Photo Credit: Saimir Sallaku, SIFE   The Albanian chapter of the Students in Free Enterpise(SIFE) top British, Australian and Brazilian teams in the 2007 World Cuo for Best Community Development Projects.

Students Learn How to Help Others Help Themselves

Students Learn How to Help Others Help Themselves
World’s Top CEO’s Take Notice of Community Development Projects

Bright, talented, and ambitious, Albania’s Student In Free Enterprise (SIFE) national champions took top honors and much praise at the 2007 international SIFE World Cup competition for projects that created economic opportunity for hundreds across Albania.

This year’s team from the University of Tirana placed third among 43 other SIFE teams from around the world. SIFE Albania beat teams from the United Kingdom, Australia, Egypt and Brazil to qualify for the opportunity to match up with the U.S. and Canadian teams.

SIFE students create and implement projects to help others understand how a market economy operates, acquire skills needed to succeed in a competitive global economy, learn how to succeed as an entrepreneur, develop personal financial management skills and commit to ethical business practices. Whether helping struggling entrepreneurs learn how to develop business plans or obtain credit, to counseling a group of apple farmers how to organize and reach larger markets, the SIFE team designed projects that had an immediate impact.

SIFE Albania’s tourism project helped 17 hotels boost bookings by establishing on-line reservations. “At first the tour operators in the south didn’t understand the power of the internet, or why they should have on-line booking,” explains SIFE team president, Orkidea Xhaferaj. ”But then they got it and that was a great feeling.”

The team’s results impressed judges at the Student’s in Free Enterprise (SIFE) World Cup held this year in New York. Reading from the judges comments, “’Outstanding projects and presentation’, ‘Loved your spirit’, ‘Ambitious projects that are making a difference’,” quotes Jorida Tabaku, SIFE Albania Executive Director, “When top executives of companies like Campbell Soup, CVS, or Rite Aid give feedback like that,” he beams, “it really means something.”

Since 1996 USAID has supported the Albanian SIFE program to provide students and faculty with the opportunity to create links with businesses and learn the practical aspects of business while benefiting the community involved in the projects. This is the fourth year that USAID’s Participant Training Program assisted with airfare for the SIFE Albania team to attend these international competitions.