Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze becomes patron of “1000 Schools for our World” initiative

Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze will be the patron of the joint initiative “1000 Schools for our World” launched five years ago by the leading municipal associations.

Under the umbrella of the initiative, German cities, districts and municipalities, together with their citizens and the local economy, collect donations for school construction projects in the Global South. The guiding principle is that education can reduce poverty, overcome gender inequalities and create perspectives on site. A total of over 200 school building projects have already been initiated.

The presidents of the municipal umbrella organizations said about today’s acceptance of the patronage of the community initiative “1000 schools for our world”. Lord Mayor Markus Lewe (German City Day), Reinhard Sager (German District Association) and Mayor Dr. Uwe Brandl (German Association of Towns and Municipalities):

“We are very pleased that the Federal Development Minister is becoming the patron of the initiative and is supporting us on the way to building 1000 schools in developing and emerging countries. Because education means giving children a future, people opportunities for employment, staying at home and on to offer a free design of their life.”

“Education is an investment in the future of every child. It is an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and is central to the positive development of society as a whole. Without well-educated young people, neither the economy nor health care can function. Without education, there is none Equal rights, no democracy and no self-determined life. This is especially true for girls and young women. And in many parts of the world, schools are much more – they are places of security and hope. That’s why I’m happy to be the patron of the 1000 schools initiative of the municipal umbrella organizations. The initiative makes a valuable contribution to mobilizing cities, districts and communities for development cooperation. Everywhere in Germany committed people are committed to giving children around the world a chance for a better future”, so Federal Minister Svenja Schulze.

“It fills us with pride that almost 230 school building projects have already been initiated through our initiative and that over nine million euros in private donations have been mobilized. At this point we would also like to express our sincere thanks to District Administrator Stefan Rößle (Donau-Ries district), as well as the previous patron Dr. Gerd Müller, former Federal Development Minister, because without their commitment we would not be where we are today.” concluded the presidents of the municipal umbrella organizations.

background

Education is the key resource for economic and social prosperity. In many countries of the Global South, however, the school buildings are in a very bad condition or the distance to the nearest school is too long for primary school children. This is exactly where the “1000 schools for our world” initiative launched by the municipal umbrella organizations in 2018 comes into play. The community initiative thrives on the commitment of the cities, districts and municipalities, which call for donations for school construction projects in developing and emerging countries. Together with their citizens and the local economy, they contribute to global justice.