Accelerate young Rwandan entrepreneurs

Dear Friends,

At African Entrepreneur Collective, we hope you had wonderful holidays and are looking forward to a great 2017. We sure are!

2016 was a year of record growth for AEC. We supported more entrepreneurs than even before, and these entrepreneurs created an astonishing 3000 jobs in Rwanda. We launched a new project working with more than 400 Burundian and Congolese refugees. And, we expanded to the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania.

That being said, we are pushing to do even more in 2017. Here are our top 5 focus areas for the next year and why we think they will yield even more results.

1) Evaluation: To date, we have conducted thorough semi-annual surveys of our entrepreneurs to gain better insights into our program effectiveness. We have done so with the support of incredibly talented volunteers, who have trained our staff. This year, we will be building an in-house evaluation team who provide continuity, and develop more tools and systems for better access to real-time data.

2) Technology: In early 2017, we will be working to develop analog and digital financial tracking tools for our entrepreneurs. We have found that inaccurant cash flow management is one of the biggest hinderences to enterprise growth, so we are working with a team of experts to develop new tracking systems. 

3) Staff Development: Having a team of committed and expert staff is key to AEC's success. As we serve more entrepreneurs, we need to grow our team. In 2017, we are focusing on improving professional development and building a pipeline of growth opportunities for our existing staff, while identifying and selecting new high-performing teammates.

4) Integrating Communities: As AEC grows our service area, we have the opportunity to open new markets for our entrepreneurs. For instance, by working with both refugee and non-refugee participants in and around refugee camps, we can open up new opportunities for joint ventures and partnerships among our entrepreneurs. Similarily, we will be more intentional on connecting Rwandan and Tanzanian entrepreneurs and facilitating trade and growth opportunities among them. 

5) Partnerships: We can't do our work alone. We know this. So, we are focused on building more strategic partnerships in 2017 to advance our work. From donor agencies to mentors and volunteers, we want to increase the number of like-minded partners to offer even more to our entrepreneurs.

Thank you for your support for and interest in African Entrepreneur Collective. We are looking forward to updating you as we continue to grow.

Happy New Year,

Julienne

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your support of AEC's work in Rwanda. To date, we have served more than 200 young entrepreneurs throughout the country, and we are growing.

Beginning last month, we expanded our support to include refugee entrepreneurs. At present, there are 150,000 refugees in Rwanda, about 60% are living in camps, while the other 40% are spread throughout urban areas nationwide. Some have been here for more than 20 years due to continuing violence in Eastern Congo, the others have been in Rwanda for less than 18 months because of political insecurity in Burundi. For both, no one knows when it will be safe to return home.

At AEC, we were moved to act by the global refugee crisis. With the invitation of the UN High Commission on Refugees to develop a new livelihoods strategy for refugees in Rwanda, we identified a new opportunity to make a real impact.

In a few short weeks, we idenfitied over 400 people that we will work with, and have already started engaging them in meaningful support of turning their business ideas into actual companies. In our first trainings, there were moms with infants in the classroom. In our second session, we were already helping them develop plans for running small shops, distributing soap, and building out a vision with the “lean business model canvass.” 

We have a lot more to accomplish, and we are committed to sharing the learning with you and other partners as we continue this path. After all, without your support, this program and its impact wouldn’t have materialized.

Thank you so much for your belief in AEC and our entrepreneurs,

Julienne Oyler