Akazi Kanoze started six (6) years ago as a project implemented by Education Development Center (EDC) under USAID funding. EDC has locations around the world, including Washington, D.C., and has implemented youth employment and empowerment projects in Rwanda. Building on achieved results and successes, the project’s local staff and various stakeholders have established a national NGO called Akazi Kanoze Access (AKA) in order to sustain and scale up the project models with the support of USAID and EDC.

Agora Partnerships works to establish a dynamic, global ecosystem of investment and support that enables all entrepreneurs to reach their potential and contribute to solving the world’s toughest challenges. We empower small and growing businesses through access to investment capital, strategic consulting and a global community of support. Agora’s offices are located in several Latin American cities: Managua, Nicaragua; Santiago, Chile; Bogota, Colombia; Mexico City, Mexico.

The Center for Civic Innovation is a community-driven research and development lab based in Atlanta for local governments, nonprofits, and social entrepreneurs. The Center’s mission is to find, test, and invest in outcome-driven solutions to local social challenges.

The Ten Knots Group of Companies opened its first El Nido Resort at Miniloc Island in Bacuit Bay, El Nido, Palawan, in December 1982. Since inception, Ten Knots has advocated responsible tourism and has exercised stewardship over its natural environment and forged partnerships with local community members. For over three decades, Ten Knots has strived to maintain a delicate balance between achieving tourism development goals, conserving El Nido’s fragile environment, and meeting the needs of the local community.

The Federal City Council (FC2) is a 501(c)(3) membership-based organization in Washington, DC. Led by former DC Mayor Anthony Williams, the Council endeavors to enhance DC’s economic and social progress by focusing the talents of Washington’s business and professional leaders on major problems and opportunities that are facing the City. Membership on the FC2 is highly selective and is limited to top business, professional and civic leaders.

The Gashora Girls Academy is an upper-secondary boarding school for 270 girls, which is located in the Gashora Sector of Rwanda. Our vision for our students is that they will graduate as inspired young leaders filled with confidence, a love of learning, and a sense of economic empowerment to strengthen their communities and foster Rwanda’s growth.

The Kunde Social Cafe was founded to combat the social stigma and isolation facing individuals with mental disabilities, (LLC “Best For People Foundation”). The organization trains and employs adults with mental disabilities while fostering a positive space for interaction with the public, including university student volunteers and families of people with special needs.

Mann Deshi Foundation and Bank work together to develop women entrepreneurs in rural India by equipping them with knowledge, courage, and capital. Mann Deshi Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life of women and their families living in the rural areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka with the primary objective to empower rural women and fight injustices based on gender, caste, and class. Mann Deshi Foundation empowers female entrepreneurs, from management to accessing markets.

Žene za Žene International/Women for Women International was founded in 1993 to offer financial and emotional support to women displaced by the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Since then, it has served more than 63,000 women directly in 50 different communities and provided support to 350,000 women through life skills, business, and vocational training, as well as conditional cash transfers.

Yanbal International’s mission is to inspire and positively impact the lives of individuals, offering the best opportunity for professional, personal, and economic development, through the sale of world-class beauty products. Yanbal’s product lines include: skin treatment, makeup, jewelry, fragrances and personal care. Yanbal is among the top 15 ranked companies in the Direct Sales Association and has business operations in eleven countries in Latin America and Europe. Yanbal’s business model uses microentrepreneurs to sell products to customers.