Straight from
Chidenguele.

We are overjoyed to be able to write to you with this news from the construction site. Right on time for the end of our stay, we, together with the people here in idyllic Chidenguele, completed the school building. And it is not only the children here who benefit from this project. The warmth, joy and gratitude we were able to experience changed something in us too. It is a wonderful little corner of the earth, where time seems to have stood still in places. Where respect for one another and mutual help are part of everyday life. Without this, our joint project would not have become a success. Yesterday, the school was roofed and the windows were fitted. Once more, we gathered with the children, the headmistress and all the hard-working helpers in front of the building to unveil a sign bearing the school's name. And there it now stands, the “Edu-Vita International School Chidenguele”. Our thanks go not only to the helpers on the ground, but also to everyone who has followed the project. We are especially grateful to those who made the school's construction possible through their donations. Time, once again, to take stock and give an account. Originally, we had planned a building with one classroom. €6,000 had been budgeted for this. Once on site, it became clear to us that we could achieve more – helped also by donations that reached us just around the time of our departure. What we are leaving behind here is a building with two classrooms. The actual costs came to €7,721.35. Not a single cent from the association's funds had to be spent on expenses or labour. 

We already gave a brief outlook on a possible follow-up project in the diary. Thank you for the positive feedback. We are currently working on refining and costing it. We will inform you about it soon via the website newsletter. So please feel free to sign up for it. Until then: muito obrigado! 

Before our departure, we were often asked one question. Is it realistic to build a school in just two weeks? Now we have an answer to that. It is ambitious. But it is possible. The key to success is the community that supports and motivates us here. That way, all problems can be solved. Today, for example, we were busy bringing several cubic metres of water in our hire car so that the floor of the rooms can be concreted. You will remember, there is no water at the school. Then there was the heavy rain two days ago. What made many people here very happy cost us almost a day of building time. Now it looks as though we are heading for a precision landing. Tomorrow the roofs should be finished. Then we will hang the new blackboards on the wall, which we tracked down after landing in Maputo. And then perhaps the time will have come for the “Edu-Vita International School Chidenguele” to be handed over. What might still be missing then are a few finishing touches. In any case, we already feel better now that we have turned into the home straight. Your interest and your support are a great joy to us, but also an obligation to deliver. And right now, we are growing in confidence that by the end of the week we will be able to present you with a project successfully brought to completion. By the way, we are here, where...

Today was all about our new school partnerships with the primary school in Chidenguele. 

It was not a day like any other, and Erik in particular had excitement written all over his face from early in the morning. 

For the first time, we proved German punctuality today, and Tilda did not have to endure a Swop entry with a telling-off. 

Instead, over the course of the morning - in a thoroughly participatory way - she was able to hand over the loving gifts and profile cards sealing the school partnerships, together with João and Erik, to the school management, in the person of Donna Sandra. 

These had been collected shortly before the trip by numerous teachers from the DPFA and the SIS, the Reichenbach primary school, doctors and members of the association. Thank you for that! The children were of course absolutely delighted, and we ourselves were visibly moved. They tried out the first things straight away, and it was clear they are natural talents when it comes to motor skills. 

Even so, they will have to wait a little longer, because it is only the official opening of the school buildings that will mark the starting signal for even more play and fun during their breaks for the pupils. That said, they already have a wonderful time together without any materials at all, and are bursting with creativity.

The children were also given the opportunity to use the new drawing paper and coloured pencils to draw pictures. They put on paper how they imagine Germany. However, these drawings will only be seen by the children who choose the school partnership project week at the DPFA in November. A little motivational boost ahead of enrolment 😇

Although communication was somewhat hampered at times by the language barrier, by the end of the day profile cards had also been created, which will certainly delight the pupils in Germany. 

On Tuesday, a meeting will take place between the teachers of the school in Chidenguele and us, at which we will jointly, and on equal footing, put the key points of the school partnerships in writing and discuss important questions. 

This means nothing now stands in the way of a shared future. A future shaped by learning culturally from one another, by cooperative work in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and by the shared goal of making this beautiful world a little better again. 

This is not about teaching them how this or that works. We have no right to do that. Quite the opposite. The children of Chidenguele taught us a great deal again today, especially this: being poor is not all the same - they still have something that we lost long ago. Joy of life down to their fingertips and in every second, as well as a composure - despite all adversities - that is second to none. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this insight.

