Viva Humanidad e.V.

About us

Education has a key role to play in achieving sustainable changes in society. This applies to the improvement of schooling in developing countries but also to the changing of xenophobic attitudes.

The association "Viva Humanity" was founded in 2008 with the aim of organising school partnerships between Germany and Ethiopia, and promoting intercultural exchange and furthering global responsibility among children and adolescents. Viva Humanity is an initiative of the Berlin musician Axel Steinhagen, who has supported Ethiopian schools for several years through school partnerships. Particular attention is paid to sustainability and continuity.

Our work:
• By means of events based on particular topics, information sessions and workshops, the partner schools are informed about both the cultural and social characteristics of Ethiopia and the environmental and global challenges.
• Students develop event concepts at their schools, to raise funds for the improvement of learning conditions at the partner schools in Ethiopia.
• Our association is responsible for all the necessary coordination of, and correspondence with, all the project partners and institutions in both Ethiopia and Germany.
• The association's work relies on the purely voluntary commitment of six employees.
• As school patrons, six musicians or bands supported the association's work. In 2011, the club received a UNESCO award as a Decade Project for Sustainable Development.

Projects:
• the current project "Koyo-school" is building and expanding one of the poorest schools. The school is located in the province of Oromia, south of Addis Ababa, where three teachers teach approximately 350 students. The school buildings are made of mud and it lacks everything: light, classrooms for all the children, sanitary facilities, library and sports equipment.
• The association actively supports projects for Ethiopian schools and education, as well as tackling environmental issues. UNESCO has given the project "One Tree for the future" an award as an official project of the UN Decade "Education for Sustainable Development".
• The Spirit of Doing: "Don't only sing about it, do something." How a school project in Ethiopia developed out of a song.

Axel Steinhagen was one of the founders of Viva Humanidad.

On request we can offer other net participants advice, give a presentation, and provide up-to-date information and contacts in the field of our work.