Masters Computer Science student, Sange Mafinyongwana, is looking forward to representing the country overseas at the Enactus World Cup next month.
Mr Mafinyongwana led his group, LenoKids who represented UWC at the annual Enactus South Africa National Exposition at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg in July.
He is also the president of the UWC IT Society.
“At the exposition, we presented a gamified WhatsApp Chatbot platform, LenoKids, which helps kids improve their English language skills through engaging classes, games, storytelling, and handwriting exercises. Our team was then selected as a top 4 finalist and received 5 000 dollars (around R95 200 on Monday September 4) in project funding along with a prestigious trophy,” he said.
UWC is part of Enactus SA, which is an international organisation that brings together students, academic and business leaders who use the power of entrepreneurship to create a better and more sustainable world, according to Wendy Mehl, UWC faculty advisor for the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
When asked what some of the hurdles the group had to overcome when creating and presenting the app, Mr Mafinyongwana said: “The challenges we faced leading up to and during the expo mainly revolved around preparing our presentation and ensuring that our project’s impact and potential were effectively communicated.
“We had to align our messaging, create visually appealing materials, and rehearse our presentation multiple times to ensure a smooth delivery. Additionally, we managed to overcome them through effective teamwork and communication.”
Mr Mafinyongwana then heard that he and Ms Mehl were selected for the Enactus World Cup in Utrecht in the Netherlands from Tuesday October 17 to Friday October 20 to compete against 31 countries.
Mr Mafinyongwana will join the Enactus SA team at the world cup and will also represent the Central University of Technology.
“I’m looking ahead to the next round of the competition overseas and I am excited to represent LenoKids and UWC on an international stage. I’m looking forward to learning from other Enactus teams from around the world, sharing our project’s success, and gaining valuable insights into how we can further improve and expand our initiative.
“It’s also an opportunity to showcase the impact that young people can make in their communities through innovative projects like LenoKids,” he said.
“I was extremely proud of the group’s achievement of putting UWC on the map and driving a transformative entrepreneurial agenda. They are surely ambassadors carrying the flag. At UWC, the Enactus team is a critical pathway for the university to develop students entrepreneurial leadership,” said UWC Director for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Abraham Oliver.
