Being a social entrepreneur
As we find ourselves in somewhat of an awards season recognising and celebrating social entrepreneurship, we felt compelled to write about what being a social entrepreneur is all about.
Broadly, social entrepreneurship is explained as ‘developing, funding, and implementing solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues’.
She.Leads.Africa published an article unpacking the ‘4 things you need to know about social entrepreneurship’;
1. It’s about People
2. It’s about Innovation
3. It’s about Collaboration
4. It’s about Passion.
This resonates so much with our team. Each of these four things is a critical criterion for Chic Mamas to succeed, and they’ve been the cornerstones to our mission’s success.
That said, ‘passion’ is a word that is often over- and/or misused and may have lost its core meaning for many people. Passion is defined as a “strong and barely controllable emotion”. Our staff, volunteers, communities and project beneficiary leads have an inherent passion for making a positive impact. Their relentless commitment to serving those in need is inspiring.
Passion is core to our growth. We serve our communities, we serve our project beneficiaries, and we serve to positively make a difference for the people and the environment. It’s an authentic experience that we’re incredibly passionate about. Working for this cause genuinely fulfils us… it feeds our souls, which gives us the energy and motivation to keep chasing our vision and mission!
It’s no secret that we are a female dominant team; our volunteers and most of our project beneficiary leads are female. While this is not intentional, we’ve learnt that women tend to have a greater sense of community and empathy. Women are also more inclined to work better as collaborators. We have a shared understanding and desire to address the education challenges in South Africa in a sustainable way.
So while Chic Mamas was recognised as a finalist in the social entrepreneur category in the 2021 Santam Women of the Future Awards, we didn’t win (sad face). Despite this, we are so thankful to have had the opportunity to enter and be profiled amongst top contenders. This doesn’t deter our ambition to continue doing what we do best – making a real difference and lasting impact. Thanks to everyone who voted, reshared posts and stood by us on this journey. It was an amazing experience, and we are proud to have been part of it.
