A new educational initiative aimed at empowering disadvantaged rural girls with technical skills has graduated its first cohort and plans to expand its reach.
The Skills & Opportunities for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship (SOYEE) project, implemented by Dream Village Rwanda in partnership with **Plan International Rwanda, was launched in 2024 in the Ngeruka sector of Bugesera District.
This followed the successful implementation of a similar youth employment initiative, the NOOK Hub, in Kicukiro District, Kigali City.
The project equips young people with self-employment skills by connecting them to valuable networks and information, providing practical toolkits, and supporting the creation of youth-led cooperatives.
On June 20, the Ngeruka hub celebrated the graduation of 35 students who completed six-month vocational training courses in welding, electricity, hairdressing, and tailoring—with girls accounting for 60 percent of the graduates.
For hub managers and girls in Ngeruka, the event marked more than just a skills milestone. It represented a critical opportunity to empower young women who had dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancies.
Read more at https://www.chronicles.rw/2025/06/new-skills-training-initiative-empowering-disadvantaged-rural-girls/