The island of Sal has long been a beacon of development for Cape Verde. The flourishing tourism industry and its growing accommodation infrastructure have generated many employment opportunities. As a result, a lot of Cape Verdeans originating from other islands in the archipelago have migrated here in the search of a better future.

Despite the positive impact of tourism on people’s lives, the growing populational pressure has created a new set of social and environmental problems. These include an increase in the generation of waste, food stress and disturbances to the habitat of endangered loggerhead sea turtles. The overall increase in job competition has also exposed the need for skills training to sustainably ensure the future of younger generations in the job market.

To enable local communities in Sal to turn these social and environmental problems into entrepreneurial opportunities, the TUI Care Foundation has set up its first TUI Futureshaper House. This new social hub provides entrepreneurs, local NGOs, young people and artists a space for co-working, networking and cultural events. The TUI Futureshapers Programme will also provide training, mentoring and technical support at the hub to a variety of stakeholders on the island.

The Futureshaper House hosts entrepreneurs like the Morabeza Innovation Academy, which was created by two young leaders from Cape Verde who offer personal development and purpose-discovery training as well as life coaching to 100 people. Their project promotes personal and professional growth and equips its participants with the skills to run their own social or environmental enterprises, which will continue to operate and create impact after the project ends. The enterprises are expected to become financially self-sufficient within the first three years of implementation, ensuring the sustainability of the project's outcomes. In total, it is expected that the project will generate 22 new jobs.