People living outside the capital of Yerevan, Armenia, are in desperate need of sustainable
income. Difficult living conditions and limited support make it nearly impossible
for these Armenians to rise above poverty. Our team is discussing, analyzing, and
planning potential micro-finance and franchise models to implement in these areas;
a collaboration of team members, business experts, and native Armenians will provide
the necessary business and social structures. Our goal is to be the support that will
enable these Armenians to become independent and rise to their full potential.
Sewing S.O.L. (Sustainable Opportunities for Learning)
A Brazilian community in Mato Grosso do Sul relies heavily on a subsistence economy,
severely impacted by Covid-19. Our team is developing a training course that will
teach the local women business principles and the craft of sewing. The program graduates
will implement their learned entrepreneurial skills into a business model that is
validated by experts for its viability. They will also join a micro-financing program
that will provide them with a sewing machine and a firm foundation for their new businesses.
With implementation beginning in the winter of 2021 (Covid-19 permitting), this project
will assist in fulfilling multiple United Nations sustainability goals, including
ending poverty, promoting decent work and economic growth, and creating sustainable
cities and communities. This project is a Region Winner of the Enactus United States
Early Stage Competition and will be competing in the Enactus World Cup in October.
Beginning as an expansion of Solar Charge, this project sought to bring solar-charged
kiosks to Ghana. However, as we evaluated the situation in the targeted larger cities
of Ghana, we determined that our model needed to change. At this point, our team is
researching various opportunities to bring people out of poverty through a business
model focused on increasing the availability of phone minutes.
Our team is seeking a partnership with Utah Valley Refugees, an organization that
aids local refugees in becoming self-reliant. A collaboration between UVU Enactus
and Utah Valley Refugees will enable their team to improve impact measurement and
reporting capabilities. Currently, in the initiation process, this project has a great
potential to benefit not only worldwide refugees, but also our local community, and
we have high aspirations for the project’s influence.
Rio Dulce, Guatemala suffers greatly from poverty and poor child development caused
by an inability to feed the youth of the country. Our team is seeking to implement
educational workshops in this area that will help families establish business practices
and learn valuable skills. Teaching and implementing the skills taught will encourage
further education and development for the Guatemalan people.
Due to high unemployment and unreliable access to electricity, Congolese entrepreneurs
have created phone-charging businesses. Though a step forward for the country, these
charging stands are powered by gas generators, which are loud, polluting, and difficult
to transport. Our team has introduced solar-charged kiosks to these Congolese communities,
providing both reliable energy to customers and stable income to Congolese entrepreneurs
and their families.
Posing significant health risks to humans, livestock, and irrigation systems, algae
blooms affect numerous water sources across the country, from Lake Erie and the Florida
coast to our very own Utah Lake. These risks have a major negative impact on economies
and communities. Our team is exploring sustainable solutions to this problem, hoping
to effect change in not only our local water sources, but also lakes, oceans, and
other bodies of water around the world.
Founded by UVU Enactus Alum Mack Bawden, Run On connects athletes in wheelchairs with
the runners who push them in an effort to overcome isolation and build lasting friendships.
Not only does this project foster personal relationships, but also community betterment.
Our team is partnering with engineering students at Utah Valley University to design
improved wheelchairs and create further impact.
