„Freunde helfen Freunden“ (“Friends help Friends”) is a personal initiative by a group of friends and acquaintances, who donate individual sponsorships every year to support the “We Are The World School”. Most of the group have met with Hortense personally and have committed to a yearly sponsorship for the long run.
Partners
150 Euros can pay for the school equipment and uniform of one child for a whole year and hence ensure the child’s schooling. Often people decide to sponsor more than one child. The idea is that it is never a one-off donation but a commitment for many years. The organisational part of ”Freunde helfen Freunden” is run by Valerie Todenhöfer, Lili Radu, Julia Balzer and Nina Priester.
Stiftung Sternenstaub has been a partner of AISHP since 2012, mainly focusing on children living with disability in the Goma area, in Walikale and in Beni. They help those in need, that are often neglected by the other help organizations in the area. They really focus on each individual and try integrate them into the local community, local schools or medical programs. What makes them so special though, is that they have basically no funding. Their success in helping others is based on a passionate attitude, and the belief that children with disabilities and girls should have the same opportunities as all other children. We were so impressed and inspired by their work that in 2014 we decided to finance the construction of the “We Are The World School“ in Beni. The barrier–free primary school is located on the outskirts of Beni town, an area that has been tormented by violent conflicts for many years.
People in the area are very poor, illiteracy is high and many children cannot afford to go to a good school. The beautiful school campus is almost like a litte oasis. The school teaches not only the regular primary school syllabus, but also focuses on computer science, art, agriculture and all kinds of sportive activities.
The „We Are The World School“ is an impressive and inspiring project, managed by passionate and ambitious Congolese people that try to lead by example and try to positively influence the face of Beni. They want to create the future leaders of this town and at the same time prove that all children, disabled or not, can achieve their dreams, if they are give the opportunity to do so.
Stiftung Sternenstaub will continue to support the school and we also encourage others to do so.
The BK Kids Foundation (formerly Berta Käßmeyer Stiftung) was founded as a non-profit foundation in 2010. The purpose of the foundation is to support children and young people with a focus on pedagogy and music. BK Kids Foundation is based in Munich, Germany.
In 2016, the BK Kids foundation took on the sponsorship of the students at the “We are the World School” in Beni, Congo. The grant helped secure the schooling of the students and paid for school equipment, such as chalk, study materials, the repair work for the computers, etc.