PROJECT SAMPLES

Market Economics

Canada
Canadian SIFE students organized an interactive learning day for elementary school
students, transforming their school into a model of the world to teach the children about
international trade. Each classroom was designated as a different country, given a limited
amount of natural resources and a list of products they needed to accumulate by the end
of the day. Students learned about the use of resources, trade, and currency as they
traveled from country to country buying and selling resources to produce the items
required

Japan
After several new, large shopping malls opened in Takasaki City , Japan the older shops in
downtown Takasaki City were struggling to compete. SIFE students studied several
downtown stores and proposed solutions to revitalize the area to the store owners. By
helping each store adjust its budget and revive its marketing efforts, the students offered
the downtown are a chance to survive in a more competitive marketplace.

Kenya
In Kenya , peasant farmers make up 70% of the population. Many of these farmers
struggle to get by, so Kenya SIFE students created a plan to teach local farmers how to
better utilize their natural resources, cut operating costs, and reduce soil pollution. The
SIFE team taught farmers how to make fertilizers from farm and domestic wastes instead
of purchasing expensive artificial fertilizers. Their plan saved the farmers more than ten
dollars per sack of fertilizer and created a healthier, more sustainable farming
environment.

Mexico
SIFE students in Mexico taught members of an impoverished community how to make
the most an abundant resource in their community- the luxury item ocochal. The SIFE
team held workshops with residents, teaching them the concepts of supply and demand,
marketing and sales and budgeting. With supervision from the SIFE team, the community
is making strides toward profiting from the sale of ocochal.

Thailand
SIFE students in Thailand identified are business that could benefit from taking their
product to the global market. Utilizing and international network of supporters, the SIFE
tam worked with these businesses to prepare strategies that would allow the enterprises to
participate in international trading
Entrepreneurship

Egypt
Egyptian SIFE students identified a local area where businesses suffered from a lack of
foot traffic. The SIFE tea, worked with more than 100 shops to produce advertisements
on local radio stations, ads in weekly newsletters, and a websites highlighting all the
businesses in the area. Customers, realizing their new choices, now frequent the area and
the businesses have seen an increase in profits as a result.

El Salvador
SIFE students in El Salvador utilized a common crop to create a business opportunity for
low income people living in their area. Soy beans are readily available and offer versatile
uses , but are not customarily consumed in El Salvador. The SIFE team taught
participants how to create a demand for the soy beans by using them in new ways and how
to negotiate the sale of the end product.

France
SIFE students in France went beyond the borders of their country to help an
impoverished village in India . SIFE students helped to establish a French bakery that
would benefit impoverished citizens by providing a source of employment and skill
development. To prepare them to run the business, the SIFE team familiarized them with
business concepts and sponsored classes on food and bread making.

India
A cleaning business in India benefited form the expertise of SIFE students who helped the
small business legally register as a cottage industry, develop a sustainable budget, and
create a website. By boosting the business's efficiency, the SIFE team helped the owner
generate employment opportunities for other members of the community.

Zimbabwe
A SIFE team in Zimbabwe worked with 180 HIV positive women from three-low income
resident areas to improve their economic situation. After conducting two idea generating
sessions with the group, the SIFE team identified mushroom harvesting as the idea
venture for the women. The SIFE students taught participants basic bookkeeping,
marketing skills, negotiation skills and trained the women in mushroom farming.
Participants now supply mushrooms to retail shops and supermarkets.

Success Skills

Chile
SIFE students in Chile worked to provide prison inmates with business tools to help them
be successful upon their release. The students created and implemented a program to
boost inmates' understanding of principles of entrepreneurship, business management
and administrations, accounting, marketing, and project development.
China
A SIFE team in China held education forums for unemployed women which focused on
job interviewing skills. The forums featured top female executives as keynote speakers
who shared their experiences and perspectives for starting a career and launching an
understanding of the business world and how they can play a role in it.

Russia
SIFE Russia students designed a program specifically for children living in an orphanage

understanding of how business works and realize their potential to participate in business
later in life. Results of pre and post-test demonstrated the children's knowledge of
business operations increased following their participation in the program.

