The Ford College Community Challenge (C3) which operates in partnership with global non-profit organisation Enactus recently announced their winners as part of their efforts to empower youth through education and entrepreneurship. The Ford C3 is a signature programme in the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, the Ford Motor Company Fund. The initiative which collaborates with Enactus, stimulate and support university students from across the world to create and follow through on projects to address critical needs in their communities.
With an emphasis on creating sustainability within working and living environments, the project supports students from Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Brazil, the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. The Ford Fund contributes more than $18 million each year towards the projects to enable students in the educational programs to achieve economic success and enhance community prosperity.
“We have a longstanding partnership with Ford. The work that these students do not only transforms the lives of the communities and the social ills they address, but it helps these young students develop the kind of talent and perspective that is essential to positive transformation in our country,” Letitia de Wet, Chief Executive Officer and Country Director, Enactus South Africa.
The Enactus Ford C3 Building Sustainable Communities Project was in its sixth iteration in 2019 and saw four Universities selected as winners and receiving their honours on stage. This year, however, the university teams received their honour for creating student-led initiatives at the Enactus National Competition virtually.
“We are extremely proud of the concepts the student teams came up with for making a difference in their communities, and are inspired by the positive impact they have made,” Neale Hill, Managing Director, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.
One of the winning Universities addressed two of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by introducing aeroponics to the Khayelitsha farming community. This Grow a Seed Urban Farming project was led by a team from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town and was chosen for a reward. On the East coast, the Mangosuthu University of Technology near Durban was selected for their project which saw the installation of solar panels in a local community centre which recharges a portable lighting device developed by the team. The lighting device is aptly named Ukukhanya which, loosely translated, means “providing light” and consists of a two-litre bottle, LED bulb, resistor, wires, switch, battery holder and a removable and rechargeable 3.7v lithium battery which allows learners to study in the evenings with sufficient light.
“This year is certainly a year we will never forget. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are only starting to be felt. In recent months we have all faced different challenges and no doubt there are more to come. Enactus embodies the spirit of finding unique innovative solutions to complex problems, something we need today more than ever,” Hill says.
The Enactus Ford C3 national competition for 2020/2021, in its seventh iteration, has announced their finalist which will benefit from a $5 000 grants to be used towards the implementation of their projects over the 12 month period. The Central University of Technology aims to produce an irrigation system with empty two-litre bottles, create worm compost with malfunctioning fridges and build beehives with reclaimed wood in partnership with Village Fa Global Parliament, a local agricultural cooperative.
Rhodes University aims to tackle the transport inefficiencies in Grahamstown by introducing a Grahamstown E-Bikes project which will allow community members to rent electric bicycles in order to commute while remaining environmentally friendly. The University of KwaZulu-Natal aims to contribute to food security through an educational food ordering app SmartGro. The app not only allows students to order groceries online but provide access to budgeting workshops to improve financial literacy within the community. The University of Mpumalanga’s project is called Re-fuel and aims to leverage pyrolysis, a recycling technique that converts plastic waste into fuels by a thermal and catalytic cracking process.
“The new group of finalists chosen for the 2020/2021 Enactus Ford College Community Challenge did not fail to impress, sharing inspiring projects that will have a profound and positive impact on our communities,” concludes Hill.
