A School in Africa. A perspective for the future.
A learning oasis for the children of Walmer Township – creating a future through education
The children who attend Walmer Primary School in the township of the same name near Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) in South Africa grow up in a highly disadvantaged community facing existential challenges. Together with our South African project partner Masifunde, we want to create a place for these primary school children that enables holistic learning and promotes self-confidence and motivation. A learning oasis where kids can grow up well and learn in a safe and nurturing environment. A solid education rooted in good values lays the foundation for future learning — and the children benefit from it for the rest of their lives.
To achieve this, the school will undergo a fundamental reconstruction. Currently, Walmer Primary School teaches around 1,800 children. It is one of only two primary schools in a district with 40,000 inhabitants.
The school’s current condition does not encourage learning; the surroundings resemble a dump. In addition, the school lacks an assembly hall and sufficient classrooms. Technical upgrades are also needed.
Africa Runners run for the future of Walmer Primary
In 2026, the Umckaloabo Foundation will support the construction of an assembly hall for Walmer Primary School in South Africa.
To make this possible, our 2026
Every donation you make to support an Africa Runner will be matched by the Schwabe Group up to a total amount of 75,000 euros. Your support counts double!
Space for shared and individual learning
As part of the “A School in Africa” project, we aim to work together with the Masifunde Education Centre to structurally further develop Walmer Primary School. With the support of the Africa Runners, who will raise funds for the school in 2026, the construction of an assembly hall for 900 to 1,000 learners is planned, among other improvements.
The hall will provide space for school assemblies, sports and cultural activities – strengthening the sense of community, motivation, and opportunities for individual learning. A clean and welcoming school environment also enhances the children’s overall well-being.
The 3D animation provides an impression of the scope of the cooperation project between the Masifunde Education Centre and Walmer Primary School and shows the project’s various elements and phases in detail.
Walmer Primary School will also receive a sustainable water and energy system. A filtration unit will treat rainwater and groundwater, making it safe and usable. A solar power system will enable the school to become energy independent. These measures will make the school self-sufficient and no longer reliant on the public electricity and water grid. Interruptions to classes due to power outages or a lack of water will then be a thing of the past.
“The construction of the new school hall at Walmer Primary School marks an important milestone. For 1,800 learners, a central place for sports, culture, interaction and community is being created. More than just four walls and a roof, the hall will become the heart of the school – a place for shared experiences, achievements and lifelong memories. We are truly grateful for the close collaboration with the Africa Runners and the Umckaloabo Foundation.”
Jonas Schumacher, founder of Masifunde and project partner
Integration into the Masifunde education center
The non-profit organization
Masifunde involves the residents of the township in its activities – and thus enjoys a high level of acceptance. Due to its close proximity, Masifunde can use the primary school’s assembly hall for larger events.
At the same time, it allows the learners to participate in the creative and academic programs of the Changemaker Academy without having to travel long distances. This is a wonderful give-and-take that benefits both sides.
Benefit for the entire township
The new community hall at Walmer Primary, for which the Africa Runners will raise donations in 2026, will not only be available to the learners but to the entire community – for example in the evenings and on weekends. The school will thus become a vibrant hub within the township.
With this holistic approach, a model can emerge that sustainably transforms schools in disadvantaged areas of South Africa and facilitates positive developments within the surrounding neighborhoods as well. This strengthens the community and fosters a sense of appreciation for the school among local residents.
Good neighbors
The school project at Walmer Primary and the collaboration with Masifunde will establish a learning environment in the immediate vicinity of Masifunde’s Montessori preschool. This will support children optimally through their first eight years of schooling, offer them positive opportunities for identification, foster a sense of community and enable confident learning as they are prepared for secondary school. Walmer Primary offers important foundations for successful lifelong learning and good future prospects. In addition to quality classroom instruction, the children also gain access to athletic, cultural and creative activities that make up a holistic education.
A sustainable and pioneering approach
The Umckaloabo Foundation aims to support long-term and sustainably effective projects. It is therefore important to us that our project partner, Masifunde, remains responsible for maintaining the facilities together with the school as part of the project.
Moreover, the new facilities will have a signaling effect for other schools in very disadvantaged townships and can serve as a model for child‑centred and values-oriented teaching and learning. This aligns with Masifunde’s philosophy, since the organization actively seeks a dialogue and networking with other organizations and public stakeholders in its other projects as well, ensuring that innovative and successful approaches can be replicated.
