Nov 06 2012
Sauder Africa Initiative – A Unique Story
I few weeks ago I was walking through the Henry Angus building when I stumbled upon an information booth on Sauder’s Africa Initiative – an initiative designed to uplift the lives of youth in Africa’s largest country, Kenya, through sustainable social entrepreneurship. I was immediately drawn to the initiative and decided to conduct a further investigation of what it entailed, which is when I came across this blog post by Sauder MBA student Steve Hosein. In summary, the post shares the story of Donald Walufa, a high-school educated artist from Nairobi that benefited from business instruction provided by the Africa Initiative. Donald’s plan is to sell his artwork to tourists who are looking for an original souvenir that captures an experience and has intrinsic meaning behind it. In my opinion, not only is Donald’s artwork beautiful, he has tied it together with an effective business plan. As Steve acknowledges, “there is palpable difference between art that someone has specifically created for you versus some random object whose provenance and intended meaning are unknown to you”. While the demand for original artwork is certainly present, I believe developing a quick and easy way of getting the artwork to the hands of consumers is essential to the growth of Donald’s business. I wish Donald the best of luck – if you are interested in commissioning a piece of his artwork, please follow the instructions on the linked blog post!