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The young visionaries from across the nation showcased their innovative endeavours in the field of social entrepreneurship at Enactus National Symposium and Competition 2019.

The Enactus National Symposium and Competition 2019 was held at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi on 13th July. From a number of active Enactus chapters across the country, around 70 colleges applied for the championship out of which 30 colleges had the opportunity to compete and present their projects as contenders for the prestigious Enactus National Cup.
Enactus is a worldwide platform that facilitates an exchange between students and business leaders with an aim to create sustainable leadership for the future. Student groups in colleges are encouraged to work towards problems affecting the communities around them by the means of social entrepreneurship. Enactus opened its Indian chapter in 2008 and has since made headway into 108 institutions across the country. Every year these teams compete for the opportunity to represent India in the Enactus World Championship held in September.
The preliminary round of the competition saw the 30 teams being allotted to five different leagues. Presentations were held simultaneously at five halls. These halls were completely packed throughout as competitors and observing teams were earnestly listening to the presentations. Each team was permitted to present two of their successful projects to the judges; this was quickly followed by a thorough question and answer session.
The range of issues tackled by the participating teams was incredibly impressive. Going well beyond basic research, the teams sought to create projects which benefitted communities who are often overlooked. One such example was Project Oorja undertaken by Hindu College. The idea was to provide a sustainable and affordable source of electricity to street vendors who normally spend atleast INR 25 per day on electricity. The solution was solar powered lamps which was a one-time investment and promised durability for at least a period of five years. A lot of the projects displayed were also aimed at reusing the enormous amounts of waste that the consuming class generates. Projects that used waste tires as a sole for footwear and plastic waste as a filler component in pillows were also presented.

The final round of the competition kicked off with Mr Arun M Kumar, Chairman, Enactus India National Advisory Council and Chairman and CEO, KPMG India, addressing the competitors and emphasising that more and more young people are now thinking about making a difference through entrepreneurial action. Mr Devdip Purkayastha, President and Chief training officer of Enactus India commented on the importance of the Symposium as “a platform to reach out to leaders to maximise the power of an individual.”

The five finalists in each league category were:

League 1- Shri Ram College of Commerce

League 2- Shri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce

League 3- Delhi College of Arts and Commerce

League 4- Ramjas College

League 5- IIT Delhi

The judges’ oath was sworn in by Mr Arun Kumar,  post which each team got 12 minutes to present their story of innovation and social change.

Ramjas college presented their Projects Aarogya and TeleSwasthya based on affordable and accessible primary healthcare for the people who cannot afford the heavy expenditure on health facilities. The projects based in Hapur and Naggi district have impacted several beneficiaries by making affordable healthcare available to 70%  of the target population. Today, the project runs 24 health centres in Delhi-NCR and has seen a path-breaking success to empower the lives of many.

The second finalist to present their project was Delhi College of Arts and Commerce who presented their flagship projects Taleem and Sahas. Working for the education of the refugees in Shaheen Bagh and Shram Vihar, project Taleem aimed at solving the primary education crisis through their Taleem Centres. Project Sahas helps breast cancer survivors regain confidence post mastectomy by the use of cotton based breast prosthesis- “Canfe” developed by the team, and underprivileged women. It has developed an online platform where one can purchase mastectomy bras.

Shri Ram College of Commerce presented their projects Viraasat and Asbah. The former project helped the Thateras of Jhandiala Guru to improve the out-dated designs of their local craft and the latter brought in a water revolution in Haryana and Muzzafarnagar through the community filtration plant.

Shri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce showcased their e-commerce platform BOOK A PLANT which brought in an innovative idea to make a positive impact on the environment. The other project Kasthi was based on the idea to  convert a “Gaon” into a smart village.

The last finalist to present their project was IIT Delhi, who presented their first project Nirmalaya based on special pots for vermicomposting, which were further categorized as Sugriha and Ruchitra. Their second project Arth presented the idea of redefining rituals by manufacturing cowdung based logs for burning the funeral pyre.

Finally the nervous air entered the hall as the results made their way. Enactus Ramjas and Enactus LSR won the 77-seconds video-making challenge.

After a fierce and edgy competition of entrepreneurial action between the finalists, the results of the top three winners were announced. The home team, Enactus IIT Delhi lifted the prestigious National Champion trophy. The team would represent India for the Enactus World Cup at San Jose, California this September. Enactus Shri Ram College of Commerce and Enactus Ramjas College won the second and third position respectively.  

Feature Image Credits: Gauri Ramachandra for DU Beat.

Sriya Rane 

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Pragati Thapa

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Six out of the top 12 and three out of the top four projects shortlisted for the World Water Race belong to India, more specifically the University of Delhi. With a very strong Indian representation in California, the Enactus World Cup will be held from 9th to 11th October. DU Beat brings to you the highlights and details.

