Growth & Jobs | SEBI brings hope

Government agencies, the managers, employees and beneficiaries of social enterprises which gained from the initiatives of the Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI), a project of the JN Foundation and the United States Agency of International Development (USAID), have commended the work gained from the project over the last six years.

The praises were conferred at the final event in the series of SEBI Biz Mix networking sessions, which was held at the Serengetti Bistro, Hope Zoo in St Andrew recently.

"I really want to put my stamp on the work that the JN Foundation achieved through the implementation of the SEBI Project," Charmaine Brimm, technical specialist at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), said. "I want to hold it up as, 'what we would call a best practice' because our studies now reveal that the social enterprise model has actually trumped regular businesses in terms of its ability to scale and make profits."

Brimm also informed that the PIOJ was able to introduce the social enterprise model in some volatile communities to facilitate the "transfer of knowledge," and this resulted in several of the communities developing their own social enterprise proposals.

"We have been able to adopt that model, take it to the PIOJ; and, now it is a model, which we are going to continue to advance at the community level," she revealed.

Lashanwdla Bailey, founder of Inzzpire 365, a social enterprise, which produces unique handmade jewellery, said SEBI helped her to bring hope to persons who felt like giving up; and, she is now able to partner with international organisations, such as Choose Life International, which specialises in suicide prevention.

Patrnership

"More than a million people commit suicide annually, which is about one person every 40 seconds. When I discovered that I could partner with Chose Life International, with the assistance of SEBI, I felt good that I could fulfil my purpose," Bailey explained.

"SEBI held my hand. They assigned me a coach; and I was able to consult with her for guidance. I'm now standing here, feeling as though I can continue with my life; feeling that I have found my purpose; and I know where the profit is coming from, because persons are now aware of my work," she related.

 ... 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."