SIFE Sunway, A Head for Business, A Heart for the World

Equipped with a head for business and a heart for the world, the Sunway University SIFErs believes in a dream of enforcing changes within the community that reflects the famous saying, “Teach a man how to fish and feed him for a lifetime”. It is with this understanding the SIFErs decided to work on an innovative way of teaching various communities skills that will assist them in raising funds as a survival kit instead of making a one off donation.

The Sunway University SIFErs stands for ‘Student in Free Enterprise’, is part of an international organisation that brings together the top leaders of today and tomorrow to create a better sustainable world through the positive power of business. Aside from giving back to different communities, Sunway SIFErs is an appropriate environment for students to develop innovative and creative thinking to build their customised projects in a team.

Nabilah Mohammad, President of Sunway SIFErs showing the Kaum Semai Women how to make the eco-friendly soaps during their visit.

The Sunway SIFErs have been involved in two projects in the past, the Eco Soap Project and the Project Sounds of Silence (SOS). The Eco Soap project was initiated with the aim of helping the Orang Asli women from the Kaum Semai society living in Post Betau, Kuala Lipis, Pahang develop skills to help maintain a more sustainable lifestyle. The project was targeted at 11 women who lived in an environment with improper hygiene and health care conditions that were burdened from the inability to educate their children in public schools let alone understand the importance of education.

A Sunway SIFEr representative showing the Kaum Semai Women how to make the eco-friendly soaps during their visit.

The Sunway SIFErs initiated the idea to teach these women to develop the simple processes to develop the eco-friendly soap after learning that there is a demand for green products in the market. This eco-friendly soap has a pure palm old biodegradable base and doesn’t cause harm to the environment. It also promotes a healthier looking skin by locking in moisture into the skin texture. This potentially income-generating business and the knowledge imparted on to them to develop the soap with simple business knowledge from PERKAS (Persatuan Kemajuan Kaum Semai) will ensure the lives of the Semai women community are enhanced.
Another project the Sunway SIFE students worked on was the Project Sounds of Silence (SOS) that is concerned with empowering refugee women in Malaysia to be self-sustainable and independent. These women originating from different countries and cultures such as Somalia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Afghanistan are in need of a great support system as they are not able to work under a legal circumstance in Malaysia due to their status.

University SIFErs during Project SOS.

Having to still bear the responsibility to support their own families, the Sunway SIFErs invented ways to help them upgrade and market their products such as the brightly coloured cupcakes and well-designed apparels to Malaysian consumers. The women also offer catering and tailoring services for those willing to give them the opportunity.

Sunway SIFErs provides assistance and support from a business perspective to ensure they are able to generate an income as well as lessen the language barrier between the refugee women and the local community. The Sunway SIFErs have future plans to execute coaching for selected women to help them pursue the market with their products when they are highly attuned to cater to the Malaysian market standards.
The Sunway SIFE team have also raised funds for other SIFE Teams such as the SIFE Japan in which RM 1,170 was contributed to the victims who suffered a financial crisis in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami tragedy that hit the country earlier in March 2011.

SIFE Sunway has also established an internal, long term project known to be the Income Generation Project, a monthly open bazaar to raise funds for future projects and support Sunway SIFE’s operating expenses. This project will enable students to display and market the products produced from the other projects at the University.