The recognition SINA received at the Haier ZeroDX awards continues to prompt thoughtful coverage from management thinkers. Corporate Rebels opened the conversation in early September with an analysis of SINA’s move toward “internal entrepreneurship,” the LAP Alliance followed with a case-study framing the ecosystem logic behind SINA’s growth, and Corporate Rebels returned in October with a field report from ZeroDX in China and a closer look at self-management in practice. Together, the three pieces sketch where SINA is going next—and why donors are taking notice.
Corporate Rebels’ first article, “Reimagining Youth Empowerment in Africa,” explores how SINA is piloting micro-enterprises from within the ecosystem to complement the classic “graduate and found your own venture” path. Founder Etienne Salborn puts the shift plainly: “The more you understand, the more questions that come up,” he says, describing RenDanHeYi as adaptable principles rather than a rigid template “that could be locally adapted.” The piece documents a live pilot with Hansgrohe, where SINA teams across communities ran user research that informed a portable-shower prototype; 100 units are now in a Uganda field test.
The LAP Alliance then situates SINA’s evolution inside a broader ecosystem logic. Their case study “Empowerment Reimagined: How SINA’s Ecosystem Logic Turns Displacement into Opportunity” notes that “SINA is no longer a single NGO—it’s a platform of self-organized communities,” each led locally and connected through shared purpose and peer learning. The author links this to RenDanHeYi’s micro-enterprise ideas and highlights momentum since the 2024 ZeroDX recognition, pointing to a growing network of autonomous communities and alumni-led ventures.
In October, Corporate Rebels’ co-founder Joost Minnaar reported in “From Refugee Camps To Self-Management: What We Can Learn From SINA” from ZeroDX in China, where SINA accepted the award again. His verdict is direct:
“SINA is one of the most radical and inspiring examples of self-management I’ve ever seen.”
He underscores how the model replaces teachers and grades with roles and responsibility, and how replication has turned a single hub into a movement run by the people it serves. For donors and supporters, three signals cut through the noise.
If you are considering renewed or first-time support, these reflections point in the same direction: SINA is strengthening local ownership, extending its model “freesponsibly”, and building partnerships that convert insight into earned resilience—and your backing accelerates exactly that work.
Here are the Slides of the SINA presentation in Beijing China: