S3IDF

S3IDF goes to the Boston Green Academy

S³IDF visited students at Boston Green Academy to deliver presentations about our organization, scope of work, and our use of clean energy to two physics classes. Boston Green Academy is a school currently based in what is formally known as South Boston High School in South Boston. The students are selected on a competitive basis and are provided with a rigorous course-load that prepares them to apply to colleges and further their education.

Apart from discussing our Social Merchant Bank Approach^SM (SMBA^SM) and the specific nuances of our work, we emphasized our passion for providing sources of clean energy and getting our beneficiaries to adopt these sustainable sources for their daily activities in the workplace and at home.

Our initial discussion with the students started with the meaning of infrastructure from S³IDF’s point of view. What does it mean when we promise adequate access to basic infrastructure services? What does it mean to be “off the grid”? The students were given a bleak scenario that characterizes many of our beneficiaries’ lives – having little or no access to financial services, technology, and/or energy – which gave them much to reflect on. Students asked questions that ranged from discussing how our funds are used to facilitate interactions between the poor and commercial lending institutions, what clean energy sources can be used for by our beneficiaries, and what kind of an impact we have made in our projects. We also elaborated on our impact and what it means for us as an organization – our beneficiaries gain enough income with our assistance that they can become regular consumers and producers in society.

We also would like to give a special thanks to Ms. Erica Wilson, the physics teacher who invited us to present for her two classes. We had a great time presenting S³IDF’s work and interacting with the students and faculty of Boston Green Academy. We hope to visit again, to continue educating others about our work in the near future!