Our work in Rwanda

Concluded in 2016, Hand in Hand’s joint-programme with CARE in Rwanda blended the best of both organisations, delivering Hand in Hand’s business and skills training to CARE’s vast network of savings groups countrywide. By the time they’d completed our training, women said they had better access to credit, a bigger say in household decisions and major boosts in income across the board.

Today, the four-year programme serves as a testament to the power of partnerships, and a blueprint for future expansion.

Members trained: 129,816

Vs. a target of 100,000

Businesses started: 83,438

Vs. a target of 65,000

Jobs created: 115,041

Vs. a target of 80,000

Average income boost: 75%

Vs. a control group

Independent evaluations

End-term evaluation

Find out how Hand in Hand’s partnershipswith CARE in Rwanda created 115,000 jobs and boosted incomes by an average of 75 percent.

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The situation for women

Politically, Rwanda is a world leader in female representation. Sixty-one percent of MPs in this country of 12 million are women – more than any other country on Earth. Economically, there is still work to be done.

79% of women work on smallholder farms vs. 54% of men

More than 50% of women’s agricultural work is unpaid

62% of female-headed households live below the poverty line vs 54% of male-headed households

65% of women don’t have access to a bank account

Meet our entrepreneurs


The bigger picture

Millions of Savings Groups members across the developing world meet every week to pool their funds and save for a rainy day. Few of them receive any kind of business training.

Talk about a missed opportunity.

Using real data from our partnership with CARE in Rwanda, the below infographic envisions what would happen if all of sub-Saharan Africa’s existing Savings Groups received Hand in Hand’s training. Click on a country to get started.

Meet Hand in Hand Eastern Africa CEO Albert Wambagu

Albert joined Hand in Hand Eastern Africa in 2012, having spent 13 years in senior roles at CIC Group, one Kenya’s fastest-growing insurance companies.

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