high-impact learning
Senior brings sweeter life to African village FABIA ROTHENFLUH ’12
Major: Economics
An unexpected thing happened to Fabia Rothenfluh’s Hometown: Kuessnacht, Switzerland golf game when she returned from two months of service learning in South Africa: Suddenly, she was crushing it. “It’s almost like I found an inner balance,” said Rothenfluh, who plays for the women’s golf team. “Golf am really passionate about helping people, but I am not helped me with the service work, and service work helped a fan of handouts,” she said. “I believe in helping people me with the golf. You can’t control what has already happened. to be self-sufficient and to earn their own living.” You can just focus on the next thing and look for solutions instead of problems.” Chosen by ThinkImpact Innovation Institute in Washington, The limited funding required the group to be creative. As RothenDC to join a select group of 30 entrepreneurial scholars, Rothenfluh fluh wrote in the blog she posted during her service, they didn’t set a goal to train villagers to launch their own businesses. And they have proper utensils such as rolling pins, whisks, or cookware, so would do so with only 200 rand—roughly $33. they had to improvise, baking muffins in a sardine tin. “After all,” “I am really passionate about helping people, but I am not a she wrote, “difficult situations call for innovative solutions, and we fan of handouts,” she said. “I believe in helping people to be selfwill do our best to start businesses from scratch and grow them sufficient and to earn their own living.” from very small—even if it means baking muffins in can halves The first step after acclimating to life in the remote village of over the fire.” Huntingdon (bucket showers and limited electricity) was for her Despite the challenges, Sunshine Bakery procured a building and a partner from North Carolina State University to brainstorm to work in and quickly generated the greatest marketing tool of business ideas with community members. Soon, they had a group all: local buzz. “Sometimes they are in a larger town nearby and of 10 women and a sweet idea: the Sunshine Bakery. they email me,” Rothenfluh said. “They’re still baking and still “It was a good business plan to sell to the local people so very proud.” they didn’t have to travel to town for bread and meat pies,” This social entrepreneurship experience has inspired Rothenfluh Rothenfluh said. to apply to graduate schools to study economics, sociology, and None of the local women had operated a business before, so inequality in international development. ■ they had to learn accounting, sales, and even baking from scratch.
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