Social Innovation Academy

This website uses cookies to enhance your user experience. Do you consent?

Social Innovation Academy

SINA tackles failing education and resulting unemployment in Africa through creating self-organized and freesponsible learning spaces, where disadvantaged youth unleash their potential for positive change as social entrepreneurs.

DonateImpact

From Marginalized Youth to Social Entrepreneurs

A cost-effective and self-governed community approach provides a pathway, tools and the mindset for marginalized youth and refugees to shape a vision for their future and create new solutions in form of social enterprises with benefit to society and the environment.

0

Number of SINA Communities

0

Social Enterprises created at SINA

0

Jobs created through SINA Social Enterprises

News

See what happens at Sina

See more

Matching Funding Campaign to Sponsor a SINA Scholar

Enable disadvantaged youths to be the change they want to see in the world.The life you change might be your own! Matchfunding from a friend and SINA supporter from the USA will mean that the next 20 sponsored scholars will be matched $ for $, creating double impact and taking us even closer to our […]

Call for Proposals for Personal Development Learning Plan – Purpose Discovery

SINA (Social Innovation Academy) invites innovative minds to submit proposals for a transformative Personal Development Learning Plan supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). This project aims to significantly enhance the educational journey of disadvantaged and marginalized youth in Uganda, focusing on ‘Purpose Discovery.’ We’re seeking proposals for a dynamic, […]

SINA Social Enterprise “Eco-Shoes Africa” selected as a UNHCR Innovation Project 2024

We are thrilled to share the incredible journey of one of our alumni enterprises, Eco-Shoes Africa, which has been recognized as a UNHCR Innovation project for 2024. The enterprise was born at SINA Loketa in the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement and collects and recycles old leather shoes to locally produce new and affordable shoes for school-going refugee […]

Highlights from the 12h Event in 20 minutes

On 28/11/2023, we hosted an online live event for 12 hours, bringing together all our 12 SINA Communities across Africa! Enjoy some of the highlights edited together in 20 minutes:

From Refugee to Social Entrepreneur: John Sadiki’s Journey on The Oblique Life Podcast

Our very own team member, Sadiki John, a team member of SINA Global and co-founder of Lazima Nipate Academy, the SINA Community in Kampala for urban refugees, shared his invaluable insights and personal journey from a refugee to a social entrepreneur through SINA and resettlement to Belgium on the Oblique Life, a podcast series.  The […]

2007

Kankobe Children's Home

Etienne Salborn volunteers in the Kankobe Children’s Home in Uganda and creates an educational sponsorship program for orphans after leaving the orphanage.

2009

Formation of Jangu

The sponsorship program reaches 30 students and "Jangu e.V." is founded to manage them professionally.

2013

Collective Idea for SINA

The 1st generation of sponsored youth completes High School but drowns in youth unemployment. In an Open Space the idea for a space where youth create their own jobs is born.

2014

Jangu International

The 1st SINA is created by collectively building the model, culture and the space in Mpigi with 15 Ugandan facilitators, international experts and Jangu e.V. graduates.

2015

Proof of Concept

The 1st SINA Community grows to 50 members and proves that marginalized youth can unleash their potentials and become social entrepreneurs through self-organized and freesponsible education.

2016

Proving Scalability

Three refugees find SINA, join and 9 months later make "SINA" their social enterprise by replicating the model into the Nakivale Refugee Settlement.

2018

UNHCR Innovation Award

SINA is replicated by and for refugees in the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement and wins the UNHCR Innovation Award. A partnership starts to replicate SINA in Zimbabwe with UNHCR.

2019

SINA Global

SINA Global is established to serve a growing network of SINA Communities, hundreds of social enterprises born at SINAs and support further replications across Africa.

2023

Exponential Impact

With 12 SINAs in 5 African countries and strategic partnerships, a freesponsible and regenerative movement for exponential scale and impact is emerging.

Partners & Supporters

Fürsorge- und Bildungsstiftung
Impact Hub
Tui Care Foundation
greiner
Grow Future Proof partner
Global Business Coalition for Education
Famtastisch Foundation
Mpigi District Local Government
Project Redwood
Merck Family Foundation
Office of the Prime Minister
Deichmann Foundation
Leopold Bachmann Foundation
Siemens Foundation
Social Impact Award
Don Bosco Mondo
SessionLab
ecoversity alliance
Rhein Donau Stiftung
knodel foundation

"I'm living my dreams and not dreaming my life!"

Joseph Bwinika

Founder of Tucheke Movies Production, Nakivale Refugee Sttlement

"Before I joined SINA I didn’t know what to do with my life, I was scared that I was going to be a failure because I had no hopes of continuing with studies but after joining SINA and through a lot of empowerment and coaching, I realized my passions and regained hope for success and created a change in my life."

Joan Nalubega

Founder of Uganics

"I am now strong emotionally and no longer put blame on anyone for the challenges that I met in life and I uphold challenges to give me solutions. I was able to find my passion and create a social benefit to the society out of it."

Angella Marjorie

Founder of the Gejja Women Foundation

"Before SINA, I was not able to express myself and give my view about challenges that affect me and my community, after SINA am able to pursue my passion and dreams of fashion and supporting persons with disabilities with the help of life coaches and mentors. SINA has changed my life through discovering myself, identifying and developing my passions and it has kept me thinking and creative all the time. I am an empowered leader now and have been able to create an enterprise. "

Juliet Namujju

Founder of Kimuli Fashionability

"SINA has impacted me in many ways. It is the place and environment where I discovered myself deeply. I learned how to find solutions towards problems and pains I had."

Turatsinze Victor

Co-Founder of OPPORTUNIGEE and SINA Unleashed in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement

"SINA is a life transforming environment which is giving hope and meaning to life of youth. I was hopeless and I didn’t know what I was going to do but since I joined SINA I am now developing my professional skills and my personal growth. It is helping me to become an entrepreneur."

Sylvain Himbana

Co-Founder of SINA Loketa in Bidibidi Refugee Camp

"SINA has created a new me. It changed me into an inspirational story and helped me touch the lives of communities. Through SINA I have created my own job and I learnt to live with others and to support others. I am able to lead, speak openly and have a clear vision for my life. SINA is what Uganda needs to change the 83% youth unemployment rate."

Elizabeth Nalugemwa

Founder of Kyaffe Farmers Coffee