In the Erasmus Mundus social economy project we consider that organisations/enterprises within the social economy system have defining characteristics. Some of these are:
- prioritising the generation of employment, and
- having democratic management structures.
- See the full list here
Many social enterprises start with a small group of people who take action to solve immediate and pressing problems facing them and their communities. Sometimes the group sees new possibilities to trade goods or services to promote the group’s social objectives and the enterprise goes to another level. The Mfombo Foundation in Cameroon, West Africa, is an example of an inspiring social enterprise which started out addressing local problems of environmental degradation and youth delinquency. As the work progressed an opportunity was spotted for the young people to become self-employed by managing the environment in sustainable ways.
I have been lucky enough to have a Skype meeting with one of the founders of the Foundation, Didacus Mfombo Tamambang. He is currently studying for an M.Sc. Sustainable Forest and Nature Management under the Erasmus Mundus programme at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark in order to enhance the work and expertise of the Foundation.
The Foundation was started by his family in response to the problem of deforestation and environmental degradation and the issue of serious delinquency among young people in the community. The youths became involved in the design and implementation of ecosystem protection and forest restoration projects. They were then trained in sustainable agriculture, to make furniture from the wood and to keep bees. Following training they became self employed. Each youth who gets trained goes on to train another. The youths are now able to look after their families economically.
Read the interview with Didacus here. If you have a question or comment for Didacus, please post a comment/leave a reply below (no need to log in/sign up).
As part of the social economy project we are looking for examples of groups of people who are addressing social and/or environmental problems and who generate at least some of their income through their activities. Please email me Margaret Meredith: socialeconomy@yorksj.ac.uk if you are part of a social economy organisation and would like to be included as a resource for others to learn from.
You can sign up as a friend of the project here
Margaret Meredith