The Leftover Project is a project that asks for leftover items such as clothes, bags, shoes, toys, or even recycled items such as paper and plastic to change the items to have value again, whether it is reusing, reselling, or recycling. It is also considered a way to support scholarships for underprivileged children.
Mana Social Enterprise Co., Ltd. operates a recycling business, selling all types of waste materials by promoting careers for the underprivileged in society, such as the disabled, people with health problems, people who have gone through drug rehabilitation, and ex-convicts. They aim to solve social problems like various charitable foundations, but have a way to generate income like a business, in order to use the income to solve social problems, develop communities, or the environment.
Now, the admin will take us to get to know a company that sees another problem in society that many people may have heard of before. This company is a company that accepts leftover items and accepts leftover people as well. The things that you don’t use anymore, this company will take and create new value again. The same goes for people, people that others say have no value. They will make those people valuable again. Let’s get to know this company through an interview with Mr. Chokchai Leewijit, the founder of Mana Social Enterprise Co., Ltd.
“A starting point that depends on more than one factor”
Starting a business or any project requires many events to support those things. Mr. Chokchai said that he used to work as a public relations officer for the Nokkamin Foundation , which is a Christian organization that provides care and support to orphans, street children, underprivileged children, the elderly, and drug addicts. He tried to invite many people to join in donating so that he could be a giver and create opportunities for children and the underprivileged, but many people often told him, “Wait until I win the lottery,” or “Wait until I get rich.”
“Participating in helping society does not necessarily mean donating a large sum of money.”
Everyone often thinks that in order to help society, they must have extra money before they can donate it to help society. But in reality, no one in that society expects that people will donate a large amount of money. Just visiting and seeing the importance of the foundation’s work is already great. Mr. Chokchai therefore felt that he had to do something to make everyone feel that everyone can actually participate in taking responsibility for society by starting with small things in our daily lives.
“Everyone says to wait until I’m rich, but we don’t think you have to be rich to help. So whatever everyone has left over, give it to us, and we will make these things useful for society.”
Another event that was a factor in Chokchai turning to do community enterprise business was when a project that was about teaching vocational skills to children was closed down. An uncle was working there. He had a history of drug addiction and had been in a rehabilitation center since he was a teenager until he was 45 years old. He worked there the whole time. When the project closed down, he didn’t know what to do. At that time, Chokchai received an opportunity from the foundation to study recycling at the master’s level. This event turned out to be very good timing.
“We will create value for your already less valuable things.”
Since the project that my uncle was working on was closed and the area was still empty, I took the opportunity to use that area to start a project and create a career for my uncle. At first, I didn’t think about donating anything, I just thought about giving my uncle a job. So, Mr. Chokchai gave my uncle money to go buy things, saying that the reason for buying things was to sort them and sell them to earn money to help children and society. After doing this for a while, I tried to present this project to the foundation, but many people didn’t agree. So, Mr. Chokchai asked to separate from the foundation and opened Mana Social Enterprise Co., Ltd., registered as a social enterprise in 2018, by bringing underprivileged people in society, such as drug addicts, ex-prisoners, or people with health problems, to join the work.
“Less trading, more giving”
After working in this format for a while, instead of having to buy things all the time, sales decreased because the vendors knew that the company bought things to help society and the underprivileged. They began to change from selling to giving instead. At the same time, the company had public relations to create a culture of giving. The company made other people understand that leftover items, or items that you think are no longer useful to you, can be given to Mana Social Enterprise Co., Ltd. because the company can make these items useful again.
Leftover Project
“The Leftover Project: We ask for things you no longer need in order to create value and generate income to solve social problems.”
Mr. Chokchai said that many of the people he works with are people who used to be seen as problems or trash in society. Therefore, whatever is left over, the company will ask for it to be put to use. For those who society sees as no longer usable, the company will ask for them and the company will show them that they can work, have careers, and be useful to society.
