Success Stories
ChangeWorks is not just a competition but a platform for social entrepreneurship on campus and abroad. From the very inception of an idea to a short 500 word proposal to our Final Four event, we give students the opportunity to transform their Best Idea into a reality and the best part is, this platform actually works. Please see some of our success stories below and feel free to reach out to us at dukechange@gmail.com for any more information.
Water Access in Uganda
This past summer, a group led by junior Reema Sil was able to travel to rural Uganda in order to perform an on-site assessment of the feasibility of their water distribution plan. The funding they received from ChangeWorks after placing 2nd last year covered the in-country costs for the entire travel team, including food, rent and the cost of traveling from the village to other towns and cities to locate local materials. They found that they would be able to construct their designed system at several sites and hope to implement their plans this coming summer. It will be a high-impact project as one of the sites is located near a primary school/nursery. The system will allow these children to spend less time waiting in line for water and spending more time doing homework during the daylight. They are currently working on finalizing the designs and getting them approved by professional engineers in the hopes of implementing the entire system in Uganda this summer.
Help Ugandans Help Themselves
This 2011 entry by Kelsey Short has evolved into a Revolving Micro Technology Fund for Educate!’s Micro Technology Institution. This fund loans out development technology (such as stoves, solar panels, etc.). These represent startup assets that will help students that have been through Educate!’s program to have access to larger scale technologies that they otherwise would not be able to afford. All items will be returned or paid for once the student has generated enough capital to invest in his/her own assets. Educate! provides ample education and training to ensure that their students are prepared to take on these loans and develop meaningful businesses.
Urban Acres
Michael Bernert and Jamie Patrick spent their summers in Liberia launching three farms that employed 70 young people. These farms yielded about 15 tons of rice which resulted in $7,500 USD in earned income for the community farmers. All three communities intend to continue their farms with minimal involvement from the founders in the coming year. Competing in ChangeWorks provided these social entrepreneurs with the financial capital to get the project off the ground.