By: Holly Drake
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Connie Tynes had no idea that she would be literally saving lives when she first joined the Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team at Regent University.
It was a small group of 20 students who chose to spend their free time gaining hands-on experience in the field of entrepreneurship and business, and learning about social responsibility.
When they heard about the food crisis in Niger that was escalating to near famine status again last year, the students decided they wanted to help.
The SIFE team's faculty sponsor, Dr. Greg Stone, challenged the students, "What can a little band of students do to impact the world?"
The answer soon became clear-they can do a great deal.
"Our mission is to help people improve their lives through free enterprise," explained Connie, who heads up the Niger project. "When the opportunity to help people escape hunger came along, we were all for it."
The students developed a solid business plan that eventually won a grant from Campbell Soup Company's "Let's Can Hunger" challenge.
They struck up a partnership with Operation Blessing-focusing on OBI's hunger relief project that develops seed banks in parts of Niger where people are struggling to survive.
Since 2006, Operation Blessing has been developing seed banks that purchase grain from the villagers during the harvest season, and then during the dry season or times of famine, the banks sell grain back to the villagers at an affordable price.
Each seed bank developed by OBI serves around 700 people, and in those communities, there have been no hunger related deaths.
According to Connie, the opportunity to help people avoid starvation has become part of the identity of the entire SIFE team.
"I feel a personal connection to the project," she said. "Knowing that we're changing the world now-not just when we graduate-is incredible."
The students used their grant money to set up a variety of projects-everything from collecting coins on campus to a local go-cart racing event-to help them raise enough money to fund the construction of a brand new seed bank in Niger.
The team has reached that goal, and they are already well on their way to funding a second seed bank.
"We're blessed to know that when those people go to sleep, they won't go to sleep hungry," said Connie. "We've been blessed to help people in need."
And the SIFE team isn't anywhere near finished yet.
"It's empowering for us as students," Connie said. "We're in this for the long haul."