 |
|
Ulrike Folkerts, Verena Stamm, Martina Wziontek
and Benoit Ndorimana |
The aim of burundikids e.V. is to build a centre with school classrooms, a training school, a clinic with a laboratory and an integrated boarding school. The centre will be constructed in three stages, the first of which is already complete.
The school project in Burundi is realised with the help of dedicated partners. The Tagwerk campaign contributed €150,000 to construction of the centre, which has cost €210,000 to date (including land and building). The amount was raised in connection with the "Dein Tag für Afrika" ["Give a day for Africa"] campaign, which was run over the course of 2005 and 2006 and involved pupils working for a whole day for a charitable purpose.
In November 2007 the partnership between the European School of Karlsruhe (ESK) und der Ecole Polyvalente Carolus Magnus in Bujumbura started.
View slideshow (as at March 2007)
In 2004 we acquired land on which to build the school and boarding school. The property is located in the north of the capital Bujumbura, directly on the banks of Lake Tanganyika (Google Maps – unfortunately no current image). The first stage of construction began shortly thereafter.
Even though there were no doors or windows, the first literacy classes began in the (almost) completed rooms. In the beginning 80 children received lessons there.
 |
Between October 2005 and August 2006 additional classrooms were completed on the upper floor, which also included a guests' apartment and the necessary sanitary facilities (without which no school can obtain a licence from the competent Burundi Ministry). Initially, two grade 1 classes were taught, and the other rooms were used for literacy courses for women and children from the surrounding, poverty-stricken areas, as well as for various training courses. Since the official opening of the school, the number of students has risen continually, with new classes being added each school year.
The foundations are laid and the foundation walls are now being built.
The school system in Burundi consists of six years of primary school followed by seven years of secondary school. burundikids e.V. has set itself the medium-term goal of building a primary school for almost 500 children and a boarding school for at least 100 orphans and street kids. In addition to a school education, the children will also be able to gain basic professional skills in joinery, weaving, and electrical workshops and at a bicycle repair shop.
As in many African countries, classes are taught in two shifts in Burundi due to the lack of schools. Our project will give almost 1,000 children the opportunity to get a school education in the future.
Our design envisages 12 classrooms, each able to accommodate 40 students, while the boarding school should have a total of 26 rooms, with four children to a room. There will also be a large kitchen and dining hall, a library, a multipurpose room, a computer room with 20 computer workstations, a small clinic, a sports field and a few offices for administration. Approximately €480,000 is needed for the entire project and the complete construction, fit-out and necessary teaching materials. Once the entire centre is completed, the monthly costs will be around €4,500, including staff and food costs.