Becoming Nala

Digital platform for women entrepreneurs in Rwanda

Problem

Rwanda has a very specific population structure – of around 13 million people, more than 10.5 million live in rural areas. Most rural women speak the local language, lack digital literacy, face many gender stereotypes, and lack local role models with whom they can identify. To put it in simple terms – they are cut off from knowledge, inspiration and resources, and the equality to which they are entitled by law is not lived.

Our approach

“Sisterhood of Female Entrepreneurs:
As a first step, we want to support and activate local role models to give back in their community – we call this “Sisterhood of Entrepreneurs” with Big Sisters (women in the city, with education) and Start Up Sisters (women in the countryside).

Hybrid solution:
a) Curated, digital matchmaking platform that connects Big Sisters on the ground with existing offerings and mentors from around the world (webinars, funding opportunities, incubator programs…).

b) Offline network of local women (Big Sisters and Start Up Sisters) to share experiences and support each other.

Website: www.becomingnala.org

Project start

March 2022, winning the Decentralized Development Labs* ideas competition.

Project location

Rwanda

Status

Network of already 100 women entrepreneurs established in Rwanda.

Project partner

The DDLab (Decentralised Development Lab) is a 12-month incubation and acceleration program that provides coaching, training, expert exchange and financial support to teams from different countries to develop solutions to specific challenges and maximize social impact. The Decentralised Development Lab (DDLab) was developed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the Bund-Länder-Programm (BLP). The project is carried out in cooperation with minds & makers GmbH and enpact.

Becoming Nala Explained: Empowering Female Entrepreneurship in Rwanda