Last July 8, 2017, I was fortunate to have the chance to volunteer at the 2017 Enactus Philippines National Competition that was held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, Philippines. Enactus Philippines is a non-profit organization operating in 36 countries that brings together university students, business, academe, government and civil society leaders to helped underserved communities through livelihood opportunities. I actually volunteered for a whole month before the actual competition at the Philippine NGO?s office.

Over 500 participants joined the Enactus Philippines National Finals, which is an annual competition where Enactus teams present the results of their projects to a panel of judges. This year, nine teams of the fourty-two active Philippine teams competed to showcase the impact they have created in their chosen communities.  There were 36 Semi-Finals Judges and 38 Finals Judges that chose the winning team that will go on to represent the Philippines at the Enactus World Cup in London this September. 

The judging criterion used by all Enactus countries is "Which Enactus team most effectively used entrepreneurial action to empower people to improve their livelihoods in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable way?"  I was happy to be part of this because Enactus has a very strong environmental component in its projects.

The winning team that will go to London is the Holy Trinity College of General Santos City. First runner-up went to Sultan Kudarat State University–Access Campus, second runner-up to Sultan Kudarat State University–Isulan Campus and third runner-up to Nueva Vizcaya State University. This was an interesting result because the top 3 universities represent the largest island in the Philippines called Mindanao. These schools are very far from Manila, which is the capital of the Philippines.

One of the projects of the champion team is helping their community with the production of Allura Soap.  This combines virgin coconut oil, turmeric, neem and papaya extract.  It is said to have properties that will hydrate, rejuvenate and protect the skin.   The students impressed the judges with their presentation and the impact they created to help the community have more income for their families.