Abstract
Akazi Kanoze (Work Well Done) is a five-year, $9.8 million youth workforce development project designed specifically to help Rwandan youth develop the skills and attitudes necessary to obtain sustainable livelihoods, maintain healthy lifestyles, and participate constructively in their communities through a combination of education, training, and support services. More specifically, it couples a Work Readiness Curriculum designed to build the soft skills required by youth to succeed in the careers they are preparing as they complete skills training programs offered by various youth-serving organizations. Akazi Kanoze is financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC).The project also seeks to build the capacity of organizations promoting youth workforce development and contribute to emerging Government of Rwanda (GoR) policy implementation in this area. The project design includes linking youth to existing jobs, training, and education opportunities where possible. Nurturing formal and informal collaborative alliances between USG, local government institutions, other donors, NGOs, education and training providers, and the private sector are also part of the project design. This evaluation explores the relevant data available to inform USAID/Rwanda on the impact of the Akazi Kanoze program in relation to the following four objectives: (1)Identify evidence of increased youth access to employment; (2)Identify evidence of increased capacity of local NGOs to serve youth needs for non-formal Work Readiness and job skills training; (3)Identify key components of the Akazi Kanoze model that may affect program success; (4)Assess how well the Akazi Kanoze project is meeting its goal and key objectives cost-effectively.