EDC to Promote Workforce Equity in Rwanda

EDC has been selected to implement the Umurimo Kuri Bose (UKB) activity, a two-year, $1.5 million effort to support youth with disabilities in Rwanda. The activity is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and will reach 1,560 youth in 12 districts.

Meaning “Employment for All,” Umurimo Kuri Bose will promote an inclusive and enabling environment for youth with disabilities to join the Rwandan workforce. Currently, 18.5 percent of Rwandan youth with disabilities are unemployed. Many youth with disabilities also face barriers to unemployment such as limited access to skills development, inaccessible workplaces, and stigmatization.

UKB will improve opportunities and outcomes for youth with disabilities by offering workforce development trainings; partnering with employers to offer work-based learning opportunities; and building the capacity of local advocacy groups to promote equity, inclusion, and empowerment.

The core curricula of UKB will be EDC’s Work Ready Now and Be Your Own Boss training curricula, both of which have been successfully used previously in Rwanda by EDC’s USAID-funded Huguka Dakore Akazi Kanoze project.

“UKB is an opportunity to equip youth with disabilities not only with employability skills, but also with resilience skills,” says Eleazar Mugarira, program manager for UKB. “Working with various stakeholders will make it possible to promote the rights of these youth, and ultimately improve their livelihoods.”

Partners in this effort include Umbrella of Organizations of People with Disabilities in the Fight against HIV and AIDS in Health Promotion, Akazi Kanoze Access, Rwanda Union of the Blind, Rwanda National Union of the Deaf, and UWEZO Youth Empowerment.