More than 2,000 students from 111 schools around the Kingdom have taken part in the Enterprise Business Challenge (EBC), implemented for the 10th year in a row by INJAZ, a local non-profit in Jordan, in partnership with the Prince’s Trust International (PTI).

As part of the strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education, the challenge’s Grand Finals were held online; in which the teams, "Team Ship” from Mashrek International School in Amman, "IT” from Bent Odai Comprehensive Secondary School for Girls in Amman, and "Alyaqeen” from Bushra Secondary School for Girls in Irbid, have won the first three places, respectively, according to an INJAZ statement.

A total of 13 teams were nominated to the Grand Finals of the ECB out of 131 teams that participated in the regionals; and the competitions gave students a chance to conduct experiments with their mentors and teachers throughout the programme’s duration.

The mentors contributed in teaching the students about the terminology of the business world and entrepreneurship, how to conduct business and how to work together as a team to take proper decisions, utilise points of strength and overcome any hurdles down the road through innovation and technology, the statement said.

"Team Ship” presented the project "Eco Road”, which aims to provide and establish a better source of electricity, which is simultaneously efficient and safe for the environment.

"Eco Road’s” idea is based on energy generators that provide power in untraditional ways, including the construction of special road pumps that transform kinetic energy into electricity from cars and other vehicles, which supports the Jordanian economy as well.

In this way, the project attempts to achieve equality among people; as the environmentally friendly road provides free electricity to the underprivileged with limited incomes.

"Team IT” presented a device with various features; all of which focus on one factor, which is investing food surplus and turning leftovers into organic fertiliser.

Leftovers are put in the device, which in three hours turns it into fertiliser, which is then put in soil to go back to plants once more; benefiting vegetation and preserving the environment and thus reducing food waste.

The team mentioned that food waste exists in every sector, constituting 25 per cent in houses, 18 per cent in restaurants, 8 per cent in supermarkets, and 6 pre cent in foodstuffs making in factories, which results in around a $75 billion of food, wasted, which is enough to feed 32 countries in the world threatened with food shortage, according to the statement.

For their part, Alyaqeen presented the project "Made with Love”, which aims to make profit and help gharimat (indebted women) from underprivileged families, who had to borrow an amount of money to open their own projects to help support their families or teach their children, but could not pay the loans back.

The project provides the gharimat with raw material to make and sell gifts and accessories, in addition to marketing the products and selling them through an online shop on social media sites.

Moreover, the project will work sustainably through allocating part of the profits to the indebted women and another to develop and sustain the project, according to the statement.

The ECB was implemented this year in cooperation with the Women’s Leadership, Empowerment, Access and Protection in Crisis Response (LEAP) project, which is supported by the Canadian government, in addition to the Mashrek International School.

It included specialised training for students in the field of project management, with the help of teachers and volunteers, eligible and trained to introduce students to the basic concepts in the entrepreneurship world, how to build effective strategies, and encouraging them to practise these concepts through the interactive computer games. 

INJAZ works continuously on developing and implementing a series of curricular and extracurricular programmes and activities for students in schools, universities, colleges, youth centres, vocational training institutes and private centres, according to the statement.

Injaz also utilises the mySTARTUP business incubator for students and graduate entrepreneurs interested in developing and establishing their start-ups through partnerships with the private and public sectors, and civil society institutions, in order to build the skills of young people, inspire them and prepare them to become effective members of their society and succeed in their careers, the statement said.

PTI was founded by the Prince of Wales to tackle the global crisis of youth unemployment and has been supporting young people worldwide since 2015, concluded the statement.