Art being made in the Okanagan is helping those less fortunate in developing countries.
Every Friday, a group of students from the Enactus club at Okanagan College teach grade six students at Raymer Elementary in Kelowna.
Enactus is a club that teaches the community about business and finance. It uses entrepreneurship programs to tackle issues, such as hunger and financial literacy.
On Friday, Enactus kicked off the third week of a program called Instill Life. Project manager Joey Colangelo says the grade six students learn about food import and exports, art history, budgeting, financing and entrepreneurship.
The students are painting and making greeting cards that they will sell to their family and friends. The profits from the sales will then be put on KIVA, a website that helps make loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries.
More details to come.
“You donate $25 and they get rich off it and they send you back the $25,” said grade six student Matthew Wagner.
“It means they will have more supplies to live and the money I pay them, they’ll pay back,” said student Cage Walman.
“I think it’s good cause you get to help other people have an opportunity to have a life like us,” said student Philipp Kaiser.
They say the program makes them realize they can help change lives.
“I know we’re helping people and we’re helping their business grow,” said student Olivia Heonchak.
“We can make a change in the world by painting and selling [the greeting cards] and getting money for different countries and helping their business,” said student Brooke Wheeler.
“You can make a difference in the world,” said Kaiser.
And that’s ultimately the message Enactus hopes they take away.
“We want the children to understand that they’re not so much a world away,” said Colangelo.
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