South Africa
South Africa SIFE students organized an urban renewal project to empower residents
suffering from poverty, hunger and disease. They planted food and gardens which were
cultivated by area residents and are now used to support a soup kitchen at a local clinic.
The partnership with the clinic has created jobs for formally unemployed residents and
generated a sense of pride and hope in the community.

Tajikistan
A high unemployment rate prompted SIFE students in Tajikistan to create a solution.
They found that many unemployed people were unaware of the existence of a job search
center in their region. The SIFE team worked with the center to create informative
brochures on their services. They then distributed there materials in places where
unemployed citizens commonly gather. They also made the materials available in
neighboring towns. Because of their efforts, the job search center has seen an increase in
the number of people utilizing their services and more citizens are aware of employment
opportunities in their area.

Thailand
In an area badly hit by a tsunami, SIFE students in Thailand used donated computers to
establish a public education center. The SIFE team held classes at the center focusing on
interview and resume writing skills. Visitors to the center access the computers and
receive support from SIFE students in their career search.

Financial Literacy

Australia
The indigenous population in Australia is statistically less likely than the majority
population to finish school. This correlates with the high incidence of poverty among this
population. To solve the problem, an Australian SIFE team planned weekly sessions to
help indigenous participants develop basic financial skills and an understanding of the
laws of business.
Guatemala
SIFE students in Guatemala used games to teach financial literacy to elementary school
children. The project helped the students understand profit margins by allowing them to
select a product at a specific cost and then establish a selling price that would ensure a
profit. The SIFE team used games that were based on experimental economics and also
demonstrated to the children how fixed prices and subsidies can influence sales, revenues
and decision making.

Malaysia
A SIFE team in Malaysia taught financial literacy to secondary school students through a
workshop that focused on financial planning. The SIFE team taught the students how to
use a balance sheet and used a game to demonstrate how the stock market works. While
playing the game, participating students learned how to develop successful investing
strategies.

South Africa
Almost three quarters of small to medium sized enterprises in South Africa cease to exist
within two years of operation. To address the problem, SIFE South Africa students
assisted several new small business owners and their employees by helping them create
viable business plans and guiding them in understanding proper cash flow management
within the context of time bound deliverables and associated risks. The small businesses
are now equipped to be sustainable.

United Kingdom
SIFE students in the UK partnered with a charity to help troubled teens develop business
and finance skills that would help them achieve future success. By creating and running
extensive workshops on marketing and finance concepts as well as credit management and
savings plans, the SIFE team advanced the teens' understanding of how to effectively
manage their income and understand business operations

Environmental Sustainability

Business Ethics

Morocco
A Moroccan SIFE Team broadcasted a radio program to a national audience focusing on
international trade, business ethics and globalization. Listeners were invited to share their
views and questions on issues, and ethical dilemmas were addressed in on-air group
discussions. The wide-reach of the radio broadcast enabled the students to impact a large
number of citizens and increase public consciousness of global issues.

Nigeria
SIFE students in Nigeria carried out a highly publicized campaign to promote business
ethics to a wide audience. The project, called Stop the Monster, culminated in a
nationally broadcast radio show, a national youth conference, and a workshop for
business leaders. Key issues addressed included embezzlement of public funds, private
sector tax evasion, bribery and extortion. The SIFE team's anti-corruption message
reached an estimated 7 million people.

Poland
Corporate social responsibility is not a widely concept among small business owners in
Poland . To help promote ethical business practices, a polish SIFE team held a conference
highlighting the role of social responsibility in building business success. Representatives
of large companies that currently practice corporate social responsibility and owners of
small businesses wanting to learn more about the topic attended and learned from each
other. More than 80 participants benefited from the conference.

United States
A U.S. SIFE team designed a community-wide competition challenging participants to
prepare solutions to real-world ethical dilemmas and present their solutions to a judging
panel of business advisory board members, school faculty, and a local government official.
The competition, held in a local courtroom, served to increase the ethical awareness of
those involved, including business leaders, teachers, and students