PROBONO’s vision is to let the ideal of One World become real - a world in which people of different cultures learn from one another, fight together against poverty and take responsibility for the future of our planet. For this we promote school partnerships between the North and the South.

Andrea Alleker-Fendel, Founder and chairperson of PROBONO School Partnerships for One World

About us

What issues does PROBONO work on?

PROBONO School Partnerships for One World e.V. is a charitable organisation, which has been supporting school partnerships between schools in Germany and Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya since 2004 to promote education in Eastern Africa.

Together with tens of thousands of students from the Northern and Southern hemisphere we work on...
• overcoming poverty by promoting education
• improving the learning and living conditions at African schools
• encouraging intercultural dialogue and cultural interchange between children and youths from Germany and Eastern Africa
• promoting global learning and improving social skills on both sides

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We support our African partner schools in many ways, including providing teaching and learning materials as well as school housing, supporting projects to improve access and availability to clean water. We systematically invest in teacher training programmes and provide scholarships for vulnerable girls and boys. Our support is not on a one-off, short-term basis. Instead, it is our objective to improve the teaching and learning situation in the African schools in the long-term - in a joint effort with the respective German partner school.

As part of the school partnerships between the North and the South, we encourage intercultural dialogue, promote learning projects, support the partner schools in their communication with each other and facilitate intercultural exchange visits, advise and support exchange visits and school trips.

Geographically, the focus of our work is on Tanzania and Uganda. In addition, we have one partner school in Kenya and one in South Africa.

PROBONO is a founding member of the Political Development Network in Hesse (Entwicklungspolitisches Netzwerk Hessen/ EPN).

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About us

Our story

PROBONO was founded in 2004 by Andrea Alleker-Fendel. The mother of three children and political scientist with a background in development cooperation was looking for an answer to the question of how development aid could have a sustainable impact. How do we not only improve the education and living conditions in the South, but at the same time change our awareness and our actions in the North on a long-term basis? And how do we include the younger generation in this process in order to increase their awareness and engagement for social and global issues?

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The solution she found in school partnerships. "It was of utmost importance for me," Andrea Alleker-Fendel said, "that we not only support the schools in the South, but that our children and youths in Germany are also involved so that they learn to respect and tolerate other cultures and develop awareness for the issues of global equality. Without a change in our thinking here in the North, our One World cannot come together. Issues such as overcoming poverty, climate change, environmental protection, political stability and peace can only be tackled jointly by the countries of the world and we can only stand up for a fairer world together."

What began as an initiative on a voluntary basis has, over a period of fourteen years, developed into a renowned organisation in the area of development cooperation and educational support. None of this would have been possible without the commitment and dedication of all those involved, including their continuous contribution of new ideas.

Today, PROBONO is made up of a team of seven staff members and volunteers in Germany and Africa. It supports 29 school partnerships and has promoted more than 400 educational projects in schools in Eastern Africa. Our biggest assets are our competent, long-term staff members and partners based in Tanzania and Uganda. They play an important role as mediators between the different cultures, act as mentors for the projects in the African schools and ensure that the aid reaches those in need. German PROBONO staff members visit the partner schools in Africa on a regular basis, to monitor project implementation and impact on-site and to ensure transparency.

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About us

In Memoriam

We sadly mourn the loss of our founding member and long-time second chairman Dr. Andreas Fendel, who suddenly passed away on March 6, 2022. With great gratitude we remember a wonderful person who accompanied and promoted PROBONO School Partnerships for One World e.V. from the beginning and supported the development of the organization with visionary ideas and energetic commitment for 18 years. His work for intercultural understanding, for better learning and living conditions in Africa and for the idea of "One World" will remain an example and an inspiration for us.