Education for Future
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."Nelson Mandela
WHAT WE WANT TO
ACHIEVE QUICKLY
We fight hunger!
Because only well-nourished children are fit and can concentrate on learning. A warm meal a day is therefore part of everyday school life
Planting an orange plantation.
The first trees have been planted and will make a long-term financial contribution.
Building an elementary school.
The school will have 6 classes of 15 students each. The land has already been purchased.
OUR BOARD
Ousman Barjo
Originally he worked in adult education. After his wife found a permanent job, he decided to teach his daughter at home. So that she would not learn alone, Ousman invited another child to study with them.
Heike Riesenbeck
She has already been active in charity work in The Gambia since 2020. She met Ousman during a project to support women in agriculture and decided to found Education for Future together with him in 2022.
Our great Team in Suwareh Kunda (North Bank)
Essa Camara, Fatou Sanno, Fatoumatta Sanneh and Mariama Barjo (Lamin Camara is missing)
Our Board in Germany
Mary, Backery, Elke, Raimund, Heike, Udo, Nida and Patrick with their children. 🌞
THE MISSION
Our own kindergarten.
Here, even the smallest children can be educated and parents have the opportunity to return to work more quickly.
Extension of school.
A secondary school ensures that the knowledge acquired in elementary school is further expanded and that the children have optimal opportunities for good vocational training.
Sustainable farming
HR, 03.03.2025
Our school in Gambia does not yet have its own garden, but that does not stop our dedicated teachers from providing the children with hands-on science lessons. To reinforce theoretical knowledge through practical experience, they teach the students how to grow and care for plants.A heartfelt thanks goes out to our generous supporters who provide us with seeds. Thanks to their help, the children not only learn how tiny seeds grow into strong plants but also develop an awareness of sustainable farming and self-sufficiency.
Learning with Joy – Diamond Painting inspires Our Children!
HR, 07.02.2025
In addition to regular lessons, our children have the opportunity to engage in self-directed learning, choosing materials that spark their interest while developing important skills. Right now, Diamond Painting is a favorite! 🎨✨This creative activity not only enhances fine motor skills and endurance but also strengthens concentration and perseverance – essential skills for both learning and life.A huge thank you to the wonderful team in Suwareh Kunda, who continuously provide our children with valuable opportunities for self-expression and growth. 💛 And, of course, to everyone who helps make this possible – your support makes a difference!
One block at a time!
HR, 26.01.2025
Hello everyone,
We have some fantastic news that we’re excited to share with you! Our organization, Education for Future e.V., is working tirelessly on our dream project: building a primary school in Suwareh Kunda. And the best part? The local community is fully behind us. They have provided us with a piece of land and will officially transfer ownership – a true community project!What has happened so far:
About a month ago, we got started. We began producing the building blocks, and we already have around 8,000 blocks ready. Unlike in Europe, the blocks are made by hand on-site as needed – a real labor of love! The youth organization "Lower Baddibu Youths for Development" is actively supporting us, and they’re also laying the groundwork for their own planned youth center. For every fifth block they produce, it goes toward this second important project. Isn’t that amazing?The plan:
The primary school will have three classrooms, allowing us to teach six classes in shifts – mornings and afternoons. This will provide space for around 90 children. In the coming weeks, we’ll begin work on the foundation. Once that’s done, the school will grow, block by block – literally!Why are we doing this?
Because education is the key to everything. We want to give the children in Suwareh Kunda the opportunity to reach their full potential. At the same time, we are committed to ensuring the project is sustainable. For instance, there is an orange plantation that will provide long-term opportunities for the school. We’re also working on providing the children with a warm meal every day – for many, this is a crucial factor in being able to attend school at all.You make this possible!
None of this would be achievable without your support. Whether you donate, lend a helping hand, or share our vision – you are the reason this dream is becoming a reality.Thank you for being part of this wonderful project. Together, we’re making a real difference – one block at a time!
Our first orange harvest
HR, 01.01.2025
It is January 1, 2025 and we can start the year with some good news. When we founded our school, we planted orange trees in Suwareh Kunda at the same time to provide our children with vitamins in the long term. Today we were able to harvest for the first time and provide our 50 schoolchildren with oranges. A huge thank you goes to all the people who support our work.
Spelling Bee competion
HR, 14.12.2024
On December 14, 2024, we organized an exciting spelling bee together with the youth group “Lower Baddibu Youth for Development”. This competition brought together young talents from our community and gave them the opportunity to strengthen their language skills and confidence.The day began with a warm welcome from the organizers, followed by a brief introduction to the rules of the competition. The participants, who were divided into different age groups, competed against each other in several exciting rounds. Every letter that was spelled correctly brought the young participants one step closer to victory.Particularly impressive was the performance of the youngest participants, who spelled with great enthusiasm and amazing accuracy despite their age. The jury, consisting of experienced teachers and members of our association, was impressed by the standard of the participants.In addition to the spelling competition, there were also other competitions on the topics of mathematics and agriculture. These additional competitions gave the children the opportunity to show their skills in different areas and to face new challenges.At the end of the day, the winners were honored in a ceremony. Each participant received a certificate and the winners were presented with great prizes. The spelling bee was a great success and we are already looking forward to the next edition.
