In April 2023 we travel again to this beautiful african soil, to Namibia, to the Primary School in Kalkfeld… / …where a blooming school garden welcomes us. / Miss Lydia and Mister Marcellus are the good souls of the garden. / The school children love the garden and are teached agriculture there. / The harvest from the school garden is processed by the cooking lady  in the firewood kitchen. / Right next to the school area, we built the GO BEAM kindergarten in 2022. / In which over 20 street children are now registered… / …and where there is also a little homework support. / There is now a small laundry in the township… / … and with Miss Sassy, we built up a chips shop as a result of the vision sharing meeting. / Also this year we have the postcards workshop… / … the girls talk… / and the beloved repair the chair workshop. / In which there are now also tables… / and cabinets are repaired and built. / The result fills us all with joy and pride! / And then there are the old classrooms, which we moved in 2021 and wich we are now renovating. / The students are all happy to help us. / Thank you so much, Mister Marco Shiseo and the team at Primary School Kalkfeld!

In July 2022 we travel to Kalkfeld for the second time this year to complete the three new classrooms / Matilda !Kharuchas, the principal of the primary school, welcomes us with her grandchildren / Garden assistant Marcelus Guim shows us the Mahangu plantings / The two classrooms that were moved in march form a beautiful conclusion to the schoolyard… / … and we’re going to renovate it very roughly so that it can also be used for teaching / Contractor Mr Rüdiger, his foreman Mr Harry and the workers from Kalkfeld did … / … a great work – between April and June … / … and built three perfect classrooms, only the staircase, the ramp and the forecourt are still missing … / … what we clarify during our work stay and … / … with the great construction team from Kalkfeld, with whom parents and former pupils of the primary school were able to complete / Another major project was the construction of a well for the primary school / With Mr Edwil, the master well driller from Kalkfeld and his workers… / …we had the most professional team anyone could ask for on our side… / … to achieve this ambitious goal in this dry area / In three days we drilled three holes of 109m, 60m and 126m depth / We found water, but unfortunately not enough to make the above-ground installations worthwhile / The Go Beam kindergarten around Ms Michell, which was supported with a kickstart in the spring, is developing great / Ms Petra supports Ms Jendery, the good soul of the soup kitchen, with medication and help with applications / The soup kitchen for the poor, the elderly and the sick supplies almost 100 people 3 times a week / The sweet potato harvest from the school garden is processed in the garden kitchen and fed to the school / The skills and little plants are also making progress in the Little Nurcery / The popular postcard workshop with Ms Petra… / … in which, of course, drilling for water will also be a topic this year / Due to the constant growth of the school, another cleaning station became necessary… / … and we built them in the back of the school grounds in front of the new classrooms / The new cleaning station with 4 taps and a waste water pipe into a “Grey Water Bed” / What good are new classrooms if the ministry doesn’t deliver the promised school furniture? / In a three-day “repair-the-chair” workshop with about 40 students and 4 teachers… / … we made from a huge pile of broken school furniture, some material and a lot of energy … / … again a total of 91 functional chairs and 37 usable tables / The big day of classroom opening celebrations is here / The auditorium filled with children, speeches, prayers and songs… / …with ministers, headmistress, contractors, workers and guests / Everyone is satisfied and proud of the newly inaugurated three new classrooms with storeroom and staircase / One last farewell photo / The Primary School Kalkfeld 2022 from above, with assembly hall and new classrooms / Sunset – bye bye, we’ll be back in 2023

In January 2022, on the way to Kalkfeld, to start the construction of three new classrooms / Entrance to the Primary School in Kalkfeld / First meeting with Ms Matilda !Kharuchas the Principal of the school / In the garden it grows and thrives, the garden assistance bears fruit / Schoolchildren weed in agriculture lessons / Ms Pena, the head of the ABC kindergarden, greets us warmly / We support the ABC kindergarten with food and medicine, among other things / The wonderful primary school teachers / Ms Petra gives new medicines to healing ladies Ms Namases and Ms Isete / Rainy season in the savannah of southern Africa / The first visit from Mr Rüdiger the contractor who will build the 3 new classrooms at the school / The two dilapidated old classrooms have to be moved / Mr Cloethe and his team are doing a great job / As reserves and closure of the schoolyard / „Ground breaking“ for the construction of 3 new classrooms with all those involved from the school, the community and the school ministry / The garden assistants work in the new “Nursery” / Villagers in need of particular help are waiting for food in the soup kitchen, which is run by dedicated women / Mahangu workshop in the orchard / Also this time we support the school feeding program / The storeroom is well stocked again, the ministry is supposed to deliver in April… / Rich cabbage harvest as an extra for school feeding / Volunteer cook in the fire wood kitchen / The popular “Girlstalk” with Ms Petra and Ms Djambule / Creative postcard workshop / Tree planting workshop / Attentive schoolboy with moringa seedling / Kickstart support for the “Go Beam” kindergarden next to the school / We hire a local carpenter for the chairs and tables / The first days of kindergarten / Farewell pictures… / Contract signing for the construction of 3 new classrooms with storeroom, 4 hours before departure! / sunset – we will come back, to build with, in July 2022

