Accelerate Impact with PRUKSA Project Promotes Sustainable Social Enterprises to Create a Community and Society Where People Live Well

The Accelerate Impact with PRUKSA project supports 5 social enterprises to grow robustly and sustainably, working together to create a living environment where people can live well and happily, positively impacting society by reducing income inequality and providing elderly individuals with new purposes in life.

Mr. Uthen Lohachitpitak, CEO of Pruksa Holding Public Company Limited, stated that Pruksa aims to create a living environment where people can live well and happily while fostering sustainable communities. This is the motivation behind the Accelerate Impact with PRUKSA project, which supports organizations with clear business models and social goals to grow independently and create a positive impact on society. Pruksa provides funding, knowledge development, and consulting, as well as business development tools and a network of entrepreneurs, all of which are crucial for business growth.

The Accelerate Impact with PRUKSA project is being held for the first time, focusing on two key issues: reducing income inequality and providing elderly individuals with new purposes in life. A total of 70 organizations expressed interest in participating in the project, with the selected organizations being Happy Grocers, an e-commerce platform connecting farmers directly with consumers; Buddy Homecare, a social enterprise caring for the elderly; Local Alike, a community-based tourism startup; Vulcan Coalition, a social enterprise enhancing employment for people with disabilities through technology; and findTEMP, a platform linking part-time employees with employers. All five organizations received a total of 6 million baht in support from the project.

“Many organizations face funding and knowledge barriers to developing their businesses. This project has unlocked the issues that were holding them back. Although the project duration has only been 4-5 months, all organizations have utilized what Pruksa provided to achieve success. For example:

• Happy Grocers has increased its revenue by 20 times, with over 100 farming households receiving support, while positively impacting the environment by increasing green space by 860 rai.
• Buddy Homecare has provided scholarships and jobs to 26 youth in need, while 78% of underprivileged elderly individuals have received health care and improved quality of life.
• Local Alike has supported over 40 local communities, promoting them to attract tourists, generating over 350,000 baht in income for local communities in the first quarter of this year.
• Vulcan Coalition anticipates that in 2023, it will create jobs for 100 people with disabilities and generate an expected economic value of 12,000,000 baht.
• findTEMP has doubled the job opportunities for part-time employees through training and certification as food handlers, generating over 480,000 baht in income and increasing the number of employers by 6 companies.

We are pleased to have helped these organizations take a step forward to continue delivering good things to society,” Mr. Uthen said.

Mr. Janwit Wisojasangram, co-founder of Buddy Homecare, said, “In social enterprise work, founders usually have to do everything themselves. If there is no budget, it limits our ability to create an impact on society. We are glad to see a large company like Pruksa prioritizing this issue. Initially, we thought they would only support funding, but after discussions, we realized that Pruksa genuinely wants to address social issues from the root and support social enterprises to develop their potential effectively. We are grateful to have a mentor from a large business walking alongside us, providing methods, ideas, listening, and helping us adjust our business model towards sustainability, which is a new and very important dimension.”

Mr. Thanawat Thiantongnukul, co-founder of findTEMP, expressed his feelings about the project, saying, “We are happy that Pruksa recognizes the importance of social enterprises and is helping to create a greater impact. This allows students who lack resources to work while also providing employers with ready-to-work employees. Participating in this project has made us more determined about our goals. The project provides knowledge and follows up on how we apply that knowledge to develop ourselves, whether we succeed or not, and gives feedback. We have gained clarity about ourselves; initially, we thought achieving our goals would take 1 year, but this project has helped us exceed our targets in just 3-4 months.”

Ms. Methavee Tasanasetthakrit, co-founder of Vulcan Coalition, shared her thoughts on the opportunity gained from participating in the project, saying, “Upon learning that we were selected, I felt this was a great opportunity because we are about to launch a new service that will allow people with disabilities to work alongside AI to assist businesses in answering questions. Being part of this project has provided us with coaching and valuable business perspectives. Initially, we were unclear about who our customers were, but Pruksa helped clarify that for us, identifying our customer group, their needs, and how we differ from the market. We also received funding to pursue our intended projects, such as training programs for people with disabilities and a work platform for them, which will improve their quality of life.”