Mabong Kangha co-founded JumpStart Academy Africa to provide students between the ages of 15 and 19 with real-world, hands-on learning. Umsizi provided Madelle with funds so she could get her NGO started (and offered a successful matching grant to attract other donors).
Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator
Umsizi Fund sensed the need for greater collaboration and shared learning among leaders in the youth employment ecosystem, and formed the Peer Learning Network with several founding members, including Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator.
“The Peer Learning Network has been able to link together disparate players within the youth employment ecosystem across Africa, MENA, and globally. The PLN and Umsizi has created an enabling environment, bringing in different players within the youth employment landscape, and allowing individual partners to share insights and learnings, identify challenges and potential solutions across contexts, develop trusting relationships with each other, and ultimately create a conducive atmosphere to scaling impact. It has allowed us to develop and articulate our own models with greater clarity and precision.” — Sharmi Surianarain, Solutions Design Lead, Harambee
Youth Leader: Refugee Education Entrepreneur
Joseph Munyambanza of DRC/Uganda was well on his path after having graduated from African Leadership Academy and Westminster College in the US (funded by MasterCard Foundation). He wanted to return to Uganda to help develop COBURWAS - the education and youth entrepreneurship program that he started with other refugees in Kyangwali refugee camp.
Without Umsizi’s stipend support, he estimates his salary might have been only $300 a month, not enough to live on. Umsizi’s stipend support enabled Joseph to return home and spend three years developing COBURWAS.
“The Umsizi Fund Fellowship covered my living expenses and provided me with ongoing coaching that enabled me to sustain the growth of the organization. In 2 years, our secondary school doubled the number of children who were going to school. We enabled more refugees to attend University and trained over 50 youth leaders who have continued to run livelihood projects in Uganda. I was able to do all this because I had the support from Umsizi Fund.”
African Leadership Academy
Umsizi Fund has been actively engaged in the growth of the African Leadership Academy since its inception and continues to guide ALA’s founders as they develop and advance their vision. In addition to providing grant support and strategic guidance, for over ten years Umsizi has helped broaden ALA's network to include new partners and donors and build new elements of the ALA operation, including University support and the pilot of the Africa Careers Network.
“Umsizi's value goes beyond funding. They are true partners who roll up their sleeves to help organizations to drive impact. They helped us to build the long-term infrastructure for placing our students into jobs and internships, which today has led to thousands of internship and job placements for our young leaders. They listen deeply to our challenges, offering creative advice and catalytic patient capital. Umsizi has contributed immensely to our work, and we truly would not be where we are today without them.” -- Fred Swaniker, Founder, African Leadership Group
Youth Leader: Mauritanian Filmmaker
Mohamed Echkouna produced a narrative short film promoting womens' right to an education, called Trail of Hope. Umsizi funded the film so that promising filmmaker could learn the craft of visual storytelling.