Education and Research

Our ‘Living Labs’ located in sub Saharan Africa offer a different take on development education and research. Employing a hands-on approach that supports cross-cultural collaboration, we emphasize teamwork and ingenuity as keys to eradicating poverty and securing a sustainable future for all. The Earth Rights Eco-village Institute (EREV) in Senegal is at the forefront of development education and research. Partnering with the University of California-Los Angeles and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, EREV is changing the face of development by bringing problem solving back to Africa, joining western institutions with local communities to find solutions to improving living conditions within the communities concerned. Our programs unite students, researchers, development professionals and professors both African and foreign with local communities who work together to formulate innovative strategies and redefine the framework of the concept “development”. Our semester and month long study abroad programs team international college students with Senegalese college students in an intensive practical and theoretical journey into the world of African development.

At the EREV center in Dakar-Yoff, students learn leading participatory “action research” techniques, current sustainable development paradigms, eco-village design, cultural appreciation, micro-finance principles, English, French and Wolof. Collaborating with the local villagers, students design and implement development projects according to the communities’ needs. EREV students receive fully accredited American semester units through the University of Massachusetts-Amherst or the University of California-Los Angeles. Visit EREV to find out more. In addition to our educational programs, EREV facilitates independent and institutional research projects in sustainable development in connection with preeminent universities and scholarly organizations. Research topics include issues in economic, social and environmental sustainability as well as land rights and land capture value, cultural diversity appreciation and peace studies. We provide the infrastructure for researchers to conduct research in an ERI affiliated eco-village in Senegal, Ivory Coast, Nigeria or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, supporting our researchers with academic guidance and allowing access to appropriate organizational resources. For more information please visit the Earth Rights Eco-village Institute’s website.

ERI Living and Learning Centers are located in Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Nicaragua, Senegal and Democratic Republic of the Congo. ERI’s Living and Learning Centers are directed by local, prominent educators, development experts and community-based volunteers. These centers provide resources in sustainable development education, and specifically eco-village design to eco-villages and surrounding communities. Our Living and Learning centers initiate hands-on workshops, capacity building seminars and inter-community outreach activities.
Photos by Brooke McKean