In December 2023, IPAR Rwanda signed a five-year agreement with the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg to implement the project entitled “The Contribution (s) of the Non-Profit Sector to African Economies with specific focus on the creation of employment for young people.”
The project is led by the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI) at the Wits Business School in collaboration with several autonomous African-led network of researchers and institutions in the selected countries. The main components of the project include the non-profit sector’s contribution towards the Gross National Product (GDP), the sector’s contribution towards dignified and fulfilling jobs for young people between the ages of 15 and 35 in Africa and how disaggregated sectors create and provide opportunities for further employment for these young people.
CAPSI has identified a number of partners in seventeen countries where a research and training project funded by the MasterCard Foundation will be implemented. The project aims to investigate the role of the non-profit sector in promoting youth employment and economic livelihoods in Africa. Country Partners will be responsible for conducting literature reviews and implementing fieldwork activities within the respective countries.
Over a period of five years, the project will be undertaken at scale – initially in eighteen countries to gather data and produce evidence through surveys on the landscape and the segmented nature and role of the non-profit sector in Africa in providing dignified jobs for young people.
Particularly, under this project, IPAR Rwanda is expected to produce several deliverables including mainly : (1) Conducting literature review on the contributions of the non-profit sector towards dignified employment for young Africans with a special focus on Rwanda ; (2) Developing Research design for the study on Rwanda but also work jointly with the Consortium on a universal research design ; (3) Data Collection that includes household surveys, interviews, focused groups and convening ; (4) Data analysis and reporting of results ; (5) Publication of the study products as well as organizing/attending regional project convenings and training workshops.