A world where every billionaire’s net worth grows with every life they touch

Author: Amina Umuhoza, Founder of SAYE Company Ltd, Mandela Washington Fellow at Rutgers University

I grew up in Rwanda, seeing firsthand how poverty and inequality limit young people, especially girls, from reaching their full potential. This experience has shaped me deeply. As a young girl, I dreamed of helping others find a better path, one where they had the knowledge, confidence, and means to live the life they deserve. I was fortunate to have generous people who invested in my education, a supportive government that created a conducive environment to attract philanthropists and funding, and policies that ensure young people can dream and bring those dreams to life. My story was set up in a way that allowed change to happen.

My dream took shape when I started SAYE Company Ltd [1], a social enterprise dedicated to empowering adolescents through education on sexual and reproductive health, menstrual health awareness, and vocational training. At the beginning, we were just an idea supported by modest startup funding and the generosity of a few philanthropists who believed in us. What was meant to simply establish an organisation has grown into a movement. Today, SAYE has reached over 10,000 young people across Rwanda, equipping them with knowledge, dignity, and income-generating skills that transform lives.

Working in this space has shown me something profound: the greatest reward is not financial, it’s knowing you’ve helped someone change their story for the better. Yet when I look at how the world measures success through lists like the Forbes 400 [2] it seems silent on betterment. America’s 400 richest people have given away less than 10% of their collective net worth to philanthropy [3]. A significant but modest sum when you think of what’s possible.
It makes me wonder: what if giving didn’t diminish your net worth, but instead became part of your standing and legacy? What if contributing to society didn’t ‘rank you down’ but actually elevated you? This is the world I envision where success is measured not just by wealth but by how many people you help rise up, by the knowledge and infrastructure you create, and by the number of people who have access to the services and products they need to thrive.

And it shouldn’t just start with billionaires. Yes, they hold extraordinary amounts of wealth and influence, and I believe it’s important they lead the way. But it starts with all of us, wherever we are. As a local shop owner, you can invest in your community, perhaps sponsoring a student with books, creating one job, or mentoring someone. You might only have a small boutique, but to someone else, your ‘normal’ life is their dream. Every small action counts and they add up.

Redefining a ‘billionaire’ as a badge of honor and impact, rather than just financial power, could shift the culture of wealth from accumulation to contribution. Imagine ranking billionaires not only by net worth but also by:

• Philanthropy: Meaningful investments in education, healthcare, and climate solutions.
• Social mobility: How many people they’ve lifted out of poverty through jobs, training, and creating opportunity.
• Innovation: The ways they’ve advanced technology, medicine, or sustainability solutions to benefit humanity.

This mindset values giving back, creating jobs, and leaving something behind that multiplies itself.  In SAYE, our graduates now mentor others and expand our impact beyond what I alone could ever achieve.

We all live on the same globe. Our success is intertwined and interdependent. Beyond just creating jobs, we must ask ourselves: What are we doing to ensure more people have the skills, infrastructure, and confidence to afford the life they deserve? Because when we empower more people to participate fully in the economy, they not only improve their own lives they also become customers, innovators, and contributors themselves. That’s a win-win for everyone.

At SAYE, I see this every day. The true reward is not the revenue we make, but the dignity, confidence, and futures we help build. I hope one day the definition of a billionaire will reflect that same spirit: not just what you have, but how many lives you’ve touched with it.

And until then, let each of us start where we are and change the world, one life at a time.

Amina Umuhoza is a Rwandan youth social entrepreneur and Founder of SAYE Company Ltd, an 8-year social enterprise advancing adolescent SRHR and youth employment. A Mandela Washington Fellow [4] at Rutgers University and African Union education innovator, she established the Kigali Menstruation Station, impacting 10,000 adolescents through SAYE’s youth-led programs.

References
[1] SAYE Company Ltd
[2] Forbes 400
[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/phoebeliu/2024/10/01/the-forbes-philanthropy-score-2024-how-charitable-are-americas-richest-people/ 
[4] The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Established in 2014, the Fellowship has brought nearly 7,200 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa to the United States for academic and leadership training. The Fellows, between the ages of 25 and 35, are accomplished innovators and leaders in their communities and countries. Accessed online 22 July 2025.