This year, the Enactus World Cup is being held from 9th to 11th October in Silicon Valley, San Jose, California, USA. 36 National Champion Teams from across the world have been invited to compete, collaborate, and celebrate their victory at the World Cup.  The Enactus National Champion from India this year is Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), University of Delhi, who will be presenting their Project Virasat at the World Cup. According to their website, Project Virasat revolves around, “ reviving the dying art form of handcrafting copper and brass utensils using hammering techniques, by mobilising artisans and providing them access to organised credit, contemporary designs, and better demand avenues.”

The Enactus World Cup also features the prestigious World Water Race, a competition that recognises and mobilises Enactus teams and their projects tackling the water and sanitation crisis. The top 12 teams are given an invitation to collaborate at the World Cup. This year, six out of the top 12 projects are from India including Project Tabeer by Sri Guru Gobind College of Commerce (SGGSCC), Project- Swachhalaya by Ramjas College, and Project Iffat by Jesus and Mary College (JMC).

A representative of Enactus JMC at the World Water Race and Project Iffat’s Co-Head, Kritika Malik, says, “This is the first time JMC will be attending the World Cup and we’re looking forward to it. We’re all really excited and at the end of the day, we all win since it’s all about lending our best hand to help. Best of luck to everyone, the world water race is on!”

The top teams advance to the impact stage, are given executive mentorship, provided with Enactus World Cup travel stipend, and expert presentation coaching. This year, the top four projects include Project Dhara by Jesus and Mary College, Project Asbah by Shri Ram College of Commerce, and Project Raahat by Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS).

The Impact Stage will be held between October and December 2018 and the winner would be granted up to $20,000 in scaling funding and continued executive mentorship. This year, two out of the top 12 projects are by Enactus JMC. “I feel really proud of the entire team for working so hard that both of our projects were selected as part of the top twelve teams in the World Water Race and that we get to present Project Dhara at such a large platform. I hope we can make the best of this opportunity and learn and grow from this experience,” says Charvee Gupta, Co-Head, Project Iffat, Enactus JMC.

A contingent of 16 members will be representing Project Dhara and Project Iffat from JMC in California. Sakshi Gupta, former head of Project Dhara, Enactus JMC, says, “While doing our bit for the betterment of the community we never had winning in WWR as the main goal, it was definitely always there in the back of our heads to win so that the awareness is increased and we can impact more people but we never worked to win. To reach this level without an absolute aim is an even bigger achievement than the winning trophy. It really feels surreal at times during practices and expansion meetings. And now we’re all just gearing up to give our very best and get the best experience back home so that we can do better for our project in the future.”

Five members of Enactus SRCC will be representing Project Asbah at the Water Race. Raghav Jhawar, President of Enactus SRCC, says, “We started with this project two years ago, with terfil filters. That technology, we soon realised, failed. So we came back full circle and started researching on the technologies. We then diversified our project into community RO and sodium hypochlorite solution. One thing we have all learnt at Enactus is to never give up. Carrying the same spirit with us, we are proud to say that we provide 6,000+ people with access to clean drinking water. Therein lies our true victory.It’s a big opportunity for the team and we look forward to it.”

“This is the first time Enactus SRCC is getting the opportunity to participate in World Water Race and the success is due to the scalability, sustainability, and comprehensive nature of our project Asbah which brings impact in the life of more than 8,500 people through clean drinking water and reduced health expenditure. The major credit goes to the entire team led by Rakshith Chhajed and Insha Pandit who made sure that these dreams are realised,” says Arjun Goel, former President, Enactus SRCC.  

Last year’s World Cup Champions, Enactus SSCBS will be sending a team of 18 members to represent Project Raahat at the Water Race. Yash Dhawan, President, Enactus SSCBS, says, “Representing the country at the Enactus World Cup and the Enactus World Water Race is a great experience for every Enactus member. One not only learns about the cultures of different countries but also networks with delegates from across the globe, gaining insight into projects running all over the world. We wish every participating team luck, and hope for a great competition.”

Feature Image Credits: Enactus

Muskan Sethi

[email protected]

On 12 July 2018, Hotel Taj Lands East stood firsthand witness to the much awaited annual battle of entrepreneurial action for college students across India; the Enactus National Competition 2018.

After a series of regional competitions, the qualifying teams competed for a spot in the Enactus World Cup 2018 by presenting their Business Ideas and showcasing their impact to an auditorium packed with not just students but also academicians and business leaders. The winning projects were those presented by Enactus Shri Ram College of Commerce, and the National Champions were felicitated by Arun M Kumar, Chairman at Enactus India National Advisory Board and Chairman & CEO at KPMG in India.

