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.

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From Marginalized Youth to Social Entrepreneurs

About us

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.

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Number of SINA Communities

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Social Enterprises created at SINA

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Jobs created through SINA Social Enterprises

News

See what happens at Sina

Partner with us to Replicate the SINA Framework and Create a Freesponsible and Regenerative Community in 2025

Published on January 12, 2025

Are you ready to transform challenges into opportunities and help marginalized communities reach their fullest potential? We invite you to partner with us in the creation and replication of a new SINA community in 2025! Why Partner with SINA? Just as mycelium connects and supports ecosystems, SINA empowers communities through self-organization, social entrepreneurship, and collective […]

Changemakers in Action: Fighting Malaria with Mosquito-Repellent Soap – Joan Nalubega

Published on December 28, 2024

Ever wondered how a young entrepreneur can transform a personal struggle into a far-reaching social enterprise? In our first podcast episode, Joan Nalubega, Founder of Uganics and a SINA alumna, shares the remarkable story of how she turned her childhood battle with malaria into an innovative solution that’s reached over three million people! Tune in […]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Published on December 25, 2024

As 2024 concludes and we look forward to the new year, we wish to send our warmest greetings and gratitude to all our SINA Communities, scholars, enterprises, partners, supporters and friends. May this Christmas bring you joy, peace, and fulfillment. I wish you a prosperous and inspiring start into 2025 and a Merry Christmas! 🎄 […]

SINA Framework at Catalyst2030 Session on Educational Models for Youth Social Innovation

Published on December 9, 2024

SINA was invited to present its innovative framework at the Africa Academic Hub session organized through Catalyst2030 on the topic of “Shaping the Future: Educational Models for Youth Social Innovation”. Etienne Salborn presented SINA online. The recording of the session is available on YouTube:

7 hour Livestream across 6 SINA Communities and 7 inspiring SINA Social Enterprises

Published on December 4, 2024

We had a fantastic event for seven hours straight across Uganda and Africa. We saw live how our newest SINA Communities are unleashing the potentials of marginalized young people to become the change they wish to see as social entrepreneurs and how some inspiring SINA Social Enterprises are having remarkable social and environmental impact on […]

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

"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 Collections

"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 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