The development is part of initiatives meant to promote inclusive access to employment where Kepler seeks to increase the number of female employees from the current 34% to 50%.

The plan was announced recently on Friday 12th August 2022 as Kepler organized ‘Women Networking Event’ which brought together women from public institutions, private sector and non-governmental organizations.

Participants of the event held in Kinyinya of Kigali City were taken through the organizational structure of Kepler, enlightened on its activities and available opportunities particularly for women.

Jane Kayihunga, the Human Resource Manager at Kepler said that the College employs people from different countries and announced plan to increase the number of women.

“Considering to our projections, we identified a gender gap at our college. Even though we don’t have job offers currently, we have organized this event to remind women from different corners to be standby to tap into future opportunities after learning about Kepler and its activities,” she said.

Olive Mulinda, a participant of the event from a telecommunication company revealed that she was excited to learn from Kepler’s activities.

“I already knew the institution but had no idea about partners and support extended to different people. I am now well informed and ready to link up with the college for future opportunities,” she said.

Gaelle Ishimwe, another participant from a mining company expressed delight for linking up and exchanging ideas with experts with different backgrounds.

“The major purpose was to learn about Kepler’s activities but we also learnt from other women’s experiences. It is a big institution with interesting activities. The women’s networking event is of critical significance,” she noted.

As the event draw to a close, a platform for participants was created to easily access information regarding available opportunities at Kepler.

Kepler began operations in Rwanda in 2004 as Orphans of Rwanda and later changed its name to Generation Rwanda in 2008. It used to help brilliant children from vulnerable families to attend higher education at institutions operating inside the country.

In 2013, it launched partnership with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) from the United States of America (USA) where students have been attending online classes.

In 2015, Kepler inaugurated a branch in Kiziba refugee camp in Western province with a view to help Congolese refugees access higher education.

In 2021, Kepler unveiled partnership with Rwanda Polytechnic for a program meant to equip graduates with soft skills polishing their competences at the labour market. The program was also launched at Kepler’s campus in Ethiopia.

In April 2022, Kepler College was accredited as a fully-fledged higher education institution in Rwanda to offer project management degree.

30% of 662 graduates from Kepler come from vulnerable families. The college targets to have enrolled 25,000 students by 2025.

The event was a good opportunity to build new connections.

Groups of discussions were organized depending on participants' areas of interests.

Jane Kayihunga, the Human Resource Manager at Kepler said that the College is committed to promote gender balance.

Participants filling forms to get updates through a platform created during the event.