Enactus is an international community of student, academicians and business leaders committed to developing free enterprise outreach projects that transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world. The core philosophy driving these projects is; ‘Give me a fish and I will eat for a day; teach me how to fish and I will eat for a lifetime’. The focus is on sustainability; the project should continue even without the founding team. Enactus has gone from being a small organization at the National Leadership Institute in Texas, USA to a worldwide network of more than 70,500 other students who are each making their own contribution towards their shared mission of creating a better world.

This year, SRCC triumphed over the nationals, strengthening Delhi University’s long held legacy over this competition. The winning projects were Project Virasat, that endeavours to revive the UNESCO listed dying artform of brass and copper utensils through design modification, brand development and targeted marketing strategies, thus impacting 11 ‘Thathair’ families, and Project Asbah, that aims to provide clean drinking water to rural households and urban slums through contamination specific filtration mechanism.

In 2017, the team from Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies dominated the Enactus Nationals and was eventually named World Champion for Project Raahat, which aims to increase sanitation in slum communities of urban Delhi, and Project Udaan, an initiative that empowers women to operate computer centers in rural India to promote skill development and increase awareness of economic opportunities.

Arjun Goel, 3rd year B.Com.(Hons) student at SRCC and the President of Enactus SRCC is euphoric about the victory and aims to bring the World Cup back through his team’s innovative, impactful an invincible ideas. Sachin Natraj, 3rd year B.Com.Hons student at SRCC and Executive Member of Project Asbah says that this is more than a victory for their team – it is a road leading to the betterment of their projects and communities.

Amidst the titans, Enactus Kalindi College, which began just about 10 months ago, saw a meteoric rise amongst the finalists of Enactus Nationals. With a team of only 13 members, Enactus Kalindi was able to carve a niche for itself through Project Rehmat, which aims to protect manual scavengers and provide women scavengers with sustainable livelihood opportunities, like soap-making. Within a short time, Enactus Kalindi was able to beat out competition from 20 other colleges to battle it out in the finals. When DU Beat interacted with Srishti Sharma, the President of Enactus Kalindi, she candidly spoke of her experience of sharing the platforms with established societies like Ramjas and SSCBS, and hopes for an even better run the next year.

We wish the entire team at Enactus SRCC a heartfelt congratulations and the very best for the Enactus World Cup scheduled for October 2018 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, California, USA.

Enactus, the name synonymous with social work mixed with savvy entrepreneurship, will soon be hosting its National level competition in the first week of July. The list of teams that have made to the finals has been declared and out of 24 qualifying teams, 14 are from the University of Delhi.

The list of qualifying teams:

  1. St. Xavier’s College
  2. Hansraj College (DU)
  3. Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology
  4. Dr. S.S. Bhatnagar University Institute Of Chemical Engineering and Technology
  5. Shri Ram College of Commerce (DU)
  6. Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (DU)
  7. Jamia Milia Islamia, Delhi
  8. Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
  9. Shaheed Bhagat Singh College Morning (DU)
  10. Dyal Singh College (DU)
  11. Maitreyi College (DU)
  12. Ramjas College (DU)
  13. The Northcap University
  14. Delhi Technological University
  15. H.R. College of Commerce and Economics
  16. Kalindi College (DU)
  17. Indraprastha College for Women (DU)
  18. Aryabhatta College (DU)
  19. Kamala Nehru College (DU)
  20.  Lady Shri Ram College for Women (DU)
  21. Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Engineering
  22. K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research
  23. Delhi College of Arts and Commerce (DU)
  24. Miranda House (DU)

Every year, a national competition is held in Mumbai where Enactus teams all over India come together to showcase their projects and the winning team goes on to the International World Cup. For a while now DU has been making a mark on the international Enactus circuit. Last year Enactus Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, won the World Cup.

With 14 DU teams contending for the same prize and less than a month left for the d-day, all Enactus chapters are busy preparing.  Rohit Saha, President of Enactus, Ramjas College, in conversation with DU Beat said, “More than competitiveness, we all value the ultimate goal of social entrepreneurship. It doesn’t matter who wins the Nationals or the World Cup, what matters is that the purpose of helping underprivileged communities is being served. Enactus Nationals is a great opportunity to meet teams from across the country and learn from them. We are looking forward to it.”

Talking about the on-going preparations of the upcoming competition Astha, a member of Enactus, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies said, “We are extremely excited about the Nationals 2018. The team is working really hard on the presentation while the normal operations and visits are a constant.  Personally, I am looking forward to seeing other teams’ projects and sharing our best practices with one another.”

