By Didi Anandarama
Ten years have passed since the revolution in 2011 when we started our school on the banks of the Nile River in the small village of Baharwa, Giza. Fundamentally our school is based on Neohumanist philosophy and principles which are universal in nature and applicable anywhere. We stand for life-long learning and teaching for all who enter our premises. Many people and children have passed through, sharing, giving, learning… We are grateful to all those who helped to make this project successful, be they children, parents, friends, supporters, visitors, reporters or volunteers.
We are now a lovely, thriving, high standard Kindergarten with almost 40 children and six staff. The Kindergarten offers low-cost, affordable, high quality learning and is supported fully by the SAWA association managed by Suzi Balaban. We also house the “Nile Craft” sewing workshop that offers young girls business skills managed by Lesley Whiting. We also offer computer classes and have a library for reading. Our riverside garden is sought out for gatherings, meetings, and seminars for family events and by groups. We are open to volunteers. This year we had volunteers from Brazil, France, and of course from Egypt. We are happy about two local primary schools that evolved by inspiration from here, set up by Manahyaya NGO.
We are very grateful to friends, supporters, and the German embassy for funding needed structural renovations this year: an additional classroom, a sewing room, one small room with bathroom and a new riverside playground. We are grateful to the Mawten eco-design startup for providing free on-site consultations for architectural solutions and playground design. These new developments are helping us move towards a better standard of our school, education and service to the community. Teachers, parents, and children are happy. We are looking forward to a great school year and a new decade of learning, love and wellbeing.
