Hamburg school working group ‘visits’ primary school ǂNabasib

Holidaymakers from other countries drop in every now and then, for a few hours. But the fact that a 22-member group from Germany comes and stays for almost two weeks is something extraordinary for the ǂNabasib primary school. And no: not to go on holiday, but to work…

Big hello at the end of August at the ǂNabasib Primary School about 15 km east of BüllsPort Lodge & Farm in the south-central part of Namibia. 18 senior school students got off the bus, accompanied by two female teachers and two male supervisors. They belong to the ‘Weltweit mit Her(t)z’-AG (‘worldwide with heart’ working group) of the Heinrich Hertz School in Hamburg. The aim is for pupils to learn about German development cooperation not only in the classroom. But to practice it themselves – at home and on site.

A year of preparation

The focus of the work was at home. “We started planning a year ago,” explained Yagmur Celik and Isa-Marie Brandt, who took over the leadership of the working group at that time. “Our first question was: What is needed locally from the school?”

Ernst Sauber from BüllsPort provided the answers after talking to the school management of ǂNabasib. Fresh paint for the building and classrooms, additional water lines and a vegetable garden with a shade roof for the school kitchen.

BüllsPort has been supporting the government school for decades – and since 2005 through the specially established Naukluft Foundation. It also finances the work of Carsten Sodmann from the nearby Capricorn Restcamp, who is quickly on hand when something needs to be repaired. The school can use all the help it can get. Although the government always devotes the largest share of the budget to education, the state funds per school are only enough for the bare necessities.

School working group from Hamburg came already for the fifth time

BüllsPort has been in contact with the ‘Weltweit mit Her(t)z’ working group since it was founded in 2000 by the teacher Wolfgang Thiel. He had already visited Namibia in the 1990s and had also been a guest at BüllsPort. In 2008, Thiel came to ǂNabasib for the first time with the working group. Three more visits followed – in 2013, 2015 and 2018. The fifth stay, planned for July 2020, had to be postponed because of Corona and only came about now, three years later.

Satisfied with the fresh coat of paint on one of the buildings at ǂNabasib Primary School near BüllsPort… Members of the ‘Weltweit mit Her(t)z’ working group at the Heinrich Hertz School in Hamburg with its founder Wolfgang Thiel (right). The outdated spelling of the school was left as it was. Photo: ‘Weltweit mit Her(t)z’-AG

Although Wolfgang Thiel has long since retired, he did not miss the opportunity to travel with once again. His grandson Leo Jaspersen, who had already been to ǂNabasib in 2015 as a pupil and member of the working group, was also there. He was now a student. But like his grandfather, he continued to have heart and soul ties to the global project.

So it was no question for them to pay the travel costs of 1,200 euros per person (about N$ 24,000; current amount, 1 Rand = 1 N$). For many of the 18 pupils, this contribution meant to forego their driving licence or other plans for the time being. The two teachers Celik and Brandt did get reimbursed. But they invested about 16 hours a month in the working group, in addition to their teaching load, without remuneration.

Support from all directions

But back to the preparations for the Namibia trip. Ernst Sauber asked how the number of copies for the lessons at ǂNabasib could be reduced. Celik and Brandt answered: “with a laptop and beamer”. The Heinrich Hertz School then provided eight laptops and three beamers, which had been replaced by new devices but were still working flawlessly. The school’s IT representative, Jens Corniels, looked through the laptops and installed the necessary software.

Materials were needed for the renovation of the school buildings and classrooms, the water lines and the shade roof. The Norddeutsche Stiftung für Umwelt und Entwicklung (NUE) (North German Foundation for Environment and Development) provided 5,300 euros (about N$ 106,000; current amount) at the request of Celik and Brandt. The working group collected 4,900 Euros (almost N$ 98,000; current amount) with almost monthly catering and fundraising campaigns.

‘Weltweit mit Her(t)z’ working group of the Heinrich Hertz School from Hamburg in action, renovating the ǂNabasib Primary School near BüllsPort. Photo: ‘Weltweit mit Her(t)z’-AG

Ernst Sauber of the Naukluft Foundation was responsible for the coordination on site and the procurement of materials. For the bus transport of the 22-member group, he enlisted the help of the travel company Gondwana Collection Namibia. The bus was provided by their subsidiary Go2 Traveller Transfers, the costs were borne by the Gondwana Care Trust.

The ‘Weltweit mit Her(t)z’ working group also researched the context of their project in Namibia. This included presentations on the German colonial period from 1884 to 1915 and on the current relationship between Germany and Namibia. Against the background of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, the group also dealt with aspects such as ‘white saviourism’ (the problematic urge of white people to help people of colour) or ‘cultural appropriation’.

Ten days of hard work

After a year of preparation, Yagmur Celik, Isa-Marie Brandt, Leo Jaspersen and working group founder Wolfgang Thiel were finally on site with 18 students. In ten days, they painted two school buildings and a toilet block as well as six classrooms. For a 9 x 12 m fruit and vegetable garden, they erected a fence and a shade roof.

The laying of additional water pipes to improve the water supply was particularly strenuous. In the rock-hard soil, 40 cm deep and wide trenches were excavated, at a total length of about 300 m. The excavated soil was sieved and only the sand was used to embed the pipes. This is a must to prevent the pipes, made of bendable hard plastic, from leaking due to pressing stones.

Hard work on the stony grounds of the ǂNabasib Primary School near BüllsPort… The pupils of the ‘Weltweit mit Her(t)z’ AG (working group) of the Heinrich Hertz Schule from Hamburg also help to dig and close the trench for the new water pipe. The soil is sieved when filling in around the pipeline so that it is not damaged by the pressure of sharp stones. Photo: ‘Weltweit mit Her(t)z’-AG

New impulses through team event

The laptops and the beamers were met with great enthusiasm by principal Hilary Cloete and her seven teachers. They open up completely new possibilities for them to prepare and conduct their lessons.

A team event, to which Celik and Brandt invited, also gave the teachers of ǂNabasib new impulses. They planned to take some aspects from the team-oriented discussion into account for their future meetings. And they also wished for a further exchange of experiences with their colleagues from Hamburg.

For the pupils, the exchange came about quite naturally, as the ǂNabasiber came after class to help out. And later in the afternoon, after work, all played together and took photos. Over the ten days, friendships formed in an informal way, across the age gap.

New ideas for the next visit

Happy togetherness after a busy day… Pupils from the Heinrich Hertz School in Hamburg and the ǂNabasib primary school near BüllsPort in Namibia. Photo: ‘Weltweit mit Her(t)z’-AG

So tears flowed as the group from Hamburg got back on the bus. Will there be a reunion? “Of course we will continue the working group,” confirmed Yagmur Celik and Isa-Marie Brandt. Leo Jaspersen, with new ideas, is also continuing. And he will keep working group founder Wolfgang Thiel up to date if he should not travel with next time due to his age.

“We might organise the next visit a little differently,” say Celik and Brandt. Based on their experiences and personal encounters on site, they are thinking of gearing the project more towards togetherness on an equal footing. With creative workshops and joint work by the teachers and with even more time together for pupils.