story by Kara Adkins

video by Will Seitz

In order to raise money and spread the love for Valentine’s Day, IB economic classes sold candy grams during lunch periods to be delivered to the recipient’s fourth period class.

All proceeds from the candy grams went to Kiva, an organization dedicated to giving loans to the poor to assist them in starting their own businesses and build revenue. With the dedication of many IB economic students, this project turned out to be quite a success.

“We went through a lot of difference options, ideas, processes but eventually settled on the Valentine’s Day thing because it is simple, it is well developed, and we have seen it work in middle schools so we assumed it would work similarly well in high schools with a different twist using candies instead of carnations” junior and project CEO Monica Blazek said.

This project not only helped many in poverty but also went along with concepts in economics. This project helped the students learn how to manage a business and required much planning. They had to make a proposal in order to get this project running and even elected officers in order to show them the parts that go into an actual business.

Kiva is different than most charity organizations because you are not just giving money; you are investing in their business and helping them create a better life for themselves. It is not just a donation like most other organizations; it is a loan to get small businesses started for entrepreneurs. And with 97 percent of these microloans being returned, this process is proven to be effective.

“This way is very effective…if the government got the money they really don’t have a motive except for getting reelected, but if people have it they know they have to make their own living so not only do we learn but they learn how to use their money as well,” junior Geetika Rao said.

This project has taught the students lessons in and outside of class. Not only has it helped them understand concepts related to managing a business but it has also made them grateful for the opportunity given to help those in need.

“It is good to be able to help out people in other countries that don’t have the same opportunities that we have to get their economy started. It’s cool to have the opportunity to raise money for them and allow them to start businesses and get their economy going in their own country,” junior Sarah Pye said.

The candy gram project was a proven success and the hard work of the IB economic students paid off in the end. Even though to buyers it was just $1.50 invested in some candy, to somebody in another country it was $1.50 invested towards his or her future. All together students raised $145.41.

“If you give a man fish he will eat for one day but if you teach a man to fish he will eat for a lifetime so by using their own innovation, their own personal skills and passions to pull themselves out of poverty, they can do it for the rest of their lives and then for the generations after them,” Blazek said.