... Mission accomplished
OPAL WHYTE, project manager of SEBI, stated that she was proud of the work which SEBI accomplished. It is now institutionalised, having influenced guiding principles, such as the MSME and Entrepreneurship Policy, to empower future social enterprises.
“We are proud that we can stand here and say that,we have influenced the growth of a sector. In 2016, the priority was to agree on a national definition for social enterprise, and how do we include social enterprise in the national agenda, which made it possible to get social enterprises included into the MSME Entrepreneurship Policy; and, there are no more questions, in terms of: What is a social enterprise?” she pointed out.
She explained that at the heart of the project were the social enterprises nurtured by SEBI, noting that, in the beginning, some persons needed relatable examples of a social enterprise to understand the business model.
PRODUCING PIONEERS
The SEBI incubator and the accelerator have now produced sector pioneers that have taken social enterprise from theory to established practice, and have given a face and examples that others can now see and understand.
Whyte also stated that the former general manager of the JN Foundation, Saffrey Brown, was instrumental in articulating and shaping the elements which guided the aims and objectives of SEBI.
“She was passionate about the transformative process, and ensured that the goals of SEBI were clearly stated, to ensure the professional implementation of the programme, to the benefit its participants; the funding agency, USAID; and the JN Foundation. She succeeded in all of those categories.”
Whyte further noted that strong brands emerged from the work of SEBI. “Who knew in 2016, what Deaf Can! Coffee would become? Who realised that it would grow rapidly? We also have 360 Recycle, JAD Binders, Bunkers Hill, Alpha Wear. So many social enterprises have emerged from the SEBI project and are now strong brands, which are solid enough to rival the work of traditional businesses.”