Feature Image Credits: Enactus SSCBS

Niharika Dabral

[email protected]

 

Enactus, a household name in the University of Delhi, is the world’s largest experiential learning platform. This social venture has helped transform communities with the involvement of young visionary minds at the college level. Here are the highlights from the projects, achievements and initiatives from the Enactus societies of Delhi University:


Enactus Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS)

Enactus SSCBS, established in 2009 is one of the most well-known names in the circuit. The team for the academic session of 2017-18 secured the first position in the Enactus Nationals 2017. Their flagship projects Udaan and Raahat were adjudged as the best projects by the jury. They went on to represent India at the Enactus World Cup in September 2017 in London. They bagged laurels for the country by lifting the World Cup as well as the Water Race trophy. Since their inception, some of the projects they have worked on are Project Akshar, Sanitation Solutions, Project Gramodhaar, Project Udaan, Project Raahat, to name a few, to work towards causes like unemployment, eradication of open defecation, usage of affordable sanitary napkins etc. They have received prestigious grants from Mahindra, Ford, and KPMG. Enactus SSCBS has also actively worked with Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Project Raahat has a partnership with Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board for the allotment of public toilet complexes. This year, they also organised a Social Start-up Fest where social enterprises were invited to showcase their projects to NGOs and investors. On World Water Day, they hosted a Sanitation Conference which received acknowledgement from the Honourable Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Suresh Prabhu.

 

Enactus Lady Shri Ram College

Established in 2012, this chapter of Enactus has paved their position in the circuit as one of the most hard working and active societies. The team has successfully worked on five projects till date, namely, Project Maati, to initiate a transformation from chemical to organic farming in Punjab, Project Yuvaakti, focussing on the skill development of the women from Chaina and Bajwara in Punjab, Project Kalakaashi, to restore indigenous crafts in Varanasi, Project Auric, working for the economic benefit of rural women in Harayana. Their most recent venture, called Project Utthaan aims to curb air pollution and addressing the issue of degrading air quality. Under this project, the team has promoted vertical gardening services. Project Utthaan focusses on uplifting poor nurseries and the skill enhancement of the stakeholders involved. Enactus LSR were also among the top 24 teams in the Enactus Nationals 2017. They have also collaborated with NGOs like Santiniketan Society for Youth Empowerment, Kolkata for Project Auric and IFFCO Kisan for Project Utthaan.

 

Ready, Set, Go! #NC17 #EnactusIndia #WeAllWin

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Enactus Hindu College

Since its formation in 2013, Enactus Hindu College has come a long way with their social initiatives. This year, they effectively worked on Project Oorja and Project Veerangana. The second phase of Project Oorja sought to develop a low-cost solar lamp to economically empower the street vendors. This project promotes the use of renewable sources of energy, imparting a significant environmental impact. Enactus Hindu College received the Blue Dart Empowering Competition Grant 2017 and Mahindra Grant 2017. Project Veerangana is an enterprise to promote women safety by training women in self-defence. Apart their main projects, they also work for ensuring a safe environment for stray dogs in harsh weather conditions.

Enactus Motilal Nehru College (MLNC)

This chapter of Enactus was established in 2014. The team was among the top 24 in the Enactus Nationals 2017. Enactus MLNC has actively worked towards the welfare of animals. Their Project Parivartan started with the goal to create a safer environment for stray dogs through practices like sterilising and immunising to fight diseases like Rabies. Project DESI developed from the previously mentioned Project Parivartan. DESI stands for “Duty to Empathize, Sterilize and Immunize” stray dogs. Under this project, the team collaborated with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), college campuses and Animal Welfare NGOs to create a healthy environment for stray animals. Apart from animal welfare, Project Parivartan also branches out to women empowerment through the employment of underprivileged women living in Chanakyapuri making handmade dog collars and leashes. The team has worked with NGOs like Pet Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Friendicoes, and Sonadi Animal Welfare Trust. During National Volunteering Week, Enactus MLNC organised an event called Coexistence in partnership with PETA Youth India and Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO), to spread awareness about the animal protection acts and the concept of veganism.

 

Enactus Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (SBSC)

One of the most active members of the social community, Enactus SBSC, since its beginning in 2014, has worked on four major projects. Project Karva aimed at forming a business model, to not only provide women with vocational training, but also grant them with a market to sell handcrafted pots. Their second venture, Project Roshni, in which they collaborated with Janata Rehabilitation Center and Nai Disha NGO, sought to empower the visually impaired. Project Aahar started with the goal to achieve “zero hunger” by providing employment opportunities to the seasonally employed migrant workers from in and around Delhi, to train them to run their food stalls. In the academic session of 2017-18, Enactus SBSC laid the foundations for Project Vidyut. The project involves an aim to influence the villages in India to switch to alternate sources of energy, like biogas. sbsc

Image Credits: Enactus SBSC.   

 

Enactus Hansraj College

Conceptualised in 2012, Enactus Hansraj has actively worked towards providing entrepreneurship avenues for marginalised women through Projects Swaad and Lekhni, and establishing the facilities of clean drinking water with Project Boond. The team is currently working on two flagship projects called Project Aangan and Project Mithaas, aimed at building a network of crèches for the benefit of underprivileged children. Under Project Mithaas, this year they also worked towards promoting bee keeping as an alternative source of income among the farmers of our country. They introduced two social campaigns called Ahsaas and Aashayein. Under Ahsaas, the team helped organise several workshops for blind community. They collaborated with Navjyoti NGO under their dream campaign, Aashayein, for the holistic development of children.

