Hats with a Purpose x Action in Africa: Meet Sarah Nininger

Monday // July 18 // 2016

Sarah is dedicated, courageous and devoted to making a difference in this world. After receiving acceptance to a masters program in the states, she decided to go against the grain and follow her heart. She never wanted to look back and wonder what impact she could’ve made by moving to Uganda.

What started as a passion of hers in High School, has grown into a thriving non-profit organisation, Action in Africa, where Sarah is the President. Action in Africa strives to educate, inspire and empower people in Uganda by focusing on education and community development. Their goal is to provide sustained education, allowing individuals to reach their untapped potential and incite economic growth by becoming the next leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs in their country.

We are so inspired by Sarah and what Action in Africa is achieving that we’ve partnered up with them in a collaboration with our Hats with a Purpose. For the next few months, a portion of every hat purchase goes directly to Action in Africa!

 

Meet Sarah…

 

Where are you in the world?

I live in Uganda but I am currently in Colorado visiting with my family for a couple of weeks!

How do you follow your bliss?

I follow my bliss by staying present and by saying yes! So many opportunities and experiences pass us by because we aren’t in the moment or don’t jump right in. The last thing I want in the world is to miss out on something that brings me, and the people around me, true joy.

When did the inspiration for Action in Africa first come about?

When I was a sophomore in high school, my history teacher showed our class a video about child soldiers in Uganda. That was in 2006 and the rest is history!

Sarah Nininger action in africa

Can you tell us a bit about your story and how you went from creating this in High School to then moving to Uganda?

My best friend and teacher were really the ones that ended up founding the original Action in Africa. My parents were going through a divorce and I was really struggling with my older brother, who has cerebral palsy. I spent a lot of my early high school years being angry, self destructive and exuding negative energy. When my friend and teacher started Action in Africa, it was finally something I could positively focus my time and energy on. It was a cause I could get behind and something I could not only be passionate about, but more importantly there was something I could do about it.

Back in 2006, Action in Africa was just a student led club at Aspen High School in Colorado. We were a group of teenagers trying to make an impact in the world. We started by fundraising for a handful of organizations, which we believed to be doing incredible work throughout Africa. In 2008, we had the opportunity to travel to Uganda to see where the money we had been raising was going. The moment I stepped foot on the beautiful, red, Ugandan soil, I knew that this was just the beginning of a life-long journey.

For the next couple of years we slowly began the transition of branching away from funding other organizations, to establishing our own programs and projects on the ground. I would travel back and forth between Uganda and California while I was in college, but then decided to move to Uganda in June 2014 to oversee our growth and expansion. It’s been a wild ride!

Can you describe more about the programs that Action in Africa offers as well as “The Center”?

The Center, largely modeled off of The Center in Hollywood, stands as a place in our community in Uganda for individuals to Be, Belong, and Become. Everything we offer has a creative and educational element to it. We offer services, all free, to both children and adults. For the kids, we stand as a facility comparable to a YMCA or Boys and Girls Club. We have after school programs where we help with homework, offer a creative based program (music, drama, dance, art, etc.) and then serve hot porridge. During the day we offer up our space for schools in the community to participate in an art program led by Action in Africa staff or to use our public library or our large front yard for PE and sports. Throughout the week, we offer adult English classes as well as a women to women support group. As you can tell, there is a lot that happens at Action in Africa!

action in africa

Why do you love what you do?

I have the great pleasure of leading an organization that provides free services and opportunities to people that wouldn’t otherwise have them. This means that I get to wake up every day and help people become the best version of themselves. It truly doesn’t get any better than that!

If fear ever shows up, how do you move pass it?

Fear is a way to protect us from potential danger. It gives us a chance to reflect, engage, and conquer. I find that more often than not, when I experience fear, it is due to feeling underprepared or inadequate. The most important thing for me to do to move past these fears is through meditation, practicing mindfulness and being present. I am continuously reminding myself to take things one-step at a time. My favorite mantra to repeat is “this, here, now”.

What’s one of the biggest risks you’ve taken and how did it feel to go for it?

In early 2014 I was accepted into the MSW program at University of Southern California in Los Angeles. A few weeks after receiving my acceptance, I decided to decline the offer and move to Uganda instead. My family, my friends, and my boss at the time all thought I was insane, but I knew that I had to follow my heart. It’s terrifying making a monumental decision when the people you are surrounded by don’t understand, but what scares me even more is living a life with regrets. I knew that if I didn’t move to Uganda that Action in Africa would suffer and that down the road I would look by with great sadness and wonder why I didn’t just do it. Now that I have officially lived in Uganda for two years, I can say it was the best decision I have ever made!

You have clubs at high schools and colleges in America, how do these help to support you?

Our clubs are one of my favorite aspects of Action in Africa. It provides a platform for young adults in the US to get uniquely involved with something that extends outside their school walls. Each of our clubs vary, some focusing more on fundraising while others do collection drives for our art programs or public library. A few of our clubs even organize summer trips where students get to experience what Action in Africa is all about in person. The unwavering commitment and dedication by these young adults in America inspires me every day.

When people or organizations donate to Action in Africa, what value are they adding?

When people donate to Action in Africa, they are becoming a part of our story and a part of our family. At Action in Africa we use the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child” and extend that to how we manage our operations. Without the support and backing from our friends and family across the globe, we wouldn’t be able to do this incredible work in Uganda. It takes all of us donating our time, energy and resources to make a permanent and profound impact.

What advice could you give to someone who knows what they love to do, but haven’t gone for it?

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain.

Go. Right now. You must. No regrets!

Thanks for sharing your story with the DTS community Sarah! Today also marks the first day of our Hats with a Purpose x Action in Africa collaboration! For the next few months, every time you purchase a hat, a portion of the proceeds go directly to Action in Africa.

 

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