The Sanara Experience
How it works
Four pillars. You decide where you start.
No Gatekeepers, No Fixed Starting Point
No fixed entry point
The creative path is not fixed, and Sanara is not built like a curriculum. You might come in for financing, then stay for the training. Or join a workshop first, then apply for a loan when your business is ready. The four pillars below are available in whatever order makes sense for where you are right now.
Skilling for Work
Practical training, not theory
Baraza Media Lab coordinates Sanara’s training programmes, working with specialist partners across the six counties. The focus is on market-relevant skills: cinematography, garment construction, digital content strategy, audio production, business literacy, and more.
Sanara Hubs in each county provide physical spaces where you can access equipment, attend workshops, and connect with other creatives in your field.
Access to Finance
Capital that works for creative businesses
Most financing products are designed around how businesses work in other sectors. HEVA Fund’s Ota product line is built differently, with repayment structures that account for the realities of creative production — irregular income, project cycles, seasonal revenue.
Three products are available to eligible sanara participants:
- Ota Kopa (Up to KSh 999,999)
For immediate operational needs — equipment, inventory, or cash flow. - Ota Kopa+ (KSh 1M – KSh 4.9M)
For businesses ready to grow their production or reach new markets. - Ota Growth (Up to KSh 20M)
For established creative enterprises scaling nationally or internationally.
All Ota loans are HEVA Fund products, available at 9% interest to qualifying applicants.
Business Development
The systems that make creative work sustainable
SNDBX-Ubuntu leads this pillar, providing practical support for the business side of creative work. That includes one-on-one mentorship from industry practitioners, financial management coaching, and help navigating the steps from informal operation to a registered, bankable business.
The goal is not to change how you work. It is to give you the systems to run what you have already built more effectively.
Fair and Safe Work
An industry that works for everyone in it
Led by GoDown Arts Centre, this pillar focuses on the conditions in which creative work happens: fair pay, safe environments, and protection from harassment and exploitation.
The work here happens at the industry level — advocating for standards and policies that make the creative sector a more equitable place to build a career, with particular attention to the safety of young women.