I was born and raised in Berlin, Germany and from a young age, I was fascinated to explore the world. At 17, I lived abroad in the USA as a high school exchange student for one year. At 19, I went to Uganda in 2006 to volunteer at the Kankobe Children’s Home for a year instead of joining the obligatory military basic training. Seeing that the orphans I was living with could not continue schooling after finishing their primary school, I started a sponsorship program. Since new kids would join the program every year, I founded the NGO Jangu e.V. in 2009 to manage the program professionally. While doing my Master’s Degree in “Peace, Development, Security and International Conflict Transformation”, the first generation of sponsored orphans graduated from High School in Uganda but could not find jobs or go to university. I dedicated my Master’s Thesis to understanding this challenge. In an open-space dialogue with the first generations of sponsored youth, we co-created the ideas behind SINA in 2013 and started implementing them.

You can reach me at etienne@socialinnovationacademy.org

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SINA is one of its kind; a mother of opportunities and innovations that benefits the people, the community and the world. SINA has supported me to erase the misconceptions I had towards life and the world right from the first time I stepped on the hill. Every day you learn new things because of the people and the environment. My favorite memories are throwing surprise birthday celebrations in the community, the brotherhood and love that members always portray to others mean a lot to me.

I am the Co-Founder of Sayanas Academy. We foster innovation and entrepreneurship in science and technology by providing collaborative spaces for tech application and development in schools. I want to turn my painful experience of learning science in the past into an opportunity to support others.  My dream is to create a space for science, technology, and innovation that grows technology problem solvers, innovators, and changemakers.

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SINA is the only space I have ever found in my entire life, where I have the opportunity to realize my fullest potential. Through SINA, I have been able to define my purpose and how I can align it to my daily life. Through taking over roles, I have learned, grown, and developed my abilities to relate to people. My most significant learning is that I am only as good as how far I am willing to challenge myself to grow and to learn.

I am passionate about providing humans as well as communities at large with equal opportunities. My biggest dream is to create a fully-fledged platform of personal development impacting over 5,000 individuals. Further, I would love to participate in international policy development processes like the African Union or the United Nations to design tomorrow’s world.

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SINA has shaped me into an emotionally tuned person, realizing my areas of improvement, my strength and my purpose. I believe I would have never gotten this in any university. My learnings are greatly due to the social challenges I have encountered while working with SINA through my role to support community development. I now live a goal-directed life advancing a shared culture at SINA and aspiring to impact the education sector in Uganda.

Since 2016 I am the chairperson of Jangu Tusome, the Ugandan partner organization of Jangu e.V. We are currently supporting more than 100 orphans with a scholarship to finalize their A levels. My vision is to redesign the African education model into self-mastery and purpose directed one. I want to build innovative education spaces based on culture, critical thinking, and empathy building.

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I am passionate about fighting Malaria and I feel I have a creative spirit. SINA helped me find my purpose. I have learned to be open-minded, especially in times of challenges. One of my favorite memories in SINA has been the comfort zone challenges.

I founded Uganics turning around my own suffering as an intrinsic motivation to contribute to a Malaria Free World with mosquito repellant soap, so children in Uganda do not need to go through what I experienced.

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