Enactus Sri Venkateswara College (SVC)

Enactus SVC introduced two new projects during its 2017-18 session. Their first initiative, called The Crimson Project, started with an aim to manufacture, and consequently increase the availability of reusable sanitary napkins. Project Barqat, their second venture this year works towards imparting training among target groups to help them in the procurement of raw material, assembling of the parts, production and the final installation of solar bulbs. Enactus SVC has worked on other projects like Project Aushadhi, which was an enterprise to bond the homeless with unusedlized excess medication, Project Heartist, to help train artists, Project Captain Compost to help turn waste into soil amendment, Project CiggB, an anti-smoking project. Under Project CiggB, the team has conducted several online and offline campaigns to raise awareness. During Volunteering Week 2018, they organised three successful events over a period of 6 days, namely, Captain Cleanliness, Trash the Ash and Win with waste.

 

Enactus Kirori Mal College (KMC)

The KMC chapter of Enactus started in 2016 has successfully catered to two projects since its inception, and is currently in the works for four prospective projects. Project Patradya works towards providing a bio-degradable alternative to plastic in the form of edible cutlery made by a community of Afghan refugee women. Their second endeavour, called Project Dor, aimed to alleviate a group of women in Sapera Basti, Najafgarh Delhi, who were at the brink of prostitution, through production of scarves using the traditional art of tie and dye. Enactus KMC bagged the second position at the Enactus Rookie League, and was shortlisted for the semi-finals, emerging as a part of the top 24 teams of Enactus Nationals 2017.

 

We officially kick started our School Outreach Programme at DPS Ghaziabad Vasundhara to generate awareness about the plastic menace and provide a healthy and environment-friendly alternative in the form of our project Patradya. We hope to do more of these in the future to continue with our ultimate goal of educating more and more people about issues that prohibit the sustainable growth of our society and mutually find solutions for them. If you are interested in organising/holding awareness workshops on refugees and/or tackling the increasing plastic waste that’s crippling our environment, kindly message us or drop us a mail at [email protected]. #enactus #dpsghaziabad #sustainability #weallwin #projectpatradya #environment #enactusindia

 

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(All information is based on the data received from participating colleges in a DU Beat survey)

 

Feature Image Credits: Enactus, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies.

Bhavya Banerjee

[email protected]

Founded in 1975, Enactus is a global student organisation which inspires students to take entrepreneurial action to improve the lives of others. The Enactus World Cup is an annual event featuring the best social innovation projects created by the top university and college teams. With less than a few months left For the world cup and even fewer months left for the Nationals, it would be fitting to take a look at the preparation of some of the Enactus teams from Delhi University.

While Enactus Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies was named Global Champion for Project Rahat last year, this year will witness heightened competition among colleges of University of Delhi to qualify for the Enactus World Cup.
Home to some of the pre-eminent Enactus teams of India, DU claims the legacy of presenting some of the best social innovation projects in Enactus history.

On being asked about their preparation for the Championship, President of Enactus Ramjas Rohit Saha asserted, “With various up and running projects fulfilling many a sustainable goal of the United Nations in the fields of health and well being, our focus for this year’s World Cup is on providing social welfare through clean water, sanitation, and zero hunger.”

As we move on to the college nestled at a walking distance from Ramjas, we will feel the heat of the competition emanating from Enactus Hindu College. The team from Hindu prides itself upon three remarkable projects, Project Oorja, Project Veerangana, and Project Shreshth, the first of which boasts of being in collaboration with LEDsafari, a social start-up based in Switzerland.

One of the strong contenders amongst teams from 36 countries, 1700 campuses, and 72,000 student participants around the globe is Enactus CVS (Centre of Vocational Studies). Sticking to the forte of their college, CVS has decided to pick projects that involve earning livelihoods through vocationalisation- Project Raah and Project Madari. Speaking about their preparation for the Nationals, President of Enactus CVS Anshul Arya claimed, “As a team of young minds, I think Enactus CVS has a perfect blend of knowledge, commitment and dedication to help the underprivileged people.”

Keeping in mind the inputs provided by the judges at the competition last year, Enactus LSR is also gearing up for the Nationals, and has taken some major steps to drive its projects towards sustainability and scalability.
When entreated to spill the beans on their preparation, President of Enactus LSR Amisha Patel commented, “Under Project Auric, wherein our women entrepreneurs of Mangar village in Haryana produce dishwashing liquid, we are actively looking to collaborate with NGOs to expand our reach.”

