SEKEM

The organization SEKEM (Ancient Egyptian: 'vitality from the sun') was founded in 1977 by the Egyptian pharmacologist and social entrepreneur Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish in order to bring about cultural renewal in Egypt on a sustainable basis. Located northeast of Cairo, the organization now includes:
biodynamic farms;
trading companies for produce and processed foods (Hator and Libra), herbal teas and beauty products (ISIS Organic), medicinal herbs and medicines (ATOS Pharma), and organic cotton products (NatureTex);
a medical center;
a school based on the principles of Waldorf pedagogy open to pupils from any religious or ethnic background;
a community school catering specifically to the needs of children from disadvantaged groups;
a nursery
a vocational training center;
a college (Mahad Adult Education Training Institute) and research center (SEKEM Academy for Applied Art and Sciences);
Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development

SEKEM's goals are to "restore and maintain the vitality of the soil and food as well as the biodiversity of nature" through sustainable, organic agriculture and to support social and cultural development in Egypt. and began increasingly to seek to extend its "experience and acquired knowledge" to other countries, including India, Palestine, Senegal, Turkey, and in partnership with the Fountain Foundation South Africa.

All SEKEM companies have a policy of ensuring transparency in the production, distribution and consumption of their goods. They work to ensure fair and secure prices for the farmers supplying them, basing their operations on the principle that the health of the economy depends upon producers, distributors and consumers cooperating to generate stable businesses. An adult education center, MAHAD, that offers professional trainings as well as continuing education programs in a variety of areas. The organization has been cited as a successful example of social entrepreneurship that has had a significant impact on Egyptian society both through its influence on the country's agricultural practices and through its educational and cultural institutions. Furthermore, Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish and his Son Helmy were named Social Entrepreneurs of the year 2003 by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, and Well known business schools like IESE and CIDA City Campus use various case studies (e. g. Harvard Business Press to illustrate this novel approach to sustainable social entrepreneurship. Recent visitors included the first lady of Egypt, Suzanne Mubarak, a group from the Fulbright Commission in Egypt, the former Federal Minister of the Interior of Germany, Otto Schily and the founder of the Witten/Herdecke University Dr. Konrad Schily (a former member of the German Bundestag).