Big plans for 2021: The construction of a new school hall / Already in January the construction works starts at the school / In February, the shell is finished and can already be used for cross-class lessons / Finally in May 2021 we can travel to Namibia again, we have big plans… / The new additional garden assistance is bearing fruit / Again the school lacked the cornmeal for the daily school feeding, we could help out / Start of the interior work on the School Hall / A professional paving team around Mr Haita is making good progress / teaching, flexing, gardening, discussing, concreting, listening, cooking, … / Art in public space in a socially committed sculpture: world garden floor drawing / More space for cross-class lessons, even under Covid19 conditions / The finished new School Hall / School Garden Update 2021, metal edging for the last 10 raised beds and many other things / Construction of a small greenhouse, also for the cultivation of local trees / Small support also for the ABC Kindergarden / The new Healing Station Team around Ms Issete and Ms Namatsse / Do you know Mahangu? A growing project with Namibian pearl millet and an open exit / Grandmother Simon in conversation with Ms. Petra about the Dream Catcher project / Vision Sharing Meeting, questions to the Kalkfeld Community about the future of the township / The school garden continues to grow / The inner circle, we have again forged big plans for 2022

“We finish what we started”. Completion of the school garden kitchen / tiling floors and walls, electrification, laying underground cables, putting in plasterboard seeling, completion of the kitchen unit, painting and varnishing work, school blackboard and table construction, curtains, start of lessons in housekeeping by Ms Muhurre. Research / school garden and permaculture projects in Windhoek. School Hall idea / visualization, meetings with the locksmith, vision sheet, construction sketches, moving the flagpole. Garden assistant / job description, sowing calendar, contract, introduction. Large school garden update / weeding orchards, digging planting holes, building treehomes and planting trees with protection, purchase of construction and garden material / seeds, 50 m hose, tools, fertilizer, wire, fence, posts, wheelbarrow, shade net, materials for restoration of 10 raised beds with metal edging, prickly pear plantings, cutting trees, planting and sowing workshops. Medical Garden update / new plantings 4 Marula Trees, 1 Namib Moringa, 2 Speckboom, 3 Bulbinellas,… Healing Station / location, handover of the medication and introduction to Ms Sabatha, workshop for girls. Vision of the 2 new classrooms / clarifications, needs and construction plans from the ministry.

Construction of a school garden kitchen / conception, planning, organization, purchase and transport of building materials / loan of large concrete mixers / cast concrete foundation / wood / sheet metal construction with 3 windows and 2 French doors / Rigips interior fittings / kitchenette with electric stove, double sink, base units, Work surface and work table / water supply and drainage / cable drum power connection for a provisional power supply / window grille welding as leftover works / purchase of construction / gardening tools, jigsaw, drill, bits and drills, tension belts, straightedge, … Pickles, shovels and lots of seed bags / Donation delivery Kitchen inventory with pans, pots, boards, knives, sieves, graters, whisks, trowels, towels, … / Casting a concrete floor in the firewood kitchen / Small school garden update / 5 shade trees, new schoolyard plantings / Numerous “Endless -Grace “-Workshops / Again a lot of questions, discussed and planned, especially what the The future of the two new classrooms and the shelder / as well as the year-round garden assistance are concerned.

Construction garden shed and tool shed / construction cleaning station: 3 sinks, 3 taps, drain / installation rainwater tank 5000 liters for roof water use in the school garden / organization and purchase material agricultural instruction: garden / construction tools, saws, hammers, chisels, drills, bits, rivet tongs, brushes, paints, screws, nails, lancet, watering cans, and a lot of seeds / 7 planting / substitute planting with sticks: 3 passion fruits, 3 lemon trees, 1 guava / building of 16 concrete stone circles around the shade trees / organization and purchase of 500 kg maize flour for the school-feeding / hygiene workshops / aloe vera and tomato workshop / tree and parasitic workshop / pictogram and sewing workshop / donation 500 spoons / numerous endless tinker workshops / commissioning and payment garden assistant (Mr.! Kharuchab ) for 6 months / research new building classrooms and children’s home

Commissioning of 3 additional water connections including feeders and ditches for the orchard, the schoolgarden and the schoolyard / 28 new plants: 5 lemons, 2 oranges, 3 mandarins, 1 apricot, 2 guava and 3 lemon trees, 11 flamboyant, 1 jacaranda and 1 bougainvillea / 3 planting workshops / organization and purchase material agricultural lessons: ppades, shovels, rakes, forks, scissors, pitchers, wheelbarrows, a ladder, machetes, hoses, 14m3 soil, fertilizer and lots of seed / repair workshop / fences / clean-it-up-day with students, parents and teachers / compost workshop / organization, buying and labeling of 483 colorful plates for school-feeding / numerous endless-tinker Workshops / organization grant for copiers and internet