The Nelsons Lead: Grassroots Leadership through Global Learning
In partnership with Rise Village International, StreetBiz Foundation (South Africa) will launch an impactful leadership development initiative supported by a donation from GAIA.
Information and Description: StreetBiz
The project supports 20 young South African changemakers—called The Nelsons—to enroll in the Open Society University Network (OSUN) course on Social Entrepreneurship (August–December 2025). This is our third year of access to OSUN’s global education platform. An additional course, Leading Change for Sustainability, runs January–May annually.
Each Nelson will participate in weekly online classes, develop and pitch a real-world social impact project, and receive feedback from faculty and students at 12 global universities. The most promising projects will be implemented across five South African provinces, focusing on local innovation and community upliftment.
Needs
- Tuition funding for 20 participants in the OSUN programme
- Laptop procurement and configuration for online learning (licensed, locally set up)
- Monthly data provision to ensure access to weekly classes
- Project implementation support for selected initiatives in 5 provinces
- Monitoring and evaluation tools to track outcomes and share results
Area covered
The 20 Nelsons will implement refined project plans in five provinces across South Africa, with a focus on underserved urban and rural communities.
Financial
The GAIA donation will directly cover:
- Tuition fees for 20 students
- Laptop hardware and local configuration
- Data access for online participation
- Implementation costs for local projects
- Reporting, impact measurement, and communication
- Aim to raise 3300.- CHF
The financial contribution from GAIA is essential to enabling this powerful combination of global learning and local leadership.
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