her neighbors constantly checking on her grades, Emma worked hard and excelled as a student. However, as she began pursuing her passion in engineering, many told her that it was a field for men. Rather than being discouraged, Emma decided to show them that girls can do anything! Emma is pursuing her degree in Electrical Engineering with a dream of solving Rwanda's energy problems by creating an eco-friendly source of power. She also dreams of bringing electricity to rural villages at an affordable price with the ultimate goal of ending poverty! She loves to keep herself busy serving others. She participates in clubs that distribute school supplies to primary and secondary school students, give first aid to those needing medical attention, and connect aspiring female engineers. We are also excited to share that all of our students, including Emma and the other young women in our University Leadership Program, are currently implementing their Community Impact Projects. These Community Impact Projects are a key element of our success. These projects require our students to take what they are learning in their classrooms and what they are learning in our Leadership Development Workshops and then apply it to real-life needs within their communities. We ask all of our students to identify, plan, and then devote at least 50 hours each academic year completing a Community Impact Project that will make a transformational difference in their communities. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic forced us to pause these projects in 2020 and 2021. So, we are very excited to be able to restart these projects this academic year. This year, our 70 students will impact in significant ways the lives of almost 1,000 people! We can't wait to see what their projects will have accomplished this year, once completed later this spring. We are so proud of the projects our young women have chosen. Here are just five examples of their projects: 1. Teaching female secondary students the importance of social justice through debates designed to encourage public speaking and critical thinking skills. 2. Teaching computer skills to young girls. 3. Teaching reproductive health to female secondary students to reduce the risk of early pregnancy and dropping out of school. 4. Working with vulnerable families to improve their nutrition through kitchen gardens. 5. Teaching female secondary students how to build an excellent career profile, including an effective CV, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile, as well as teaching effective interviewing skills.