From a young age, Sarah Nininger had a passion for philanthropy. Growing up with an older brother with cerebral palsy, Sarah understood the importance of giving back and spreading awareness on a variety of topics, issues, and cultures. “My whole life I’ve been exposed to other people that have challenging circumstances that make how they show up in the world a little bit more difficult than most people,” says Sarah.
In 2006, as a sophomore in high school, Sarah, along with a group of classmates, started Action in Africa after watching a film about Uganda. A couple of years later, she traveled to Uganda, which further ignited her passion to help and connect with the local community.
In college at Chapman University, Sarah’s “heart of service” manifested itself in volunteer work and outreach as a sexual assault crisis counselor volunteer and intern at the Special Olympics. During all of this, she continued her work with Action in Africa.
Today, Action in Africa is an independent nonprofit with over 30 employees and a community center in Nakuwadde, Uganda. Their overall mission is not only to support the local community but to help it thrive. “Our door is open six days a week, from nine to five,” says Sarah.
This open-door policy translates into Action in Africa’s eagerness to listen to community members' needs and hopes for their town’s future. The organization works with local schools, provides scholarships to students, helps optimize infrastructure such as clean water systems, and offers free medical aid, including HIV and malaria testing and dental work.
In all of this, Action in Africa maintains a dialogue with community members to ensure the organization is addressing areas of need identified by locals and not just sectors selected solely by foreign benefactors. “They [Ugandan staff] are leading the decisions; they are determining the direction the organization’s going, but also in a very healthy spirit of collaboration. We all work really closely together, and we all value what we each bring to the table,” says Sarah.
Many of the students who were once on scholarship through Action in Africa now work for the organization, like Paddy Kimbowa and Shadia Nakayaga. Paddy is now Action in Africa’s construction projects coordinator, and Shadia is a community engagement program assistant. Paddy equates Action in Africa with family: “I have been supported, loved, and blessed all through since I joined Action in Africa in 2010.”
Shadia describes how the nonprofit secured her chances at a future education when she was younger; her mother was sick, there were financial burdens, and Shadia had two new siblings. Her plans for school became unclear until she heard about Action in Africa. “I was very desperate to continue with my education because I knew I was a bright girl that just needed financial support to finish school,” says Shadia. After receiving scholarship funding following a year of involvement in programs at the center, Shadia’s worries subsided. “I had no worry; I would miss out on an exam because I have tuition balances, because everything was catered for by AIA. I would receive a monthly stipend, which also helped me have all my attention to only one thing: academics. And to always think of how to come out successful with good grades because I never worried about what to eat,” says Shadia. “I was also given a laptop that I never worried about research, and writing my courseworks. Literally, I was given everything I needed to succeed.”
This evolution of Action in Africa’s impact is what brings a smile to Sarah’s face. “I think the best part of my job is just seeing everything come full circle. Those four kids who work for us full time now are the beneficiaries of the work that we’ve built and have invested in for the last twenty years, and now that they’re leading those programs and those services, it does not get any more full circle than that.”
To learn more, visit ActionInAfrica.com