Jodey Adrian Foster, president of the Enactus team on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus, is over the moon. This is after Ford selected his team to attend the Enactus international competition in Puerto Rico.

The NWU participated in the national competition on 14 July at the Sandton Convention Centre. The Central University of Technology won the national competition and will represent South Africa and compete in the international competition in Puerto Rico.

Jodey’s team project, Tala Loha, was one of the four finalists in the Ford C3 Building Sustainable Communities Project Partnership competition. As team president for this project, Jodey was selected by Ford to attend the international competition.

The Ford sponsored initiative mobilises Enactus teams to empower communities by addressing critical community needs. Enactus teams are required to design and develop programmes and initiatives that address critical community needs in new ways, focusing on helping communities become more sustainable places to work and live in. 

The Tala Loha project, known as a social enterprise, came into full existence at the beginning of this year. Participants in the project sew, knit and crochet plastic bags into final products, including fashionable bags and hats that could be sold for profit. The aim is to reduce plastic waste harmful to the environment. 

Jodey says Sharpeville township's rich history inspired the project. "We realised that Sharpeville has a vibrant history based on the massacre on 21 March 1960, which has been commemorated as Human Rights Day in South Africa since 1994.

“This has made Sharpeville a tourist attraction, but over the years it has become a dumping ground for waste. With the innovative and creative minds of myself and my team, we decided to take action to resolve this issue, and that's how Tala Loha was created. Through Tala Loha, we collect plastic objects and give them a second life through upcycling," explains Jody.

The 21-year-old third-year student says when he got elected as president of the Enactus team on the Vanderbijlpark Campus in 2021, he set some personal goals, one of which was to empower and impact the youth and community members around the university.

Jodey, who is completing a BA degree in industrial and organisational psychology and labour relations management, is part of the top 15% achievers in his course and a Golden Key student. He is also the deputy chairperson and secretary-general of Reclifestyle and a supplementary instruction leader for second-year students in the module Positive Psychology.

He says despite all his achievements, being a finalist in the Enactus competition is the greatest achievement he has ever accomplished.  

"Being selected to go to San Juan in Puerto Rico has to be the greatest achievement and highlight of my entire life and career. I'm super excited to be going to a different continent and country. I personally give God all the glory; I couldn't possibly have done this without His grace and mercy upon my life. I am super proud of myself for what I've achieved thus far, and I wholeheartedly believe that this is just the start of greatness; there's much more to come," he says.

His message to other students who aspire to follow in his footsteps?

"Never doubt yourself. Never doubt your ability to achieve greatness and always remember that your hard work, determination, dedication, and consistency are what it takes to achieve your desired goals. No matter what obstacles you may come across, never allow them to determine your destiny," advises Jodey.

Johann Landsberg, the faculty advisor for Enactus NWU, commended the Enactus NWU teams for their passion for making a positive difference in their communities.

"The teams work very hard to understand the needs of their communities and to come up with ideas to address these needs and create jobs. I am very proud of each Enactus NWU team member, especially the three executive teams who walk the extra mile to ensure that the project succeeds and the community benefits.

“The teams will do even better at the next Enactus national competition. Their success would not have been possible without the guidance and assistance of the co-faculty advisors, Dr Schalk van Schalkwyk and Gift Ndlovu in Mahikeng, Dr Lerato Mohalajeng in Potchefstroom, and Annelie Steenkamp in Vanderbijlpark."

Jodey Adrian Foster

The NWU Vanderbijlpark Campus Enactus team.