Enactus (short for entrepreneurial, action, and us) is a global organization that Dr. Choton Basu oversees on the UW-Whitewater campus. This organization collects students of all majors to join together to make a difference somewhere in the world. Marketing and entrepreneurial business techniques are used by each student to put together a pitch and deliver them.

“This is our newest project that we started this year. We have teamed up with a school called La Union in Antigua, Guatemala, which has been around for about 25 years. What they do is empower young women to start their own businesses. They’ve asked for kitchen utensils, supplies, hair salon supplies, as well as sewing and tailoring supplies. So we find ways to fundraise for them, send them these resources and find a way for them to keep providing these programs to women,” said Ally Smyczek, Enactus Vice President of operations.

Connecting and speaking in front of Fortune Five Hundred companies, as well as other successful companies to get their participation in the cause would be a goal for the funding of each groups ideas. For instance, the Hydroponics group managed to get a thousand dollar hydroponic equipment donated for their project development.

“As entrepreneurs you just have to keep going” said Dr. Choton Basu.

There are many opportunities that this organization has to offer. Any student that wants to make a change in the world could find a way to do it through Enactus.         

Within the organization, the students break into groups to work on different projects, as well as work with different organizations and companies to help create funds for resources that each group needs.

“We are working on Project Quran. We work through a non-profit called Combat Blindness which has various projects throughout the world but mostly focus on blindness. They have a program which helps at risk young women in India with a nursing program and we want to expand the program by promoting it and by making it more efficient because they don’t have the capacity in places like Botswana that only has one eye doctor for most of the country and we want to extend the help and resources to other countries outside of India,” said Dylan Otwell, a member of Project Quran.

Enactus offers many opportunities for students to make an impact and cause positive change in the world around them.

“To be a part of Enactus means you want to change the world. What we do impacts communities while intertwining aspects of business development, entrepreneurship, and marketing in the process. It’s knowing that you’re bettering your own life skills, while bettering the lives of others, with results that speak for themselves,” said Chase Boudreau, a member of the executive board as a Project Lead for ‘Hydroponics for Milwaukee’.

Enactus is a free organization. This is due to the funding coming primarily from generous donations and grants earned through the club. If you are interested in learning more about Enactus, check out one of their weekly meetings on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in Hyland Hall room 2308.

CORRECTION: In the article titled “Enactus lends a helping hand,” the project name for one of the Enactus groups was spelled incorrectly. It is not Project Quran but instead Project Kiran, which means ray of light.