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, 57% 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. Sonia is a wonderful example of the young women in our program. 

Sylvia grew up in a poor, rural village in Uganda. Her parents are farmers. There are seven children in her family. She is the only girl, born fifth. Her brothers never finished high school, so Sylvia's grandmother advised Sylvia's parents to send her to Rwanda to give her a better opportunity to finish secondary school and maybe even go to university. She graduaged from secondary school with excellent grades. And now she's the first in her family to attend university!

Sylvia attends Ines Ruhungeri, where she is studying Law. In addition to her careeer, Sylvia's dream is to work with teenage mothers, helping them build better lives for themselves. She also wants to advocate for the prevention of teeen pregnancy, as well as for the education of girls. Both of these issues are huge, especially in rural communities.

Outside the classroom, Sylvia participates in a local club for teen mothers. She also volunteers at a nearby primary school, tutoring young children in first and second grade.

We are also excited to share that all of our students, including Sylvia and the other young women in our University Leadership Program, are working hard to finish this academic year well. Most of our students have just six or eight weeks left. We're so proud of our students and what they've been able to accomplish this year.

In addition, Sylvia and her fellow students are finishing their Community Impact Projects for this academic year. 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. Over the past 5 years – even with a two-year pause because of COVID, our students have impacted significantly the lives of almost 30,000 people!

Here are just five examples of last year’s 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.

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