Since 2024, Here for Hope Foundation has trained 22 youth and women founders and owners of businesses in Kayonza. Our action research revealed that young agri-entrepreneurs lack business skills, documentation, and access to funds-trapping them in poverty despite agriculture employing 69% of Rwandans. We now launch the RE-Build Accelerator: a rolling 6-month program training 20 entrepreneurs per cohort-40 businesses annually-by equipping them with business plans, websites, and funding linkages.
Rwanda's youth unemployment is 15.5%, with 25% of young people living in poverty. Eastern Province, the most drought-prone region, sees 67% of farmers reporting decreased rainfall, reducing agricultural GDP by 7.6%. Women are 79% of farm workers, yet only 8% access formal credit. Agriculture employs 69% of Rwandans but remains constrained by low productivity, limited finance, and climate shocks. Promising agri-entrepreneurs remain informal, unfunded, unable to scale, and trapped in poverty.
This 6-month accelerator trains 20 young agri-entrepreneurs per cohort, 40 businesses annually, equipping them with business skills, mentorship, and funding linkages. Participants develop business plans, financial statements, and investment proposals. They build professional websites and gain connections to financial institutions. Graduates emerge funding-ready, create 2-5 jobs each, and scale their businesses building a growing network of climate-resilient agribusinesses.
This project creates lasting change: 40 businesses trained annually-80-200 jobs created each year. Graduates gain business documentation, websites, and funding access,enabling them to scale, access finance, and build climate-resilient enterprises. Women-led businesses gain visibility and credibility, advancing gender equality. The rolling model builds a growing alumni network that mentors future cohorts. Rwanda's agricultural sector gains funding-ready, formalized businesses that create jobs.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