Claiming the legacy of exceptionally brilliant initiatives such as Project Jazba, Project Zaffran, and Project Tarang, Enactus Miranda House led by its President Anjali Rai, is expected to provide some intense competition to the other teams of Delhi University this year.

As the we inch towards the Enactus Nationals, it would be a marvel to watch these incredible teams challenge each other in the entrepreneurial battle of the year. However, even as these teams battle it out, it is important not to lose track of the motive that ENACTUS stands for: channelising entrepreneurial spirit, passions, and ideas to create good in the world.

 

Feature Image Credits: Arran High School

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
[email protected]

After experiencing a restless level of anticipation from the students across colleges, Enactus Aryabhatta did justice to the long wait with Enactus day 2.0. The event experienced a prodigious response and ended with an extremely contented list of guests. The event began with all the focus directed towards the Project Utkarsh stall where the delectable wafers were sold out so quickly that even comparing them to ‘hot cakes’ would be unjust. The customer’s response at the event assured the group of students that their project is moving in a propitious direction.

Wafers by Project Utkash were sold out quickly.
Wafers by Project Utkash were sold out quickly.

Next insight came the game stalls, with the Lucky Uno game compelling people to repeatedly try out their luck.The Magic brick game brought out the Arnold Schwarzenegger within every participant and turned “I could easily do that!” into an impossible comment to make.

The handmade products were also a big hit amongst customers. If anyone went home disappointed, it’s only because they couldn’t get their hands on one of the Mason jars or lotus diyas before they sold out.

The handmade products were a big hit amongst customers.
The handmade products were a big hit amongst customers.

The event featured a mellifluous performance by the music society of Aryabhatta College that had the crowd gather around and sing to the dulcet tunes of the group.  The Lemon and Spoon race, as anticipated, brought out the vying sportsman within every participant.

Last but not the least Enigmus, the treasure hunt competition, had the participants do anything and everything to emerge as the ultimate raider. From running around the college campus looking for clues, to making a human pyramid, the participants left no stone unturned in making this one of the most competitive events.

With Enactus day 2.0 experiencing a glorious end, the groups of social entrepreneurs now look forward to reaping similar success with their projects and continue to put in their complete efforts towards making this world a better place to live in, to make this world a place where we all win.

Watch this video to get a glimpse of the day!

Image Credits: Team Enactus Aryabhatta

Not all dreams are accomplished;
The path of accomplishment
Not always beauteous.
‘KHWABEEDA’ is OUR DREAM;
That 30 of us accomplished,
By embarking on a journey,
so noble, so beauteous.

‘KHWABEEDA’ is a bliss, a gratification,
Of bringing smiles on faces,
Of brightening dim lives.
It’s an ineffable emotion,
Of the 30 of us;
Who endeavoured towards a change,
By our dream,
Our ‘KHWAAB’.

– Team Enactus Deshbandhu

On 15th September 2017, Enactus Deshbandhu successfully launched its magazine KHWABEEDA which presents their journey of creating a sustainable society through innovation. The launch took place in the valued presence of their collaborators, Khaas – a tours and travel company run by visually impaired women, STOP – a NGO working with survivors of Human Trafficking and SHEROES – their media partner.
KHWABEEDA will now be an annual edition of Enactus Deshbandhu bringing us more stories of reality, their achievements, their worldview, and the spirit with which they will put a ding in the universe.

Enactus, the global non-profit community which seeks to inspire action, has transformed communities in more than thirty-six countries with the help of visionary minds. Emphasising on the monumental impact of entrepreneurial action, the Enactus community has been working towards manifesting an independent world by generating employability through its unique projects. Colleges under the University of Delhi have established their presence through relentless efforts and have emerged successful in catering to the plethora of social issues plaguing thousands of lives. Here is a compilation of the events, projects, and achievements of the prominent Enactus societies of the University of Delhi.

Enactus Ramjas

The Ramjas chapter of this social venture commenced in 2011 and has successfully catered to three models of business since its inception. These include the Enactus Store, Project Bawarchi, and Project Transcreation. Enactus Store is an online platform which specifically caters to the products and services of Enactus teams all around the country. Project Transcreations seeks to help the transgender community to sustain their lives through providing them with entrepreneurial avenues such as cab driving, jewellery making, etc. They have also launched their very own beauty parlour in Saket solely run by transgenders. Project Bawarchi is a canteen exclusively being run by victims of drug and substance abuse near North Campus and is accompanied by food carts and tiffin delivery. The society has also conducted myriad events to serve the community this year. Under the umbrella of its Project Transcreations, Enactus Ramjas organised a transgender fashion show along with an LGBT pride march. It also conducted the biggest Enactus Festival in February of this year and saw a successful participation. Semi-finalists of Enactus Nationals 2016, the society has carried out more than 30 sensitisation campaigns related to drug abuse since the launch of the project.

