User:Vgeorge

Hi, I am from the beautiful city called Cape Town, in South Africa. I work at an orgnaistion called SHAWCO (Student Health and Welfare Centres Organisation) at the University of Cape Town. I am prilvelaged to head up this fantastic Non Profit run by students. Hundreds of thousands of students who have studied at the University have been introduced into, worked in and planned community development programmes since 1943. I have yet to come across an organisation that is solely geared towards volunteerism and managed with a student majority on Board, with such a large number of student volunteers on any campus. Exposing students to the realities of the world, undertaking long term programs in education and health and actually going out there and getting ones hands dirty is the way true learning takes place and SHAWCO provides that. We identify ourselves as social entrepreneurs, cracking our heads to keep the organisation sustainable and also providing the best services to our communities.

My aim is to keep operations of this organisation sustainable, provide student volunteers a great experience tackling issues and problems, and providing the best services to our communities. Heading up a non profit is quite intigueing. There are many stake holders- funders, volunteers, board, community, staff and whoever wants to comment on our activites and question our very existence. "Any one of them can say no, no one alone can say yes". That is the challenge of a social entrepreneur. But what is life without a challenge!