African Centers of Excellence (ACE) for Women’s Leadership
                                                                         Brief Program Description  

An independent not-for-profit founded in 1919, IIE is among the world's largest and most experienced international education and training organizations. We are committed to delivering program excellence to a diverse range of participants, sponsors, and donors. The IIE Sub-Saharan Africa office located in Addis Ababa has developed and implemented programs in support of access to higher education and leadership development, particularly for young women as agents of change.

Building on its long term partnership with the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, IIE received funding for a new three-year program to build African women’s leadership capacities as change agents on family planning, women’s economic empowerment and girls’ education. 

                                                                                                   Goal

ACE for Women’s Leadership Program aims  to mobilize key women’s organizations and world class leadership resources so that leading organizations in East Africa can provide sustainable strategic leadership development and other services for women and network effectively.

                                                                                             Outcomes

 The ACE for Women’s Leadership program outcomes are visualized at three different levels and strategies are designed accordingly to bring about the desired results.

1 . Four strong women’s organizations in East Africa make up a network of organizations delivering women’s leadership programs that advance the women’s agenda on reproductive health, girl’s education and economic empowerment in the region.

2. The institutional capacity of the four institutions is strengthened to deliver quality programs in feminist leadership training and advocacy.

3.  Expanded and diverse groups of women and girls will be reached through programs and services offered by the four organizations, individually and as a network.  

The program identified to support four leading institutions from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda to become African Centers of Excellence (ACE) for Women’s Leadership.

These partner institutes are:

1. Organization for Women in Self Employment (WISE) from Ethiopia   

2. Rwandan Women’s Network (RWN) from Rwanda

3. Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA) from Uganda

      4. Young Women’s Leadership Institute (YWLI) from Kenya