North-South school partnerships bring together children and young people from very different cultural and social backgrounds. Across the boundaries between rich and poor and beyond all differences in culture, religion, education, and tradition, our One World comes alive through exchange and encounter.

Since 2004, PROBONO has been initiating, advising, and promoting partnerships between schools in Germany and schools in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. For us, partnership means that schools in the North and South treat each other with respect and tolerance, work together on an equal footing, and are open to learning from each other.

What impact do North-South school partnerships have?

Students and teachers in the North and South develop an interest in foreign cultures and ways of life, build personal relationships, and learn from each other. Education for sustainable development and an understanding of development policy are promoted. Friendships grow, which young people and teachers repeatedly experience as greatly enriching. But personal concern also arises, motivating people to work for a more just world.

The dialogue between the partner schools takes many forms. It often begins with the exchange of “profiles” in which the girls and boys in Germany and East Africa introduce themselves to each other, and ranges from joint school newspaper projects to African-German theater and musical performances.

A living partnership between a school in Germany and a school in East Africa, supported by PROBONO...

• promotes intercultural dialogue and enables encounters in which young people from different cultural backgrounds build personal relationships and learn from each other,
• provides insight into foreign cultures, promotes thinking in global contexts, and motivates social engagement,
• enables children and young people to contribute to sustainable development in the South,
• creates understanding for other value systems, promotes international understanding, and helps break down prejudices.