Are you below 30 years of age, located in Rwanda with an existing initiative between six months to two years, aimed at encouraging girls to go back to school, enroll in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)? Or are you digitally skilling young girls or mitigating girl child education threats? Apply to participate in the Gera ku Ntego- “Innovate for her Education” competition to showcase your innovative solution.

The Generation Unlimited initiative – or “GenU” – aims to ensure that all young people between the ages of 10 and 24 are in school, training or employed by 2030.  Under the Generation Unlimited Rwanda initiative, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Culture (MYCULTURE), Imbuto Foundation and UNICEF Rwanda; Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) Rwanda is implementing the “Operationalization of 10 Youth Friendly Centers & Youth Empowerment” pilot project. The project has three objectives: 1) Assess and operationalize ten Youth Friendly Centers (YFCs), 2) Deliver digital literacy, entrepreneurial and life skills training for an increased learning, livelihoods outcomes, economic inclusion and social cohesion;  and 3) Community outreach on girls’ (10-24 years) education and skills development.

Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) Rwanda is excited to launch the “Innovate for Her Education” challenge. As a successful Hackathon participant, you will be able to get: 

  • A chance to join the bootcamp and learn more about improving your initiative;
  • Peer-to-Peer Support – to connect you to other youth who have similar interests, focuses and initiatives;
  • Coaching – to support you to make meaningful progress towards your goals and initiative;
  • Partnership Training – to enhance your partnership and business development skills and to connect you to relevant training and support networks;
  • Gender and Social Innovation Training – to support you to think about your initiative, impact and reach from a gender equality perspective;
  • Digital Profiles – to create a digital profile on DOT’s Innojo platform that can be shared with your peers and beyond;
  • Seed Funding – to award you with seed funding to support your work in your community and scale up your reach.

As a result, successful community initiatives will be made much stronger and resilient, their reach will be scaled, and their impact will grow.

To qualify for selection into the Gera ku Ntego- “Innovate for her Education”, you must:

You may also like:

  • Be below 30 years of age at the time of application;
  • Be located in Rwanda;
  • Have an already existing initiative that is bridging the gender digital divide by supporting young women and girls’ access to digital technology, ICT or enhancing the enrolment of young women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM);
  • Be a leader of your initiative/enterprise;
  • Have strong interest in having a social impact;
  • Be available to participate in the bootcamp in December 2021;
  • Have basic English and literacy skills;
  • Have not received any awards in relation to the initiative.

How to Apply: 

Submit your application to join the Gera ku Ntego- “Innovate for her Education” Challenge by filling out this form.

The deadline to submit your application to be considered in the first round is October 30, 2021. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted by our team on next steps.

Please note: This opportunity is open to all gender identities, however, young women are strongly encouraged to apply. Additionally, if you are applying on behalf of a group community initiative only one person will be selected per initiative to participate.

Please Share to