My community project – A Social Enterprise

I want to start by thanking you for joining me on this journey. It is my hope that you are already considering starting your own community project or will do so in the near future. I look forward to learning more about your progress.

One of the most important choices you will make when forming your new community project is the structure. In my situation, I had three choices: Either a CBO (Community Based Organisation), an NGO (Non – Governmental Organisation) or a Social Enterprise.

Let us look at the three structures more closely:

Community Based Organization: 

Community Based Organizations are administered in Kenya by the Department of Social Services under the Ministry of Culture and Social Services. The civic organizations ordinarily registered under this option consist of community groups operating in fairly limited administrative areas such as locations and divisions within the district. The majority of such organizations are self-help groups that are involved in commercial or developmental activities for the benefit of a community in a geographical area.

Non- Governmental Organization 

A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a citizen-based association that operates independently of government, usually to deliver resources or serve some social or political purpose. NGOs are primarily concerned with development projects, or advocacy, which are primarily concerned with promoting a cause. All NGOs registered in Kenya are members of the National Council of NGOs which is a self- regulating and non- partisan body that provides leadership to the NGO sector. Members are required to have certain minimum standards and pay an annual membership fee.

Social Enterprise

A social enterprise is a revenue-generating businesses with a twist. Whether operated by a non-profit organization or by a for-profit company, a social enterprise has two goals: to achieve social, cultural, community economic and/or environmental outcomes; and, to earn revenue. On the surface, many social enterprises look, feel, and even operate like traditional businesses. But looking more deeply, one discovers the defining characteristics of the social enterprise: mission is at the centre of business, with income generation playing an important supporting role 

After evaluating the three options I opted for a social enterprise for the following reasons:

Social enterprises tend to operate with a purpose of creating value for the society and alsogenerate income. As a thumb rule, the solutions they offer are supposed to be innovative, unique, people and environment friendly; Cost effectiveness is also a huge consideration. All of these are challenges to the sustainability of social enterprises, but the ones that are able to scale these are the ones that are able to create a huge impact! They are the enterprises that are advantageous to the society, people and the environment.

My community project will provide digital literacy with the aim of increasing job related opportunities for both youth and women. The project should be self- sustaining with the ability to expand as the demand increases. It is envisaged that the project will make a huge impact in the medium term. Two things are crucial: impact and sustainability. 

Next week I will be talking about the sustainability of my Social Enterprise.