Draft:Spice Without Borders
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Overview
[edit]Spice Without Borders is a nonprofit global leadership academy and social enterprise based in Kenya. It focuses on empowering individuals from marginalized communities—particularly activists, creatives, and entrepreneurs—by equipping them with the skills, tools, and platforms to lead social change in their communities.
Basic Information
[edit]Founded: 2014 Founder: Erick Inghatt Matsanza Headquarters: Eldoret, Kenya Area served: Africa and global communities Focus: Leadership development, social justice, community transformation Website: www.spicewithoutborders.org
Spice Without Borders
[edit]Spice Without Borders (SwB) is a nonprofit global leadership academy co-founded in 2014 by Kenyan social entrepreneur Erick Inghatt Matsanza and . Doreen Asena The organization is headquartered in Kenya and equips individuals from marginalized communities with leadership tools to launch social change ventures.
Spice Without Borders Identity
[edit]Spice Without Borders corporate identity symbol is inspired by a red Chili pepper. A chili comes in different colours; red, purple, orange, green and yellow, but with the same taste. It grows in the backyard, almost forgotten and unrecognized yet a valuable ingredient for our meals as a blood purifier. It never loses its spiciness whether boiled or dried and crushed, a symbol of the inner uniqueness in each individual irrespective of their different abilities no matter what they have to go through in life. A chili actually changes the taste of food yet the food can never change it. To us a red chili represents a social change agent ready to creatively apply their individual passions in solving the most pressing problems in their backyards which they are apart of, creating more inclusive communities free from all forms of discrimination hence Spice Without Borders. These diverse change makers; activists, creatives, entrepreneurs, initiators and innovators, use their unsensored “creativism,” a term that to us means activism at the intersection of creative arts and social justice. That makes the spicy brand!
Mission and Vision
[edit]The organization's mission is to equip a new generation of grassroots leaders and social entrepreneurs from marginalized communities by offering leadership development, storytelling for advocacy, community driven social innovation training and necessary tools to become leaders of positive social change, while its vision is a world where leadership knows no borders, a world where every individual, regardless of background or circumstance, has the opportunity to lead change within their community and is rooted in justice, equity, and inclusion.
History
[edit]The organization was launched after the founder Erick Inghatt Matsanza, a Kenyan social change catalyst, completed his leadership training at Kanthari international in Kerala, India. Recognizing the systemic barriers that excluded marginalized voices from mainstream leadership and development, Matsanza established the academy to nurture ethical, visionary changemakers through experiential learning and community-based initiatives. It began operations in Kenya in 2014 providing leadership training and mentorship to individuals from underserved backgrounds. The organization also draws inspiration from Matsanza’s international leadership experience and mentorship activities.
Programs
[edit]The primary initiative of Spice Without Borders is the Spice Accelerator, a three-month immersive training program designed to empower social entrepreneurs. It combines modules on design thinking, project management, storytelling, leadership, and community development.
Additional programs include:
- Spice Talks – live storytelling forums where fellows and alumni share their journeys and projects.
- Spice Incubator – technical support and mentorship to scale social ventures.
- Youth Leadership and Digital Advocacy Workshops – focused on policy, civic engagement, and human rights.
Initiatives by Spice Without Borders
[edit]SpiceTalks
[edit]SpiceTalks is a flagship storytelling and advocacy platform initiated by Spice Without Borders. It provides a stage for marginalized voices—particularly grassroots leaders, social entrepreneurs, and community activists—to share their stories of resilience, innovation, and social change.
Launched in 2015, SpiceTalks features live talks from changemakers trained through the Spice Accelerator and other community initiatives. The talks highlight pressing social issues such as poverty, gender inequality, climate justice, disability inclusion, and youth empowerment.
The format is inspired by global storytelling platforms like TED but is localized to emphasize experiences from the Global South. Notable speakers have included climate activist Anita Soina and disability advocate Maria Njeri.
Kilimo Accelerator
[edit]Kilimo is Swahili for Farming. Kilimo Accelerator is therefore a 3 months entrepreneurial life skills boot camp for local adolescent ages 13 – 17 years under Spice Without Borders. It is designed to support youth and women-led agricultural initiatives in rural communities. It employs participants in producing and marketing crops, and bootstraps them with the guidance and resources they need to sell and make profit, which they can keep.
The accelerator offers training in sustainable farming practices, agribusiness development, and access to markets. It emphasizes climate-smart agriculture and innovation in food security, empowering young local farmers to scale their impact.
Spice Festival
[edit]Spice Festival is an annual community event organized by Spice Without Borders that brings together fellows, alumni, partners, and the general public. The festival features storytelling sessions, workshops, exhibitions, and performances that celebrate social innovation and grassroots leadership. It serves as a platform for showcasing the work of change makers, social entrepreneurs and building networks for collaboration.
Spice Bikers
[edit]Spice Bikers is an initiative of Spice Without Borders that envisions a safe and healthy future where bicycles bring people together to experience the joy of cycling through transportation, recreation, and friendship eliminating inequalities, and creating healthy thriving communities that are environmentally concious.
Impact of Spice Without Borders
[edit]Since its founding, SwB has trained fellows from over 12 countries and supported dozens of grassroots initiatives addressing education, gender equality, disability inclusion, and climate change.
One of its most notable alumni is Anita Soina, a Kenyan climate activist and founder of Spice Warriors. Soina credits Spice Without Borders and Matsanza’s mentorship for shaping her advocacy work.
In 2023, the organization was awarded the Gold Award for Community Empowerment at the Digitally Fit Awards.
Partnerships and Recognition
[edit]Spice Without Borders has was initiated after the founder Erick Inghatt Matsanza underwent a training at kanthari, India and International Institute for Global Leadership (IIGL) and has partnered with organization such as
- Africa Forty Under 40 Awards
- SIMA Academy – where Matsanza was appointed as a SIMA Ambassador for Social Impact Media Awards and Storytelling
In 2022, SwB was recognized by the Kenyan Ministry of Youth Affairs for its efforts in civic education and social entrepreneurship.
Governance
[edit]Spice Without Borders is registered as a nonprofit in Kenya. The team includes an international advisory board, volunteer trainers, and local program coordinators. Founder Erick Inghatt Matsanza continues to serve as Executive Director and Lead Trainer.
See Also
[edit]- Social Innovation - Social entrepreneurship - Leadership development - Grassroots activism - Civic engagement - Activism - Artivism - Startups
External Links
[edit]References
[edit]
Spice Without Borders fosters Advocacy through impact cinema and storytelling .[1]
Before initiating Spice Without Borders, Spice Chungu, the founder documented as a HeForShe Advocate .[2]
Spice Without Borders founder, Matsanza is also recognized as a SIMA (Social Impact Media Awards) Ambassador, representing the use of storytelling to drive social change globally.[3]
Matsanza, the founder of Spice Without Borders featured as a SIMA Ambassadors.[4]
Spice Without Borders, Spice Chungu, featured in Financial Times as a HeForShe Activist .[5]
- ^ "Impact Cinema in the Backyard of Society: A Conversation With SIMA Kenya Ambassador, Erick Matsanza". Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "My Dress, My Choice". Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "Empowering Educators, Inspiring Changemakers". Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "SIMA Ambassadors". 5 March 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ "At work with FT Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary General". Retrieved 17 May 2025.