With your help, we will do the following:
- Raise funds together with the Africa Runners
- Build a community hall for the learners of Walmer Primary School
- Construction to begin as early as the end of 2026
In the future community hall of the primary school, not only will the learners of Walmer Primary be able to come together. Residents of the Walmer Township will also be able to use the hall as a place for community gatherings. In addition, the nearby Masifunde education center will be able to offer its creative programs on the school premises, allowing even more children to participate.
South Africa – A rainbow nation facing challenges
South Africa is often referred to as the “rainbow nation” because of its ethnic and cultural diversity. However, the effects of the apartheid regime, which systematically oppressed the Black majority population for racist reasons until 1994, are still felt today.
Although South Africa has developed into a stable democracy over the past 30 years and has a highly progressive constitution, free media and an active civil society, the country continues to face significant political and economic challenges as well as deep social divides.
Inequality remains particularly evident in the education system. Schools in disadvantaged Black communities and working‑class neighborhoods are still insufficiently funded and lack adequate resources. This directly impacts children’s educational outcomes and future opportunities. After all, the quality of schooling has a decisive influence on young people’s chances of leading an autonomous and economically secure life.
Sources: https://www.bmz.de/de/laender/suedafrika
https://www.gew.de/aktuelles/detailseite/bemerkenswerte-fortschritte-aber-auch-viele-probleme
Secondary school in Choma, Zambia
By the end of 2025, the financing for the new secondary school in Choma was secured, and construction work was able to begin late in the year. This was all thanks to the outstanding fundraising success of the Africa Runners and the Schwabe Group’s matching contribution which brought the total to 150,000 euros; furthermore, there was a funding commitment of 600,000 euros from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and additional supporters such as the Franciscan Mission Centre.
The first phase included building classrooms and the hostel that will accommodate the boarding students. Our long‑standing project partner, Loice Kashangura—who initiated the project—aims to welcome the first 180 students to the school as early as 2027. The school is a major achievement for the region, as there are far too few secondary schools in the Choma district. School routes are often long, exhausting and especially dangerous for girls. The planned boarding facility will allow young people from more distant rural areas to attend school. In addition, Choma Secondary School will be the first school in the district to offer an A‑Level qualification, which enables students to pursue university studies.
The Franciscan Sisters have already planted fruit trees near the construction site of the future secondary school. This garden will later supply the school with fresh fruit, contributing to a healthy and varied diet.
Five elementary schools in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
Our 2024 project for “A School in Africa” was dedicated to five elementary schools in the Eastern Cape, and the Africa Runners raised the sensational sum of €137,000 – including the €50,000 which the Schwabe Group added as fund-matching.
The children at Bhongolethu, Lonwabo, Ixhadi Labantwana, Sada and Sibuyele Primary School largely continue their education after the eighth grade at Ekuphumleni School, which we supported with the 2019 Africa Runners. The school is well-known for its excellent outcomes and committed teaching staff.
Good education does not start in secondary school, however: it begins in first grade, so we create the right environment for teaching and learning at these five elementary schools. Together with the Samara Foundation, we replaced the leaky roofs, repaired or re-installed water tanks and pipes, and purchased textbooks.
Improving the quality of teaching and didactics was a main priority for us, especially teaching children how to read and write. In addition, we are investing in the teachers’ pedagogical and didactic training as well as creating specialist networks for them.
Kasantha Secondary School, Malawi
The Kasantha Secondary School, our “School in Africa” in 2023, is a ray of light on the horizon for young people in the Kasantha region, because currently no secondary education is available to the more than 4000 children and adolescents who attend the ten local primary schools. Construction is scheduled to begin in May 2024.
The nearest secondary school is 12 kilometers away, and it can only be reached by foot. This is especially difficult for girls because they are often bothered or sexually harassed on their way to school. In addition, it is difficult to perform well after a two-hour walk to school. The 2023 Africa Runners raised a sum of €110,568 with which we will open four classrooms, build two accommodations for teachers, install toilets, dig a well and set up an administrative office.
Our project partner is Mwawi Shaba, the education officer for Karonga diocese in Malawi. Educating children and young people is dear to his heart. His own experience has taught him what a difference a good school education can make in the lives of young people. With the Karonga diocese, the Umckaloabo Foundation has already successfully founded several primary and secondary schools.
