I am a primary school teacher and since 2016, we have had a school link with Toucountouna, in Benin.
With this we work on many curriculum objectives, such as: The students can appreciate that people's differences are interesting.
We live in a time where people struggle with people who are different. Raising children to become world citizens is not only a task for parents. School can also help with this.
With our school link, we give the children from the Global South more than a name. We follow what they do, what they love, what they struggle with. We ask them questions and answer theirs.
Last year we worked on water. We got pictures on how they handle water. In Belgium, we counted how many taps we have at home. The children themselves concluded that we are wasting too much water and that we can learn something from the Global South. The students then figured out how to limit their water consumption. We posted this on our communal blog to come full circle.
However, not everything goes so smoothly. Sometimes there are personnel changes, causing a number of driving forces to disappear.
In 2018, the schools in Benin went on strike for 5 months, which brought the project to a standstill. And sometimes the answer we get looks different from what we expect. For example, during the theme "party" we showed how a birthday is celebrated. In response, we received an explanation of ritual male circumcision. That, of course, was something that needed clarification.
We also organize exchange visits. In this way, mutual ties are strengthened, which improves motivation and cooperation.
In short, in a world where globalization is ever more present, a school link is a real enrichment. Children are ultimately the adults of tomorrow. We count on them to make our planet a sustainable society. Every contribution to this is an investment in the future of us all.
Edited: Andru Shively (VUB)