UNICEF – Schools for Africa

The Siemens Stiftung supports the UNICEF program “Schools for Africa” and donates funds for the building of schools, the procurement of school materials and the education of the children. Worldwide dedication to education as the basic prerequisite for a positive future is the declared common goal of both partners.

The project was founded by UNICEF in cooperation with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Hamburg society and aims at developing and furthering democracy and public international law. In the African countries south of the Sahara alone, some 45 million children do not attend school. Nearly every second child grows up in an environment marked by ignorance. Poverty and discrimination throughout life are frequently the consequence. Education provides a major opportunity to escape this situation while helping to enlighten people about the threat of AIDS so prevalent throughout all of Africa.

"Schools for Africa" supports children in the six African countries of Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and South Africa. In these countries, the educational situation is particularly dire as a result of civil war, poverty, and the increasing spread of AIDS. One of the goals of the UNICEF program is to get some two million children throughout the project region to attend school. Siemens AG and the Siemens Stiftung have so far donated 940,000 Euros in support of this program. The Siemens Stiftung will continue to further and support “Schools for Africa“ and continue to donate funds for this program in cooperation with Siemens AG and its staff.

Millions of children are already profiting from the program

Since the start of the "Schools for Africa" program, UNICEF has been able to build and/or repair a total of 680 schools. An additional 740 schools were equipped with a drinking-water supply as well as latrines and washing facilities. As a result, more than 1.3 million children can finally enjoy an environment appropriate for learning. The program specifically promotes the own initiatives of the communities and motivates them to proactively start building schools. True to the spirit of “Helping people to help themselves”, more than 80,000 teachers have attended training courses. As a result, the teaching patterns and learning quality for 3.6 million children will be improved sustainably. Furthermore, UNICEF launched initiatives in the villages to campaign the school attendance of girls and orphans. That way, children are provided with ideal conditions for receiving educational support beyond school enrollment and for successfully graduating from school. Thanks to the long-term dedication of sponsors like the Siemens Stiftung, more children in the poorest regions of Africa are given the opportunity of an education and a future worth living.

Click here to find out more about the success stories of "Schools for Africa" in the various different countries.