Makululu Combined Secondary School in Lusaka, Zambia
The Don Bosco Makululu Combined School in Kabwe near Lusaka consists of a primary school and technical secondary school with a total of over 850 students. Thanks to the technical equipment there, students can complete secondary school and take a statewide technical exam. This dramatically increases their chances on the job market.
In 2022, the Africa Runners raised money to expand the Makululu Combined School and make it possible for more children to receive a dependable top-quality education. The Africa Runners successfully brought in €105,000!
In the meantime, Manos Unidas has come on board as another partner and invested €70,000. Together we are financing further expansion.
Our project partners on site, Pastor Michal Wzietek and the Salesians of Don Bosco, finalized in 2024 the construction of additional classrooms. As a result, another 350 young people can go to the school, which is now even able to offer a technical degree which will make it possible to continue on to university.
St. Mary Primary School in Mzuzu, Malawi
In the rural parts of Malawi, there is a great need for good schools. A proper school education that is accessible can be a way out of poverty and dependency, especially for girls from poor families who often have to help at home and are frequently married off at an early age.
This is why Pastor John Moyo in Mzuzu worked with the Umckaloabo Foundation to expand St. Mary’s primary school so that more girls could get ahead in life. New additional classrooms were built. Vegetable gardens and fruit trees helped create a more diverse meal plan for the children at St. Mary’s and many other of the 260 primary schools in the Mzuzu diocese. Another important building block is continuing education for the teachers. We bring dedicated teachers together within a network and offer them further input through workshops or coaching.
St. Mauritius Secondary School in Karonga, Malawi
Northern Malawi is one of the least developed regions in the world. Schools and hospitals are usually so distant as to be completely inaccessible. Children and teenagers have to help tend the fields; girls are often married off early. Bishop Martin from Karonga wants to open up a brighter future perspective to the younger generation. He is convinced that education is what will help youths have a chance to shape their later lives.
In Livingstonia, a secondary school with a boarding school was created so that even children from remote rural areas have a way to receive a good education. Thanks to the first round of financing from the Umckaloabo Foundation, the first classrooms were built in 2020 and the first students could begin attending classes. The contributions of the Africa Runners allowed us to finish construction and open the school in 2022!
Ekuphumleni Secondary School in Whittlesea, South Africa
The
Initially there were 800 students in Whittlesea but now there are 1400, so the school desperately needed new classrooms. Thanks to the help of the Umckaloabo Foundation, these classrooms were finally made available in summer 2022. The Foundation also helped arrange for important teaching materials for computer courses and other lessons.
Northmead Secondary School in Durban, South Africa
The Northmead Secondary School suffers from chronic underfinancing. It receives only minimal state subsidies, and there is an above-average number of nearby families who often cannot pay the school fees. As a result, the much-needed renovation projects at the school came to a standstill.
At Northmead, we were able to build new bathrooms, acquire books and other classroom materials for classes, and we replaced the ant-damaged wooden cabinets with metal ones. This means we helped establish a better setting for students to learn and supported the school in maintaining its high graduation rates in the future as well.
St. Francis and Clare Secondary School in Lusaka, Zambia
With the help of the Franciscan nun Loice Kashangura, in 2017 we started building the
Many young people whose families cannot afford tuition can still attend school thanks to our
St. Ignatius of Loyola Secondary School in Nthalire, Malawi
The Umckaloabo Foundation launched its “A School in Africa” program with the St. Ignatius Secondary School in Nthalire, Malawi. With €66,000 in support raised by the Africa Runners charity run – which was also held for the first time that year – the Karonga diocese was able to build a secondary school with a boarding-school facility. In this very poor and remote region, the new school acts as a light on the horizon for many young people who otherwise had no way of attending a secondary school.
Thanks to our
Africa Runners raise donations
With the Africa Runners of the Umckaloaob Foundation, runners and sponsors collect donations for our School in Africa.
Run or let run - both pay off for our School in Africa.
Donate for a project!
All donations up to the maximum amount of 75,000 euros will be doubled by the Dr. Willmar Schwabe Group! If we receive more donations for the project than we can use, we will support similar educational projects in southern Africa.
Contact us
Do you have any further questions about the project or want to know how you can get involved? Then write to us or contact us by telephone.
uwe.bothur@umckaloabo-stiftung.de or 0221-976 112 12