Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs who we recognize to have innovative solutions to social problems and the potential to change patterns across society. They demonstrate unrivaled commitment to bold new ideas and prove that compassion, creativity, and collaboration are tremendous forces for change. Ashoka Fellows work in over 60 countries around the globe in every area of human need.

All Ashoka Fellows must undergo a rigorous search and selection process in which they demonstrate that they fully meet Ashoka’s selection criteria. Visit the Ashoka-Global website to learn more about the search and selection process and the selection criteria.

Ashoka Southern Africa began electing South African leading social entrepreneurs into our expansive network in 1990, and to date the Southern African Fellowship more than 120 members strong spanning Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia. In order to accelerate the social change Ashoka Fellows are working individually to achieve, Ashoka encourages community building efforts that link Southern African Fellows with each other as well as with their counterparts in other parts of Africa and the rest of the Fellowship. Ashoka supports group collaborations, individual Fellow exchanges, and numerous Fellowship building events, initiatives geared towards harnessing and disseminating best practices, and activities in co-sponsorship with our strategic partners.

Profiles of Ashoka Fellows

To search for an Ashoka Fellow or to browse through their profiles, please visit the Ashoka Fellow database on the Ashoka-Global website.