CURRENT PROJECT
SOCIAL INNOVATION FOR POVERTY ERADICATION (SIPER)
RM 7,874.50
Total Target Amount
RM 200,000
Note: Income Tax Act 1967 Subsection 44(6): Gift of money (cash) to any approved institutions or organisations are entitled for tax deduction (7% of aggregate income for individuals and 10% of aggregate income for companies).
Poverty is a serious challenge among UniMAP students whose family members earn less than RM1500 monthly. More than 50 percent of UniMAP’s students are in this category. UniMAP encourages and develops many innovations through its translational research which may be of benefits to this group. Since poverty background influences a student’s success, self-esteem and health, a team of 7 students of UniMAP takes a very bold approach in overcoming the poverty challenge. The team identified an innovation, called an Affordable Recirculating Aquaculture System (ARAS), which would overcome students’ lack of income through a social entrepreneurship model. ARAS is a low cost system to build and operate which reduces the use of resources, namely water, energy, space and labor to breed high value and highly demand fish called “Jade Perch”. Under the supervision of UniMAP entrepreneurial mentors, including its alumni, the participants and team members undergo five modules, including entrepreneurship and technical. The project, on average, could generate a student’s income of RM105,200 per year with a payback period of 1.5 years. Through SIPER, each participant is required to train another student with poor family background in Jade Perch farming using ARAS. In three years, this Social Entrepreneurship Initiative could create more entrepreneurs among students and the community with the total economic value and net profit of RM47.34 million. Social Innovation for Poverty Eradication Program uses ARAS developed by UniMAP in creating positive social, economic and environmental impact. This program is scalable and viable to be implemented among students at UniMAP, community, and economic deprived community.
