SEKEM Development Foundation

SEKEM Development Foundation is a non-profit non-governmental organisation founded in 1984. SDF was established as part of SEKEM Initiative, which has been pioneering a world-renowned model of sustainable community and enterprise in Egypt since 1977. SDF vision combines teaching, research and practice with a unique humanistic core programme that aims to develop curious and creative minds. SDF Mission is to achieve sustainable development (SD) while assuming corporate social responsibility and human development.

SEKEM Social Innovation Centre engages in multi-disciplinary, collaborative research that aims to address burning social, economic, and environmental issues in an innovative and transformative way. The Centre has an action-oriented focus on local and global impact, with the goal to lead the renewal of enterprise and community in Egypt and the world.

Currently, SDF is regarded as an outstanding world-class, social entrepreneurship good practice. In 2003, the Right Livelihood Foundation awarded SEKEM Foundation the prestigious “Alternative Nobel Prize”. Serving its goals, SDF participated in:

• RCE Cairo: to network Companies, Academia, NGOs and GOs within the 61 RCEs worldwide network
• ’13-Villages- Project’, funded by the EU, initiating material, financial, and social developments that have shaped the life and work circumstances of the rural population in lasting ways, including running vocational training programmes for unemployed youth in the surrounding villages.

SDF is a partner in FP7-INCO “MED SPRING: The Mediterranean Science, Policy, Research & Innovation Gateway’ for defining the new reality of the Euro-Mediterranean policy focusing on 3-societal challenges, including High-Quality Affordable Food and tackling policy objectives via creating bi-regional dialogues and coordination platform.

In 2012, SEKEM was the founding member of the Global Ecovillage Network in Africa, GEN AFRICA. In 2016, SEKEM became a founding member of the 1st Egyptian Agri-Food Alliance. Also, SDF is a member in several EU & international organizations, i.e. DEMETER/ FAIR-TRADE/ IFOAM/ Schwab/ Ashoka/ EOSTA. In 2015, SEKEM awarded the UNCCD Award ‘Land for Life’ and become an active partner in its global initiative “Belt and Road” for fighting desertification.