We were
told about the C2P Case Grant Competition in one of our very first
team meetings. At that time, Enactus was still new to us and there
hovered a hesitation in talking to our seniors and even to our batch-mates, for that matter!
But at
that point, C2P proved to be a bonding mechanism. It was to be our
very first team event and the responsibility of making it a success
was on our shoulders. Together, we marketed the event in various
colleges. The theme was social entrepreneurship – positively
impacting the lives of a community in need by devising an alternative
business model for them. A competition spread across 3 levels, its
winners were granted Rs. 30,000 each to implement their projects.
After
two weeks of online and offline registrations, we were done with the
first round. As the second round progressed, we were also on our way
to becoming more familiar with our Enactus seniors and fellow team
members. On one hand, the teams were expressing their ideas on paper
and on the other we were learning to execute the existing projects of
Enactus SRCC.
Then
came the time for the final round. On 19th October we were all
present in the Seminar Room, dressed in formals and eagerly looking
forward to the event. We were excited not only because it was to be
the conclusion of such a major competition, but also because we were
going to have some amazing judges amongst us. It was truly an
overwhelming experience to hear Mr. S Ravishankar – Director at
Metis Consultancy, Miss Barsha Poricha - Director at National
Foundation for India and Mr. Joyonto Chaudhury - General Manager of
the Delhi NCR Operations, Coca-Cola India Pvt. Ltd.
The 13
finalists presented their project ideas in front of the judges. It
was enriching to hear them. "The ideas were very innovative and well thought out. At that moment, the impact and social relevance of C2P hit us."
Soon we
had the winners amongst us. Carol, which stands for “Creating And
Redefining Opportunities for a Lady”, began its operations in May
'13. Their project aims to engage underprivileged women in the
contemporary art of quelling, in order to enhance their income and
standard of living.
Project
Laadli focuses on the basic problem of health and sanitation amongst
women. The team aims to not only provide women with low-cost
biodegradable sanitary napkins but even engage them in the production
of the same. It also covers the aspect of environmental conservation.
Last
but not the least, Project Clay Coolers uses science to help people
in rural areas to preserve food. They aim to make use of a simple
technology wherein a small earthenware pot can be fixed inside a
larger one and the area between the two is filled with sand and
water. This acts as a refrigerator to store food. This will not only
help to reduce wastage of food, but also provide gainful employment
to potters.
Thus,
as we stood up and applauded the winners, we realised that C2P
brought together the people who wanted to genuinely contribute for
the betterment of communities. It is a platform for socially aware
people who can make things better for the masses with their ideas!
-Kanupriya Puri
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