Launched in 2018, KASO Skill Up was born from a simple but powerful belief that every young person deserves more than survival; they deserve opportunity. What began as a small initiative to train former street children and the underprivileged has since grown into one of KASO Foundation’s most transformative programs.
Through Skill Up, hundreds of youth have gained hands-on training in barista skills, coffee-making, and bartending, turning what were once uncertain futures into pathways of independence. Many of these young people, once marginalized and overlooked, are now working in Rwanda’s hotels, cafés, and restaurants, earning stable incomes and rebuilding their confidence.
In 2019, the program expanded in partnership with the Rwanda TVET Board, offering specialized training for unemployed university graduates in food production, including the making of tomato sauce, noodles, juice, and other value-added products. The same partnership also introduced modules in hospitality, linking practical skills with Rwanda’s growing tourism sector.
Beyond professional skills, Skill Up instils discipline, self-worth, and community, aligning perfectly with KASO Foundation’s mission to transform vulnerability into potential. Each graduate carries not only a new skill but a new story, proof that when talent meets opportunity, change becomes inevitable.
