CREATING PARTNERSHIPS FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

 
The Department of Entrepreneurship and Business Management at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology has injected life into its Community Engagement and Service-Learning projects. Through Enactus (a student organisation), the department recently partnered with Envirochoice in order to assist survivalist and micro entrepreneurs tap into new markets. This partnership will facilitate the establishment of new markets for an environmentally friendly and cost effective solar lamp known as little sun. Furthermore, it will challenge students to work with local entrepreneurs in order to promote and sell the lamps using various methodologies. It is important to partner-up with communities and university students so that all- round teaching and learning can take place” said Tony Florence of Envirochoice.
Envirochoice is a company that specialises in providing project management services with a special focus on social enterprise development & support in the context of environmental sustainability. This has made it easier for the partnership as the Department of Entrepreneurship and Business Management has a keen interest in social entrepreneurship as well as environmental sustainability.

The partnership will be beneficial in these ways:
For Students
Students will benefit from the hands on practical experience of running a business. The experiences will also assist them in connecting the theory to practice as well as identifying the gaps between the two.
This partnership further assists students with:

•    Developing a good character and social consciousness,

•    Improving skills such as business planning, web designing, financial management, marketing, establishing new markets and growing them as well as personal selling skills.

For the Community
The electricity challenges currently facing South Africa present a unique opportunity for this project to assist the community with access to a reliable source of lighting that is both safe and cost effective. Furthermore, the community of local entrepreneurs will benefit from the sales of the lamps as well as workshops and training provided by students, academics and other professionals alike.

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