VEREINSWELT IN BIBERACH ENRICHED – SUPPORTING MEMBERS WANTED

Galana River School Project e.V. association founded in Biberach with a social focus

There is a new association with a foreign-sounding name in Biberach: the"Galana River School Project e.V.,"locatedat Friedenstrasse 23 in Biberach. What does the association do and what is it all about?

Here are the answers:

In 2020, Sonja and Gerhard Große first heard about the project, which was launched by Markus and Birgit Dietz in 2014, at an off-road meeting in Forchtenberg. At that time, the two Forchtenbergers were on safari in Kenya. They stopped in a village consisting of simple huts. There they saw children sitting on the ground under a tree being taught by a teacher. Later, they got into conversation with the teacher, who urgently asked for help in building a school.

Education is the key to a self-determined life, to progress and innovation. Those who do not attend school can only remain farmers and live poorly off the fruits of the fields. Without healthcare, without money.

Markus and Birgit Dietz took this appeal to heart and have since supported the village, the "Mwanza Community," collecting donations and spending many months of the year there. In 2018, the time had come: the first school building was completed under the direction of Markus Dietz: three classrooms in a simple building and three teachers' apartments. Through further efforts, the school was then recognized by the state, which has the advantage that the state provides and pays for the teachers.

Currently, 240 children attend the school, and unfortunately, many children still have to be taught outdoors under a tree because the three classrooms are not sufficient. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many donations were not received in 2020, and the project was unable to develop further, even though Markus Dietz was on site for almost 10 months.
Enthused by the idea and the commitment, the Große couple decided to actively support this project through donations and public relations work.

In order to give the project official status, it was necessary to establish an association. As a result, the "Galana River School Project e.V." has been in existence in Biberach since May 2021. On the website https://galanariverschool.com you will find the online donation form and all information about the project. There is also a link to the membership application. The association is a non-profit organization and donors will receive a donation receipt for submission to the tax office.

Membership is free, as each member decides for themselves whether and how much they would like to donate. Non-donors are also welcome as members, because the larger the membership base, the more influence the association has with the Kenyan authorities.

In order to realize the extension for three additional classrooms and teachers' apartments, 75,000 euros in donations are currently being sought. In addition, there is the possibility of providing financial support to individual children to enable them to receive school and vocational training so that the village community can grow even more. The sponsorship profiles can also be found on the homepage. Even limited support up to a certain age or stage of life helps immensely.

For example, Markus Dietz is the only person within a 100 km radius or 4 hours' off-road drive with medical training, as he was a paramedic for many years.

But one boy from the village is about to complete his medical studies and will then return to the community as a doctor. All this is only possible because there were people who made his studies possible through donations: after elementary school, school must be paid for, as must university studies. And almost no one can afford that, especially not in rural areas.

The association currently has 28 members in Germany. The goal is to recruit 250 members within the next few years so that the idea of the "Galana River School" continues to gain public attention. The association's name comes from the fact that the village and school are located on the Galana River in Kenya, a four-hour drive through the bush without roads from the nearest town, Malindi.
The project has already been featured several times in SWR radio interviews and has also been reported on in OffRoad magazine. There is a dedicated YouTube channel where you can get an idea of the conditions for yourself: just search for "GalanaRiverSchool" on YouTube.
The association would be very happy to welcome new members, especially if they are willing to donate or sponsor a child. Or if they want to get actively involved.

Click here to visit the website