Sunday. This is a day of rest in Chidenguele too. So we listened to the singing in church, even though we would probably have preferred to be on the building site. The result was that we had to introduce ourselves to the congregation. By now, everyone here should know who we are. 😊

At the beginning of September, we spoke with members of the Lions Club Glauchau about the planned school construction. This raised the question of what the condition of the school's sanitary facilities and water supply actually looks like. We couldn't answer the question at the time, which is why we have now turned our attention to it. The water supply can be described quickly: there isn't one! Some time ago, a 1,000 l water tank had been acquired. However, the parents cannot afford to have it filled with fresh water. Washing facilities had also been prepared, but were never put into operation. So there are now a few water pipes without a supply connection and without fittings. Headteacher Sandra reports the following about the current situation: the children are asked to bring water from home for drinking and washing. There are two shelters for relieving oneself. One consists only of compacted sand for urinating. The other is connected to a pit, which has to be re-dug again and again after some time. There is no water treatment, no waste disposal, not even drinking water at current temperatures of around 35 degrees. According to WHO guidelines, there should be one toilet worthy of the name for every 25 to 30 children. Current actual state: no toilet for 348 pupils! No clean water for 348 pupils! What if we tackled this problem? We have found out how much it would cost to drill our own borehole for fresh water. The costs are well below the investment we are currently making with your help. And the subsequent effects are immense: clean drinking water. Toilets that deserve the name. Sufficient washing facilities. In addition, there would be the possibility of setting up a small vegetable garden on the school grounds. This would address all of Edu-Vita's goals: education, improving the health of pupils through clean water, and growing organic, healthy food. What do you think? We look forward to hearing your feedback.

Yesterday the construction site got a real boost. The village community turned out in large numbers and progress was swift. The ring beam above the foundation had been cast and bricklaying could proceed quickly. In the early afternoon, we had a visit from Mayor Manuel. He and headteacher Sandra gave speeches expressing their deep gratitude. They had heard for several months that help for the school was coming from Germany. However, they only believed it when we arrived here on Monday. Spontaneously, we also had to tell them about our association, that is, about you, our motivation, and the planned school partnerships. With the words "welcome to African culture", Susann was wrapped in a traditional capulana. Afterwards there was dancing and singing. Moments that are etched deep into one's memory, leaving goosebumps and perhaps even a tear. Even so, no day is the same as the last. Today we visited the construction site twice, but spent most of the day procuring money for materials. To do this, we have to drive an hour to the nearest town, Xai-Xai, and withdraw cash from a cash machine. The problem is that the maximum amount per transaction is about €70, though via our bank account without any exchange or transaction fees. That's what we had promised you. The long queue at the cash machine behind us still had to be made to understand that. 😊 We will probably end up slightly over the budgeted €6,000. Because if everything goes perfectly, Edu-Vita will leave behind not one, as originally planned, but two classrooms. So let's all keep our fingers crossed that things continue at this pace and that we can present a successfully completed project by the end of next week. Meanwhile, initial ideas for further improving the situation on the ground are taking shape, which we'll tell you about in the next diary entry.

This is a first sign of life straight from Chidenguele. Yesterday we visited the construction site for the first time and were given an overwhelmingly warm welcome by the village community and the teaching staff. We have been met with great warmth and gratitude. The head teacher first showed us around the old buildings. Compared to our first visit in 2024, they have unfortunately deteriorated further, with some walls missing completely. Many hard-working hands have completed the foundation and cast the first ring beam. As we were told, it is mainly the parents of the pupils who are working with us - voluntarily, as agreed. Today, work was carried out on the masonry. Due to a bereavement in the village community, there were noticeably fewer helpers on site. We tried to work all the harder for it. Even so, in the heat of Chidenguele you quickly reach your limits. A heat warning has been issued for the region, which does not make things any easier for anyone here. By the end of the day, a good deal had been achieved once again, and tomorrow the masonry work should show clear progress.

The first pictures from Chidenguele have reached us! Preparations for the school building are in full swing - the whole village community is preparing the foundation, and our eyes light up because we know - soon we will be there too and able to help 👍