East Africa

The schoolchildren are motivated and want to learn, but there is not enough space in the classroom. Up to five children share a desk. Many sit on the floor beside the chairs and benches. In Tanzania, Ethiopia and Mozambique, it is common for around 100 children to be taught by a single teacher. This also means that there is a high level of noise in the classroom, which has an adverse effect on the learning environment.

The work of the Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation improves the quality of school education in East Africa. The teachers are encouraged to move away from frontal teaching and learn about varied methods for imparting knowledge. This enables the children to benefit as much as possible from attending school and to actively participate in classes. We provide further training for 1,744 teachers every year.
 

Books open up new worlds

Children learn not only from teaching, but from books. Reading breeds curiosity, stimulates the imagination and whets the appetite for writing one’s own stories. Unfortunately, however, schoolbooks and storybooks are in short supply for children, which is why we support the local production of children’s books in the local language of Swahili.

Teaching for nomad children

One project in Ethiopia focuses on nomads. Even if the families do not have a permanent place of residence, the children should still have the opportunity to go to school.