SINA LOKETA (SINAL)

Bidibidi Refugee settlement is one of the world largest refugee settlements Settlement with (232,721 people) from South Sudan. In Bidibidi refugee live under an extreme poverty line without opportunities and little chances for quality education. About 70% are under the age of 18.

 SINAL aims is to contribute to the economic recovery of the unemployed youth by promoting self–reliance and allowing for the possibility of working remotely – particularly important in Uganda where there are limited opportunities in the local economy through a solar-powered broadband working environment. In SINA LOKETA unemployed youth are applying for Jobs online, provide opportunities to take part in online training courses and creating techno businesses that solve the 21st-century challenges.  If scaled globally our solution would potentially create millions of jobs for opportunities for marginalized youth while contributing to the SDGs 1, 4, 8, 9 and 11.

According to the Relief Web survey in Uganda 2018, Bidibidi settlement was established in September 2016 to host the rapid influx of South Sudanese refugees, primarily arriving from the Equatoria region. The settlement population increased rapidly to over 280,000 people, making it one of the largest refugee settlements in the world.

Access to quality education is limited for both refugees and the surrounding host community. Schools are few with insufficient classrooms and insufficient teachers leading to low teacher per student ratios. This was reported to severely inhibit the students’ learning environment. This is further deteriorated by the lack of school materials and lack of training for teachers. Moreover, the absence of vocational training institutions limits the opportunities available for students unable to access secondary school or those unable to access tertiary education. This significantly reduces their chances to access livelihoods opportunities in the future.

SINA LOKETA (SINAL) is a refugee youth-led nonprofit organization in Uganda that strengthens the capacities of young people to become self-reliant and develop social enterprises in refugee and host communities through a solar-powered broadband digital learning environment.

SINAL elicits personal potentials and lets young adults learn soft and professional skills by fully self-managing their communities, while unlearning limiting believes, getting rid of the fear of failing, expanding one’s comfort zone, discovering oneself and setting goals and action plans. In SINAL marginalized and refugee’s youth can overcome the fear of failing and start turning their project ideas into social ventures. They are matched with mentors online and keep testing ideas and prototyping products/services until they become social changemakers turning the most pressing problems in their communities into social, environmental benefits and live with their own jobs created. Our Initiative gives access to communications technology and e-learning/education/skills development training for a self-reliant and improved livelihood in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement using a solar-powered internet satellite. 

Our Beneficiaries are refugee youth and young adults from the refugee and host communities of Yumbe District based in northern Uganda, age bracket ( 15 to 35 years old), both males and females who are affected by youth unemployment. The entire program of SINAL is designed with a human-centred approach. SINAL has always conducted design thinking sessions where all the beneficiaries participate in the braining storming sessions to identify the most pressing problems affecting youth in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement and as well as engaging them in the idea generation sessions to come up with possible solutions to solve identified problems. In SINAL women, boys and girls are empowered on how to be confident, smart, proud of themselves and live with their own jobs created.

In Bidi Bidi, refugees reported poor quality teaching, a lack of essential classroom materials and severe teacher shortages. There is no vocational school in the settlement and limited opportunities for secondary or higher education.

Our solution has been implemented since March 2020 at Bidibidi refugee Settlement using solar-powered solar internet satellite to promote remote working and give easy access to Information and Communication Technology. As we are an inclusive entry to the digital economy for vulnerable youth to succeed as the job market progresses through a Digital Revolution. The technology has made communication generally easier for the students and unemployed youth since they have access to internet connectivity to explore e-learning using electronic devices like smartphones, computers and tablets to sell and promote their businesses online. SINAL is dedicated to expanded networks, adapted contexts, and the creation of inclusive programs for diversified future demographic accessing the digital economy.

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Our initiative is in a growth stage because, since 2018, SINAL started in Bidibidi refugee settlement with a goal of empowering young refugees and vulnerable youth to create their own employment opportunities by equipping youth with knowledgeable skills and support needed to innovate and set their own enterprises with social and environmental impacts in refugee and host communities.

The project is primarily benefiting 60 students and 40 young entrepreneurs on a monthly basis giving them access to the online markets, web and graphic design training, online opportunities, and audiovisual lecture and laboratory sessions for access to equitable education and economic recovery especially during this period of Covid-19 Crises in Uganda. So far 9 techno startups have been emerged in our Techno Hub with over 300 new jobs created so far. The SINAL's enterprises have in the last year improved the livelihoods of over 150,000 people through entrepreneurship, internet connectivity, web and graphic designing training.