And on it goes...
HR, 08.12.2024
Another part of our Education for Future e.V. is the library. It is still in its early stages, but we are working to ensure that our children have access to age-appropriate books at all times. There are books in every transport, a daily reading time is an integral part of the school day, the children can choose books independently during free work.
Thanks to a generous donation, we will be able to build a library in Suwareh Kunda. However, we will still need support with the design.
What actually happens when.....
HR, 02.12.2024
Now that we have introduced you to the main parts of Education for Future e.V., we would like to introduce you to other parts.
The children at our school will attend our school until the 12th grade. But what happens then? Last year, we started planting a mangrove forest. There are other reasons for this besides environmental protection. The Gambia has a high unemployment rate. We would be releasing our well-educated children into unemployment. We don't want that. A mangrove forest provides the basis for many professions and therefore work for our children.
Beekeeping: training as a beekeeper offers the opportunity for honey and further expansion of food production.
Desalination of the rice fields: Mangroves help to desalinate the waters. Rice cultivation is much more effective.
Carpentry: we need to grow the raw material of tomorrow now to create opportunities for children in the trades. We also have children who are interested in the plant and animal world. We can also imagine the profession of biologist. All this is possible if we plant mangroves over the next few years and let the forest grow together.
#educationforfuturenursary
HR, 26.11.2024
Let's continue with the introduction of Education for Future e.V. . Our school will be built in the village of Suwareh Kunda (more on this in the next posts), which is why we founded #educationforfuturenursary there a year ago. In addition to playing and doing handicrafts, the first letters, numbers and words are also practiced. English is the official language in The Gambia, but the children often only speak their mother tongue, so they are slowly introduced to the language. 8 children attend our kindergarten, which is housed in a room in the community. The photos also show older children who no longer fit into our understanding of kindergarten children. Nevertheless, we have also included older children to emphasize the importance of education to the outside world.
We would like to point out once again that this only happens with a large team in the background. All children have a sponsor in order to ensure funding here too.
How the journey started
HR, 22.11.2024
It all started with the #educationforfutureacademy. In 2022, our teacher Ousman Barjo was at home with his daughter for personal reasons. Heike and Ousman, who knew each other from a previous agricultural project, decided to make the most of this time. Ousman invited the neighborhood children, none of whom attended school, to play and learn. They made their first attempts at walking and standing with a pencil, understanding quantities and reading. Right from the start, there was something to eat, as the children often came to class starving.
There are now 21 children in their third year, a rented classroom equipped with tables and chairs, plenty of materials from Germany, enough exercise books and pens and a meal every day. The children have sponsors in Germany who accompany them and receive information at all times. Thank you to everyone who makes this possible.
Meals are always a highlight
HR, 19.11.2024
An important part of our school day is eating together. The children at our school come from families where regular meals are not a matter of course.
But “an empty stomach doesn't like to learn”. In addition to rice, vegetables, bread and good water, our children also get fruit from time to time, which is very popular. Our sponsors take care of the basic food. If extra donations are available, there is also sometimes extra fruit. Of course, this is always a big highlight for the children.
Education for Future to Go
HR, 15.11.2024
Why is progress in education so slow in The Gambia? We conducted a survey among teachers to find out. The results were complex and varied, ranging from corruption, frustration, classes being too full (50 or more children), no toys, no buildings, school uniforms or no materials. The list could go on and on. We take a different approach with Education for Future to Go. Our teachers are equipped with all the materials and go to the compounds. They teach outside in good weather and in the huts in bad weather. So far on the floor.
This year's mangrove planting campaign
UR, 10.2024
We have now continued what we started a year ago. We have talked a lot with the people in our village of Suwareh Kunda and asked them what is most urgently needed to improve their situation. In addition to education and medical care, the salinization of the rice fields is a major problem. Thanks to generous donations, we were able to plant thousands of mangroves last year to combat this. This year, together with the youth organization Lower Badibu Youth for Development, we have continued and planted around 12,000 mangroves. Again, a huge thank you to all donors! This not only fights salinization, but also creates a place of refuge for animals, helps the environment and opens up the possibility of beekeeping, which improves people's lives in the long term. We will continue this project for another 5-6 years. Then the mangroves that have now been planted will be ready to produce their own cuttings and the forest can grow without any further help from the people.
Mangrove planting campaign 2024
HR, 08.07.2024
Last year we had a planting campaign/donation drive to start a mangrove forest. Almost 9000 cuttings were planted. Almost all the plants have grown 😁 We will start another fundraising campaign next month to grow the forest again this year. Please help us again this year.
HR, 03.07.2024
We finally made it. We are registered as non-profit organisation in Germany. Many thanks to everyone who made this possible. 🚀
