Lim Jing Ying (left) and Justine Lee (right) stand in front of their pushcart at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, where they first started selling their flip flops.

It’s been a year since the SIF’s Young Social Entrepreneurs (YSE) 2010 programme ended, and many of the groups who participated have gone on to develop their social enterprises. We take a look at SIF’s social innovators and how they are helping to build a better world.

Soule

The winning group of YSE 2010 has only gone from strength to strength since March last year. The group of three Ngee Ann Polytechnic students (John Lim, Lim Jing Ying and Justine Lee)  started with a stall in their school selling specially-designed flip flops. For every pair of flip flops purchased, local shoe boutique ‘Sole Makers’ donates a pair to underprivileged school children in China.

Since March last year, Soule has launched a new line of rompers for infants, Baby Soule, in partnership with a local retailer known as Babyware. Sales go towards a fund aimed at helping infants from low-income families in Singapore.

Another milestone for Soule was their first ever shoe drop which took place on 26 September 2010. They collected 309 pairs of school shoes which were donated to children from Quan Nei Xiang Elementary School in Lincang, China.

“The YSE programme has benefited us greatly. We learnt so much about how to run a social enterprise and how to measure its impact,” says Justine Lee, one of the group members.

“YSE also made us believe that it is possible for young people like ourselves to be social entrepreneurs. It made us understand that social entrepreneurship is about having the mind of a businessman but a heart of a social worker.”

* Click here to find out more about the SIF's Young Social Entrepreneurs programme.