Example: Generous Design Africa is one of the SINAL’s startups in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement that is recycling plastic wastes into products of high values such as affordable and eco-friendly cups, school Rulers, Beads, Buttons, Clips and many other products while creating jobs for unemployed youth. The Startup envisions creating a world free from plastic wastes accumulations.

The prize will enable us to create dignified lives for millions of marginalized refugees in Uganda and East Africa at large through Inclusive Digital learning for all.

SINA Loketa elicits personal potentials and lets young adults learn soft and professional skills by fully self-managing their communities, while unlearning limiting beliefs, getting rid of the fear of failing, expanding one’s comfort zone, discovering oneself and setting goals and action plans. The youth and refugees drive their own education and are no longer passive recipients but active drivers for the generation of opportunities, jobs and economic prosperity. As changemakers, learning is directly applied to turn challenges into solutions. Transcending their marginalized backgrounds, own personal tragedies often become the driving force for the creation of social enterprises tackling the root causes of their own personal tragedies.

Our solution has been tested since March 2020 at Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement camp using solar power energy, community networking based on ICT (Information and communication technology) which is powered by a solar system. This has made communication generally easier for the students and scholars since they have access to internet connectivity to explore e-learning using electronic devices like smartphones, computers and tablets. The project is primarily benefiting 40 students and 10 teachers on a daily basis giving them access to e-library, internet connectivity, online courses, and audiovisual lecture and laboratory sessions for access equitable education as responses to COVID-19 crises.

Our solution has been adapted to respond to COVID-19 resections at Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement Camp through the creation of the CTA where Scholars and students have access to formal education and access to internet connectivity from our Hub via their smartphones, laptops, tablets and while adhering to the ministry of health’s guidelines on the prevention measures of COVID-19, i.e. wearing nose masks, maintaining social distance, regular hand washing with sanitisers. In SINAL everyone can use the communal resources for free, discuss ideas and participate in workshops, online courses and training with the goal to create solutions for pressing challenges in the camp.

Yes, through our M&E Team we are able to assess and track possible Risks and dangers that our technology may cause and especially for the internet users we have limited access to some of the websites which are not education oriented. We may also face the financial risk that could limit us from expanding our initiative to Koboko Districts.

Current: 180

Next year: 600

In five years: 7,000

The impact of SINA LOKETA in Ugandan society in the next five years is the founding of more than 50 new social enterprises in the refugee and host communities, which created over 2500 new jobs so far. This will be achieved through social entrepreneurship, web and apps development for increased access to the digital ecosystem. 

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          700,000 people would have been reached and positively impacted through SINAL's products, approaches and services

•            50 new scholar’s social enterprises would have been emerged in our SINAL HUB to solve the most pressing problems in refugee and host communities

•            100,000 students affected by Covid-19 lockdowns in Uganda refugee settlement would have gotten access to free internet connectivity daily and actively participating in e-learning through SINAL TECH Hub

SINAL has 6 full-time staff and 114 part-time straff.

SINA LOKETA we are a team of five social entrepreneurs from the Social Innovation Academy in Uganda. Here we have gotten enough training on mentorship, life coaching, ICT, web developing and graphic designing, entrepreneurship, and project management skills which have shaped us to become successful social entrepreneurs. Our team is composed of Congolese, South Sudanese and Ugandans. We all have different backgrounds, cultures and life stories and experiences but we all believe in the same values of solidarity, sustainability, transparency and equality. We have realized that young refugees and marginalized youths have unique gifts, talents and skills which are often hidden by the lack of opportunities, by being traumatized or socially excluded. This is such a waste for the world! We all believe in creating an Eco-sustainable world if we all come to gather as one for a noble cause.

In order to enhance women’s participation in planning and sustainable management of the project and also to ensure Sustainability of the invariable recurrent costs, the project is to adopt a Gender Strategy. Recognizing the important role of women, the outcomes of the project are to be achieved through gender-sensitive strategies, increased participation by women in planning, managing, monitoring, and evaluating is one of the key performance indicators for implementing this project. The Gender Strategy features innovative leadership allowing equal participation in decision making. The project is to employ female protected areas specialists to address the local women through special training and communication strategies. These concerns are to be addressed through training offered to women on how to use resources more efficiently to reduce pressure on protected areas, how to add more value to the non-timber resources collected and how, for instance, pastures can be improved to increase their loading coefficient. By its conclusion, the project aims to incorporate gender analysis and gender concerns into all aspects of policy, procedures, projects, and monitoring system.

To be part of the MIT Solve Digital Ecosystem networks

1. To pitch my solution to investor and donors

2. To benefit from the MIT incubation program

3. To learn from other techno Organizations from MIT Network

4. To get in touch with Web developers and design

1. MIT Solve

2. GSM

3. AU

4. GIZ

6. UNICEF