I just spent the week with an social entrepreneur from South Africa. Steve Carver has helped create Eden Campus – the first green business school in South Africa.

It’s an incredible vision – free tuition to impoverished Africans – elected by their villages. The school has an great entrepreneurial mission. The students built their own campus, starting out under a mango tree, renovating a building, and paying for their education through entrepreneurial activities.

In partnership with Nelson Mandela University, Eden campus is providing a high quality, real world business education – creating value for the entire community.



This isn’t a charity – it is designed to be fully self sustaining through business created and run by students. Steve’s vision is to help start 15 schools by 2015. From the website:

This Campus exists to educate leaders who can bring consensus, cooperation and innovative strategies to the worldwide issues of poverty and land use which eventually impact on all of us. We have actively recruited the leading students from 38 disadvantaged and rural communities in the region. After completing their studies, Eden Campus graduates return to their homes in rural areas in an effort to share their knowledge of ethical business practices, sustainable agricultural techniques, and strong sense of values with others in their communities.

Students and teachers from Minnesota State University – Mankato will be visiting the campus this May.

Find out how to get involved at http://www.edencampus.co.za/.

This entry was posted by Mike Nolan, on Saturday, February 2, 2008. You can leave your response.