The Community Work and Life Center at Addis Ababa University was developed by the Council of International Programs USA, in partnership with Addis Ababa University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Cleveland State University, the African AIDS Initiative International, Ethiopian Employers Federation, and Christian Relief and Association. CWLC was built upon the collaborative relationships first established through Project SWEEP.

From 2004-2008, the Community Work and Life Center provided essential workforce readiness skills, connecting university graduates with employers, while focusing on life skills essential for the development of a healthy, productive workforce. A primary focus of life skills development was HIV/AIDS prevention, education and awareness. The cross-cultural training program included hands-on training and observational internships in the U.S. for eight Ethiopian professionals. Two weeks were spent participating in practical training and observational internships at career and life centers. The remaining time was spent in action planning at the Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago. As part of a follow-on training program, U.S. based professionals went to Ethiopia to learn and assist in the creation of the Community Work and Life Center. On May 8, 2006, AAU hosted a CWLC-sponsored Job Fair, a first in Ethiopia, bringing together about 2,500 students with over 40 employers from multiple sectors. The Job Fair is an annual event as part of expanded efforts to integrate AAU education and services with the "real world" labor and employment requirements of the surrounding community.

The CWLC's Technical Advisory Committee consisted of both academic and private sector professionals, who monitored and adapted CWLC services to the employment needs of Ethiopia's growing private, nonprofit and business sectors. The CWLC offered university graduates a range of services including:

• Internship placement;
• Career advising and job-placement assistance,
• On and off campus job postings;
• Cover letter, resume writing and interviewing skills training/orientation;
• Individual and group counseling services;
• HIV/AIDS prevention and family planning education workshops and guidance services.
• Resource materials to assist individuals in the carriers-decision making and career search process are available on a self-service basis in the career resource center.
• A Life Talk Show Program for large numbers of undergraduate students launched in the AAU Cultural Center. The program covers major life skill challenges of the student in the campus with the aim of building student capacity to identify problems and find workable solutions. The program included community conversations, a talent show and music as educational tools. It is a kind of edutainment (educational entertainment).