Enactus Hindu

Conceptualised in 2014, Enactus Hindu launched its Project Veerangana in this academic session. The social endeavour aims to propagate safety ideals for all by transforming young, unemployed women into self-defence instructors. The previous social campaigns of the society include Project Shreshth and Project Oorja. Their pilot project, Shresth, transformed a group of financially dependent women from the Badli Industrial Area, Rohini into self-sufficient entrepreneurs who manufacture and market incense sticks under the brand name ‘Aanchal Aggarbatis’. Project Oorja strives to preserve environmental balance by providing clean solar lighting solutions to tackle the menace of rising carbon footprints. Under its current project, the society introduced a campaign titled ‘Be A Veerangana,’ and witnessed two months of intensive offline and online promotions, encouraging women to share instances of harassment and breaking the taboo around crimes. At Mecca 2017, the annual cultural festival of Hindu College, their team conducted ‘Road to Safety,’ a unique? simulation of the streets of Delhi, with the objective of raising awareness about simple safety measures which can come in handy in our day-to-day lives. The animal community was also served with its ‘Warmth for Paws’ initiative to provide clothes to street dogs with sweaters made from discarded woollens in the bitter cold months of December and January.

Enactus Khalsa

One of the youngest members of the Enactus community, the Khalsa chapter of the non-profit endeavour germinated in August of last year. While their pilot project is currently under development, they successfully organised an awareness campaign within the college. Titled #LetsMakeGodTalk, the students of the college were induced to deliberate upon the social sphere. On Daan Utsav, the society also organised a visit to a girls’ shelter home and spent a day there with the kids playing games and interacting with them.

Enactus Miranda House

An active member of the social community, Enactus Miranda House has been the launching pad of four successful initiatives since its inception in 2011. Namely Project Zaffran, Project Jazba, Project Tarang, and Project Daryaft, the society aims to boost the issues of financial dependency amongst the women community, strengthening the standing of acid-attack survivors, developing environmentally complementing products, and enhancing the tourism sector, respectively. This year, the society organised a seminar – ‘Astitva’ in relation to Project Jazba, along with a seminar with Mr. Vikramjit Singh Rooprai on the occasion of Heritage Day under Project Daryaft. The annual festival of Enactus Miranda House – Impressa 2017, was organised with the theme ‘Breaking Stereotypes,’ and witnessed events such as open mics and movie screenings. In addition to organising a waste collection drive, the society has also conceptualised an internship programme ranging from the Campus Ambassador Program to Synergy, the Winter Internship Program to propagate ideals of entrepreneurship and initiative.

Enactus SRCC

Perhaps the oldest member of the Enactus community, Enactus SRCC has been doing pertinent projects for a decade now. Some of their recent projects are as follows. Project Life On Wheels facilitates micro-credit for rickshaw pullers by enabling them to own their rickshaws. Project Aahaar is an initiative to rehabilitate underprivileged women by providing them with culinary training. Project Azmat was an endeavour to liberate manual scavengers by providing them with a sustainable source of livelihood through a development of a micro-enterprise and to facilitate construction of proper toilet systems. Project Sattva was an initiative to bring efficiency in India’s dairy sector by the rearing of high yielding cattle and value addition to milk through a mutually beneficial relationship. Project Asbah aimed at providing clean drinking water to rural households through the development and marketing of clay-based water filters produced by a community of potters. With projects like these, Enactus SRCC secured the second runners-up position at the Enactus Nationals 2016. They have received the prestigious KPMG grant and Walmart grant in recognition of the progress made by their projects.

Enactus Shaheed Bhagat Singh College

Since its formation in 2014, Enactus SBSC has come a long way with three socially relevant and inspiring initiatives. Their first project, Project Karva aimed at the upliftment of women. Under Project Roshni, visually impaired people were taught how to make candles as an attempt to become independent as well as self-sustaining. Inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, they conceptualised their third project, Project Aahar, which seeks to provide affordable as well as hygienic food to people in need. Other than the projects, two fundraising campaigns were conducted this year. From 5th-7th October 2016, Campaign Umeed took place where members sold bookmarks and notebooks made by the specially challenged children of Deepalaya School. On the 109th birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh under Campaign Anghaar, candles made by the visually impaired to the students of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College were sold. Campaign Sparsh addressed the women residing at Anand Parbat and introduced them to NGO GOONJ’s ‘My Pad’ – a kit that contains undergarments, sanitary pads, and a manual on menstrual health. They also addressed the issue of child sexual abuse as it is one of the major evils surrounding Anand Parbat through organising interactive activities for the children and showing videos that demonstrated the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching.

