Students from the University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa made a brief stop in Bentonville, Ark., while on a tour of the U.S. These students were not in the U.S. simply for fun; they were here to showcase why they are the current champions of the Students in Free Enterprise World Cup.
Five members of a team of 200 students came as representatives for their University SIFE team and awed Walmart employees and others with what their SIFE projects have accomplished.
Before beginning their presentation, the students took a moment to explain why they joined SIFE and how they had come so far.
“I was passionate about saving the world,” said Kwazulu-Natal team member Silindile Mncube.
Team member Joel Boafo said SIFE uses business concepts to solve universal problems.
After the students began their presentation, it did not take long to understand why they are the SIFE World Cup Champions.
The presentations appear deceivingly simple; however, any SIFE member would say that countless hours have gone in to preparing them to perfection.
The presentations feature a video of the teams’ most fruitful projects. While the video plays, the team representatives narrate.
The four team members alternated telling how their projects have impacted countries all over Africa. They have made significant life improvements for hundreds of people, from unskilled women who have left abusive homes, to the elderly who are just trying to survive.
Each presentation also detailed how profitable the projects are, how eco-friendly the work they are doing is, and how they plan to sustain the results of their labor in the future.
After concluding their presentation, sniffles echoed throughout the room. Some of the most economically powerful people in the world were in that room and had been moved to tears at what these college students have done. The crowd rose to present the team with a standing ovation.
A question and answer session followed, and those in attendance were able to learn a little more about the projects and the students behind them.
Qhelile Nyathi, the president of the UKZN SIFE team and future Rhodes Scholar, said that all of their projects were hard simply because so many will be affected on the success or failure of their projects. However, because they are “instruments of change,” she is confident their projects and the people they affect will sustain the work they have done.