OKAVANDU – a place of encounter. What began as the personal dream of two entrepreneurs is today a vibrant project that connects people, preserves nature and creates futures. This is how it all started.
Over 25 years ago, Manuel Drescher and Torsten Herbert founded the company Eikona together. Even then, both knew that entrepreneurship also means responsibility. Over the years, they supported numerous social projects – but the desire to build something of their own kept growing.
Then came the moment when a door opened: the opportunity to acquire a farm in Namibia. What started as a coincidence quickly became a calling. Here was the chance to create something that would benefit people – not as a side project, but with full conviction.
From the very beginning, the foundation was at the heart of the idea. A place where people can grow, work and live in harmony with nature. Women and children in particular, who often bear the greatest challenges, were to find new perspectives here – through education, fair employment and a safe community.
The guesthouse and the farm emerged as a natural extension: the guesthouse funds the foundation, the farm supplies employees and guests while offering training opportunities. This created a unique symbiosis in which economic enterprise, social responsibility and ecological awareness are not opposites, but strengthen one another.
Today, the farm is being modernised, the guesthouse is taking shape and the foundation is being brought to life. Families and employees already live on the grounds, and OKAVANDU gives them a future. Medical care, education programmes and fair employment are no longer promises – they are reality.
OKAVANDU is a project in the making. Every day it grows a little further – driven by the conviction that lasting change is possible when people work together. With 25 years of entrepreneurial experience and the connections built along the way, we are working to make this place of encounter a model for sustainable development.
Behind OKAVANDU stand people with heart and conviction. Learn more about the founders and their personal story.
Meet the Founders