Our curriculum is taught in two parts:  1) Life Skills and 2) Entrepreneurship Skills.  These classes are currently offered in 5 community-based sites with the goal of gradauting 300 students by the end of 2009.

In the Lifeskills portion of the curriculum, students learn about issues of gender empowerment, decision-making, assertiveness, communication, AIDS awareness / prevention, and reducing stigmatizing behavior associated with AIDS survivors. 

As a result of these classes, students have reported improvements in their self-confidence, personal awareness, and knowledge to make wise decisions related to their well-being.  Teachers are encouraged to tailor this portion of the curriculum to meet their students' specific needs.  For example, in the Maasai community, students have specific gender obstacles to face with their husbands, and teachers have emphasized the family communication techniques to encourage more open dialogue.

In the Entrepreneurship portion of the curriculum, our students learn small business start-up skills where they are empowered with knowledge and skills to become effective entrepreneurs.  Entrepreneurship is often the only option these students will have to achieve some level of economic independence; to this end, our Entrepreneurship Skills curriculum provides students with the tools and guidance to successfully plan, implement, and manage a small business in their community.  Topics include budgeting, marketing, accounting, stock control and inventory, risk management, legal issues, and business ethics, among others.

We have discovered that approximately 50% of the grantees are running businesses with good to marginal success including some who did not receive grants who have started businesses on their own!