JA Africa, one of Africa’s largest and most-impactful youth-serving NGOs, with support from the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF), is introducing the JA Company Program to Rwanda. JA Company Program empowers high school students to fill a need or solve a problem in their community and teaches them practical skills required to conceptualize, capitalize, and manage their own business venture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This partnership marks the introduction of JA programs in Rwanda and will aim to equip three high schools with entrepreneurship, financial literacy and project management skills. SOS Children\u2019s Villages in Rwanda will deliver the JA Company Program with the overarching goal of preparing the youth to become future business leaders in a highly vibrant national and global economy by offering them competitive business skills to solve problems and create wealth within their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe launch of the JA Company Program in the GS Gikomero, the SOS Children\u2019s Villages Technical High School Kigali and the SOS Secondary School Kayonza is a great pride for us as young students in secondary school access entrepreneurship education at an early age. With our partner JA Africa, through the JA Company Program, the youth will have the opportunity to learn how to move a business idea from concept to reality and be empowered to start and run an enterprise or company,\u201d explained Jean Bosco Kwizera, National Director of SOS Children\u2019s Villages in Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Executive Director of Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF), Dr. Ashley Forsyth, said, \u201cBy partnering with JA Africa, we have equipped over 25,000 emerging African leaders with project management skills in the past two years. The launch of JA Rwanda exemplifies our collective goal to inspire and prepare young people in Africa to succeed in a global economy. We\u2019re truly excited to partner with such an exemplary and impactful organization.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simi Nwogugu, CEO of JA Africa, said, \u201cWe are grateful to PMIEF, our founding funder in Rwanda, for believing in JA Programs as a potent solution to Africa\u2019s rising unemployment predicament and further integrating Project Management into the curriculum to help young people to strategize and execute and administrative functions. We look forward to making a lasting impact on the youth in collaboration with SOS Children\u2019s Villages in Rwanda.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rwanda\u2019s ambitious goal to become an upper-middle-income economy by 2035 requires investing in industrial skills that meet employers\u2019 demands. JA Africa believes that mainstreaming entrepreneurship education is key to job creation and helps young people understand the skill demands of the 21st-century job market. With this understanding, they can develop self-efficacy that will ensure that they will reach their goals, regardless of the challenges that lay ahead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
About JA Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n JA Africa is one of Africa’s largest and most-impactful youth-serving NGOs. JA Africa’s mission is to prepare Africa’s youth for the future of jobs. Through the delivery of hands-on, blended learning in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship, we empower young people to grow their entrepreneurial ideas, hone their work skills, manage their earnings, and secure better lives for themselves, their families, and their communities. JA Africa has a presence in 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and collectively reaches over 390,000 youth in more than 3,000 schools each year. Learn more at www.ja-africa.org<\/p>\n\n\n\n About PMI Educational Foundation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF) is a 501(c)(3) supporting organization of the Project Management Institute (PMI), the world’s leading not-for-profit professional membership association for those who consider project, program, or portfolio management as their profession. Founded in 1990, PMIEF cultivates long-term relationships with nonprofits across the globe to help them integrate project management in their youth programs and to build their own project management capacity. The foundation achieves its mission to \u201cenable youth to realize their potential and transform lives through project management\u201d and its vision for \u201cinspiring youth to achieve their goals, making dreams a reality\u201d by investing in high-quality organizations that exemplify a commitment to preparing young people for 21st century success and an appreciation for both the societal application and value of project management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n