Rwanda Works (RW) is an organization dedicated to prosperity creation, while most NGOs traditionally focus on poverty reduction. Complementing the efforts of humanitarianism and foreign aid, RW takes the logical next step in economic development - building a healthy and financially sustainable environment for commerce to thrive. RW identifies financially viable businesses, develops the businesses and assists in their commercialization using a specific set of criteria.

RW was co-founded by Dr. Josh Ruxin, who directs several projects based in Rwanda, bringing a comprehensive understanding of global health and economic development to RW. From serving as the director for the Millennium Village Project in Rwanda, to his work as the co-chair of the United Nations Millennium Project Task Force on HIV/AIDS, Dr. Ruxin's experience on the ground informs RW's mission to be a catalyst for prosperity creation.

 

Prosperity is only possible with a healthy society. Recognizing that poor health and high disease burdens pose a challenge to economic development, RW invests in health care infrastructure through a partnership with the Government of Rwanda and Columbia University's Access Project, an organization also founded by Dr. Ruxin. The Access Project has a demonstrated track record of improving health care management systems and increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of health care delivery in Rwanda. With construction of three health centers already underway that will serve over 75,000 people, RW is quickly making progress to improve access to health care in the country's poorest regions.

 

With a combined focus on health and wealth, Rwanda Works is uniquely positioned to meet the ambitious challenge of creating prosperity - a vision that is directly aligned with the Government of Rwanda's Vision 2020 development plan. Vision 2020 is Rwanda's self-articulated goal to move beyond subsistence agriculture and become a middle-income country and knowledge-based economy. RW, through its innovative approach, demonstrates that with prudent management and strategic deployment of capital, wealth creation is possible - even in a poor country such as Rwanda.