College of Charleston students to launch global sustainability project in Cameroon
March 1, 2017
Armed with multiple business plan proposals, a microfinance loan training program, 13 iPads, soccer equipment and thousands of educational care packages, seven College of Charleston students will leave for a 10-day service trip to Cameroon, Africa.
The trip is part of the College of Charleston’s global outreach project Kick it Forward, which seeks to empower Cameroonians through increased access to schooling and business learning opportunities.
The students, who depart for the western African nation on March 2, 2017, will travel nearly 8,000 miles to deliver $20,000 worth of educational supplies as well as donated soccer equipment.
The goal: Incentivize and encourage children to attend elementary school and provide their parents with the tools to get them there.
The Kick It Forward team will also work with local partners to set up a multimedia center — replete with iPads and other technology — to provide internet access and communication tools for the young students.
But the team, which is predominantly composed of business students, isn’t stopping there. Kick It Forward ambassadors are putting their entrepreneurial expertise good use by hosting a business-pitching competition for Cameroonian medical universities.
Each university that participates must submit a business proposal for review by the Kick It Forward team. The organization with the most sustainable plan will be awarded 225,000 CFA francs.
Additional business-related projects include following up on a micro-loan program from Kick It Forward 2013, where female entrepreneurs were each given a small loan to start and grow their respective businesses. This year’s efforts are geared toward helping these same women hone their business skills in order to sustain their enterprises.
The students are expected to return to Charleston on March 12, 2017.
For more information about Kick It Forward’s non-for-profit partner, visit www.possibilitieswithoutborders.org.
About the College
The College of Charleston is a public liberal arts and sciences university located in the heart
of historic Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770, the College is among the nation’s top
universities for quality education, student life and affordability. With more than 11,000 students,
the College of Charleston offers the distinctive combination of a beautiful and historic campus,
modern facilities and cutting-edge programs.
About the School of Business
College of Charleston’s School of Business offers six undergraduate majors and several interdisciplinary concentrations, an honors program in business, an M.S. in Accountancy and an MBA. Approximately 1800 undergraduate and graduate students attend from as far away as China, Germany and Brazil. The faculty has research expertise in areas such as global logistics, hospitality and tourism, political economics, financial investment, bankruptcy, business intelligence, real estate, and sustainable business practices. Visit http://sb.cofc.edu/ to learn more about our students’ achievements, undergraduate and graduate programs, faculty and Centers of Excellence.