Project model leftovers
The Lek Khaw project comes from the fact that people who join are often viewed in that way. So the company asks them to join to work together to help society. So in the same format, leftover items, clothes of all ages, books, bags, shoes, old and new electrical appliances, toys, all general items, even recycled materials like paper or plastic, the company accepts them all, except for new furniture such as cabinets or beds that are larger than 1.20 meters because our storage space is very limited. In addition, there is a Lek Khaw project that travels in the area around Bangkok, no more than 200 kilometers, in nearby provinces, such as Ayutthaya, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Prachin Buri, etc. All of which are needs of everyone who wants to share and participate in helping society.
What do you take with you next?
Mr. Chokchai explained that the items received for donations will first go through a sorting process because the items received are both new and unused. They will be sorted to determine whether they are suitable for children or not. If they are suitable for children, the items will be sent to the Baan Nokkamin Foundation because the company still works with the foundation. If the items are new but not suitable for children, the company has an online sales page called Share Shopping, which will live-sell these items to raise money for children’s scholarships.
“Share Shopping is the beginning of Share Market for Social Enterprises.”
Creating a Share Shopping sales page also paves the way to the offline market for being a Share Market to create market space for other community enterprises or people who want to sell products and use the money to help society but do not have a place to advertise to come and use this space together. Everyone will be able to immediately know that this market is a market for buying and selling to help society.
“The screening process is not just about selecting things, but also about selecting people.”
In addition to selling, new items received are used to help disadvantaged groups, such as Burmese people who have fled the unrest. Used items are sold as second-hand items, broken or damaged items are recycled, and items that can no longer be used are picked up by a biomass power plant, which provides scholarships to the children in return. This process is like screening people who will join the company. How determined they are and how much they want to change their lives can be seen from this process.
“Basically, everyone wants to be a good person. They just need to have friends and a society that truly accepts them.”
Even though all the staff and personnel were disadvantaged or were not accepted by society before, but when they started working for society here, they were very dedicated and determined because they knew what they were doing, they were doing it for. They hoped to change their own lives as well. One thing about working here, Mr. Chokchai said that he did not expect to get compensation, but wanted the disadvantaged or those who had made mistakes in their lives to change themselves, stand up and fight again. So the company went in to give them a chance and be their friend.
“How can I work with people like this?”
Mr. Chokchai said that people have asked him how he works with underprivileged people, former drug addicts, former prisoners, or people who are not accepted by society. In fact, the process is not much. Mr. Chokchai will tell them from the beginning that he hires them because he still sees that they can be useful to the company and others, not because he feels sorry for them or wants to help them. If they want to work, want to stand in society with their own strength and ability, work here with determination. From this starting point, they will not feel inferior. They will feel that they can earn money and also help society. These things will be a process that changes their thinking every day.
Conclusion
The important thing in doing social enterprise business is to maintain a good balance between being a social enterprise business and charity because charity means giving everything, helping anyone in need. But in being a social enterprise, too much charity may cause the company to fail. In the end, we will become another problem for society.
“Seeing people’s lives improve, and there are changes, is really a happy thing.”
What social enterprises do is provide employment, create careers, and give them the opportunity to stand on their own feet in society.
Everyone who wants to do social enterprises already has a heart to help society 100%. Like Mr. Chokchai himself, when he saw the change, saw the growth of those who were given the opportunity, he was happy. It is the happiness that comes from truly helping society. From people who came in empty-handed, with no place to live, they have the strength to go out and find a place to live by themselves, have supplies in their room, can help themselves, and are not in difficulty. When you look at these things, it is the happiness of being able to truly help.
Turning Things into “Opportunities” | The Practical Sustainability “Friend” Enterprises for Society
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Contact channels
Mana Social Enterprise Co., Ltd.
No. 89/12 Soi Seri Thai 17, Seri Thai Road, Khlong Kum Subdistrict, Bueng Kum District, Bangkok 10240
Tel: 02-375-5392, 093-930-7738, 094-940-0606, 088-077-0330
Fax: 02-375-5392
Email: maana-se@hotmail.com
Business hours:
Monday – Saturday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM,
Sunday 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM (only for donations at the office)
Supported by the Office of Social Enterprise Promotion (OSEP)
