Gq One

In the world we live in today, the disparity gap between people who take for granted their daily needs and people who are surviving on bare necessities is great. We can no longer ignore the need for sustainability; neither can we ignore the need for social responsibility in every business that we engage in. Therefore the need to bridge the gap is imminent. In the past decade the term ‘social entrepreneurship’ has gained tremendous momentum. Social entrepreneurs are sprouting up and becoming successful in a short period of time only to demonstrate that entrepreneurship with a ‘heart’ focus is the most sustainable way of conducting businesses. Micro-enterprise provides solutions by encouraging individual empowerment that allows individuals to look forward to the future in a positive way. The Matahari Foundation project reinforces this positive cycle. Matahari’s Vision We aim to perpetuate self-sustainability through micro-enterprise while upholding environmentally sustainable living methods by creating a support system to these communities and helping them to obtain and maintain their own supply of basic human needs. Matahari Community Development Programmes These self-sustainable programmes strive to maintain the basic human rights to natural resources and distinctive practices within communities. They enable communities to become self-sufficient and to provide for themselves their own primary needs. These include, among others, the infrastructure to generate- •clean drinking water •adequate food supply •basic education and enhancement of life-skills •environmentally sustainable energy •warm and protective clothing •decent and safe shelter/housing •preventative and restorative healthcare These initiatives could be expanded depending on the communities’ natural inclinations into micro and social enterprising activities leading towards socio-economic self-sufficiency.