Restart to Thrive, Lusaka

In many regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, young people grow up without real prospects. Unemployment, informal work and limited access to education shape their daily lives. Refugees, orphans, school dropouts and young people who have experienced trauma are particularly affected. This is where the project steps in, rethinking learning and empowerment from the ground up.

By establishing a community in Lusaka, Zambia, 200 disadvantaged young people are given the opportunity to transform from aid recipients into self-determined social entrepreneurs. The project guides them through four steps, from personal transformation to founding their own purpose-driven social enterprises. They challenge limiting beliefs, take responsibility, analyse challenges and develop solutions that emerge directly from their own environments.

The young participants take ownership of their local community, test business ideas in bootcamps, generate first revenues and further develop their ventures in an acceleration programme. In this way, businesses are created that generate jobs and address real challenges within their communities. At least 50 new social enterprises are expected to be established within three years, led by young people whose potential has long remained untapped.

The project builds structures that last. Each community is prepared to become financially independent and self-sustaining. Former participants become mentors, guiding new generations through the process. This creates a cycle that anchors growth, responsibility and meaningful change.

The project does more than create income. It restores young people’s power to shape their own lives and futures.