The Ford College Community Challenge program (C3 Program) has been expended to 4 African countries i.e. Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and Morocco. The program is an initiative of the Ford Motor Company Fund which challenges colleges and universities to partner within their communities to design innovative, student-led projects. The Ford Fund will invest more than $100,000 to launch the C3 program in Africa.
As part of the C3 program, university students are required to take the leadership role in all aspects of their project, from design to implementation. Project scope is virtually unlimited, and innovation and creativity are actively encouraged. Potential areas of focus include alternative energy, environmental sustainability, agriculture, mobility, water conservation or economic development. Over the past eight years, Ford Fund has provided more than $1.7 million to student teams awarded Ford College Community Challenge (C3) grants.
Ford is collaborating on the program with Enactus. Enactus Kenya, which is headed by economist James Shikwati, will be the Kenyan partner. Enactus Kenya recently organized the Agribiz4Africa competition in conjunction with Sygenta which Kenya’s Nickson Muturi won.
Enactus mobilizes 1 700+ university programs in 36 countries. An annual series of regional and national competitions provides a forum for teams to showcase the impact of their outreach efforts and to be evaluated by executives serving as judges. National champion teams advance to the prestigious Enactus World Cup to experience excellence in competition, collaboration and celebration. The 2015 Enactus World Cup will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa 14 – 16 October.