The contact between the Johannes Kepler School (JKS) and the Beautiful Gate Academy (BGA) in Salima exists since 2017. The objective of this partnership should be the joint learning about global topics as well as the intercultural exchange and the forming of international friendships.

During the last four years, both school could get to know each other through letters and video calls. They showed each other their school buildings as well as the different school systems. Donations used to improve the practical visualization in the class were presented by the JKS in 2019. With posters, geographical maps, microscopes as well as water analyzing boxes, the JKS could support the teachers at the BGA. The library could also be rebuild using donations.

Members of the MASO have visited the school multiple times. Travels to meet each other in real life were arranged in 2020 but needed to be postponed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Gladly, the project could be brought back to life in 2022 where Malawian students already visited their German exchange partners in July and which will travel to Malawi in mid September the same year.
Germany
Germany is a mid-sized country in the heart of Europe and a member of the European Union. The 4th wealthiest country in the world has 83 million residents and a flourishing economy whilst not being without it’s issues. One of the main political as well as social difficulties may be the demographic change that there are more old than young people which results in problems with the current pension system.
For the young ones, school is obligatory for everyone for at least twelve years and generally free of charge. Contrary to many other countries, studying fees are also quite low – around 10€ per semester – which enables many who want to study to do so without a financial barrier.
Some of Germany’s sights like the Elb-Sandstein-Gebirge or the Spreewald are world-famous and events like the “Wacken” festival or the “Oktoberfest” attract millions of visitors each year.

Malawi aids support organization
Since 2007, the Malawi aids support organization (MASO) is active in Chenyama, a region near Salima. At first, HIV-testing and advice as well as medical support for AIDS contracted was the main focus but over the years, many additional projects with more of a social aspect were created.
A main part of our work is the Home-Based-Care program where we visit over 100 patients at home and support them with medicine, small things like dressing change or more general tasks like some housekeeping.
Due to donations and the initiative of the Johannes-Kepler-School we could create a preschool which consists of 3 classrooms, a small cooking-house as well as a playground. Here, about 150 children can be looked after, many of them being orphans or undernourished. Once a day, they get a warm and rich in protein meal.
Additional projects include a big medical and general plant garden, which is also used for trainings for the public, Illiteracy programs with 4 courses in the near by villages, the building of a primary school in a region which is currently cut of from education and the support of individual students who visit a secondary school. A local youth group is currently realized which includes sports options, open air theater and a youth guest house.
The support foundation accompanies the partnership between the two schools since the beginning and supports it not only financially but also by giving advice to the teachers and students participating.
If you want, you can take a look at the MASO-Website (auto-translated via Google) here (we don’t have any control over the translation).

2023
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