TUI Futureshapers Zanzibar
In Zanzibar, job creation is critical and social entrepreneurship can play a key role in creating meaningful and sustainable jobs for the younger population.
In 2022, two young Zanzibaris were selected to undergo a nine-month training programme with the Social Innovation Academy (SINA) in Uganda. Using SINA’s framework, they have now set up the Ubunifu Foundation to implement their own version of the social innovation academy. The programme empowers local young people and turns them into active drivers of their own future through a formal learning environment. It equips participants with the skills needed to create their own social enterprises to turn local social and environmental challenges into opportunities.
High youth unemployment and a dependency on tourism can make Zanzibar vulnerable to external crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Social entrepreneurship can provide a solution to address challenges of this nature and create sustainable livelihoods for the island’s population. However, young people often lack opportunities, education and confidence needed to start their own businesses.
TUI Futureshapers Zanzibar empowers young Zanzibaris find their purpose and improve their future prospects through adopting SINA’s Social Innovation Academy model. In the first pilot phase of the programme, Ubunifu Foundation was set up by two young leaders to provide personal development and purpose-discovery training and life coaching to young entrepreneurs. 100 young people gained access to the five-stage SINA programme and received training and mentorship to co-create innovative and impactful solutions to solve local problems.
In this second phase, TUI Futureshapers Zanzibar scales up the programme and opens the opportunity to 300 young Zanzibaris to participate. The project fosters personal and professional transformation to participants, equipping them with the skills and confidence boost to turn ideas into viable businesses. This not only creates jobs but also fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility among the young people.
The project generates 100 new jobs, with social enterprises become financially self-sustainable within the first three years of implementation. Additionally, it provides 600 people a co-working and office space to use for upcoming social enterprises. It will also offer English training and computer literacy.
By empowering young people to become catalysts for the creation of social enterprises that address the root causes of societal challenges, TUI Futureshapers Zanzibar promotes job creation, decent work, and economic growth in Zanzibar.
Project Partner
SINA (Social Innovation Academy) is a fast-growing movement turning marginalized communities into ecosystems of changemaker-makers. Founded in Uganda in 2014 and now active in more than 23 locally owned, independently run communities across nine countries, SINA enables disadvantaged youth and refugees to build social enterprises, create jobs and tackle systemic challenges. Rooted in “freesponsibility”—freedom paired with radical responsibility—the SINA Framework shifts power from traditional aid and education structures to those closest to the problems.