Enactus Maitreyi College

Established in 2014, Enactus Maitreyi is currently working in collaboration with the National Coalition of People Living with HIV on their third project – Project Samya. True to its name, Project Samya aims at bringing equality to women affected with HIV who are evidently socially excluded and are often forced to quit their jobs. Enactus Maitreyi’s first project, Unnayan, helped the women of Mayur Vihar to make and market a liquid dishwasher, ‘Clean Ninja’ for them to become self-reliant. They launched their second project, Swadhin in 2016, with the aim of helping the physically impaired community by equipping them with entrepreneurial skills. This year the society started its own plantation drive. Other than this, Enactus Maitreyi purchased stationery items for the specially-abled students of Anukriti School, with its own funds by keeping aside INR 2 from the sale of every product. To raise funds, Enactus Maitreyi launched a fundraising campaign called,#IDidMyBit, which was conducted over a period of 2 months. A photo booth in Connaught Place was also created to raise money.

Enactus Sri Venkateswara College

Conceived in 2015, Enactus Sri Venkateswara College has been appreciated for its innovation and uniqueness of projects. The society has successfully churned out three projects, namely Project Captain Compost, Project Aushadhi, and Project CiggB. Project Captain Compost aims to provide a solution to the garbage menace in the city while uplifting the social and economic status of ragpickers at the same time, and Project Aushadhi merged the two issues of homelessness and medicinal waste. Winner of the Blue Dart Grant worth INR 40,000, the society launched Project CiggB this year which focuses on the disposal and recycle of used cigarette butts. To establish a communal outreach, they organised stalls in the fests of Hindu College, Indraprastha College for Women, Kamala Nehru College among others, along with stalls and exhibitions under ‘Heartist,’ where they provided a platform for street artists to showcase their skills and sell their products. In association with ‘People for Animals’ and Enactus SRCC, Enactus SVC also set up a winter cloth collection drive in December 2016. They have also collaborated with ‘Parivartan’, the social service society of Sri Venkateswara College for interaction and skill development of slum children and organised a special event for them to celebrate Children’s Day.

Enactus Hans Raj

A cognizant member of the Enactus community, Hansraj College’s Enactus has been running four projects since its commencement in 2011. Project Lekhni has been successful in helping five women from Jhandewalan to rise from the status of victims to the masters of their lives, Project Boond seeks to solve the problem of clean drinking water for the underprivileged masses by providing them with low-cost water purifiers that run without electricity, and Project Mithaas is an endeavour aimed towards providing a stable source of income to farmers in India by encouraging them to adopt beekeeping as a practice. Enactus HRC conceptualised Project Aaangan this year to provide day-care facilities to working women of lower income strata. Winner of the Best Project for showcasing the spirit of VEER at Enactus Nationals 2016, Enactus HRC has, in addition, conducted a donation drive for Project Aangan. Aashayein’16 was an initiative for the kids of an NGO Navjyoti to help them experience the dream they wished to live. It was a small drive by Enactus Hans Raj to fulfill wishes and spark a fire in them by overcoming challenges.

 

Feature Image Credits: Google Sites

Saumya Kalia
[email protected]

Niharika Dabral
[email protected]

The 62 members strong Enactus, Miranda House currently houses four projects under its aegis- Project Tarang, Project Zaffran, Project Daryaft and Project Jazba. With these projects, they aim at uplifting the underprivileged through entrepreneurial action.

Project Zaffran works with underprivileged communities of women who are either victims of domestic violence or are widowed. This project is an initiative to propel them out of their dire domestic situations. By capitalising on their abilities as efficient homemakers and their expertise in household activities, their skills were used in the production of spices. However, being faced with a dearth of proper production spaces, they took it upon themselves to build a proper production-cum-retail store with the help of plastic bottles. This would not only solve the problem of disposal of more than 10,000 bottles, but would also turn these women into self-sufficient entrepreneurs.

Students participating in the Battle of Bottles
Students participating in the Battle of Bottles

With a view to construct their plastic house, ‘Aarohan’ they began to collect plastic bottles. Through their campaign of ‘Battle of Bottles,’ they situated various carton boxes decorated with quirky posters across their college campus. This received an overwhelming response.

After a successful campaign at Miranda House, they plan to expand their collection drive throughout North Campus. With this in mind, they have initiated the Campus Ambassador Programme ’16 in collaboration with CFEM (Care for Environmental Machine), and call upon interested students from various colleges to become ambassadors of their respective institutions. Rewards will be provided to the people who put their bottles in the cartons and also to the Campus Ambassadors, in addition to certificates. Every bottle donated will fetch the donor a certain amount of points. After having collected enough points, they can redeem rewards through the CFEM portal at www.cfem.in .

This campaign not only provides the students with experience in social work, but will also help underprivileged women to earn a regular income. Apart from boosting their confidence, it will also help them earn greater acceptance within their families.

Register yourself here.

The last date to apply for the Campus Ambassador campaign is 18th September at 11:59pm.

Photo Credits: Enactus, Miranda House

Swareena Gurung

[email protected]