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Environmental Awareness Shapes Personalities
06.09.2023 | Nicaragua

Environmental Awareness Shapes Personalities

The Samuel Foundation's holistic and sustainable educational concept includes a personality development module that strengthens the students' socio-cultural skills, gives them self-confidence and motivation and prepares them for the demands of today's job markets. Dealing with important social issues is also part of this area. Here, our Centre for Technical Education in Managua/Nicaragua has become active and dedicated an entire week’s activities to environmental protection. In this context, students from both years have cleared a watercourse that runs through the center's grounds of litter. They planted plants, composted organic fertilizer, took care of the green areas of the site and created murals on the theme of environmental protection. Every year, the center of the Hedwig and Robert Samuel Foundation in Managua trains 125 young people in four different commercial and industrial professions and also cooperates with different organizations in the fields of climate and environmental protection within the scope of the professional training.

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The President of the Samuel Foundation, Martin Barth, with representatives of our new partner in Costa Rica, Fundación Rahab, during an on-site visit (from left to right: Martin Barth, Ana Karina Polo, Marcela Barrantes and Laura Naranjo González).
02.08.2023 | Costa Rica

Vocational training as an opportunity for victims of sexual violence

The countries of Central America are a hotspot for human trafficking for sexual exploitation. In this context, Costa Rica plays an important role as a country of origin, transit and destination for human trafficking. In addition, the country records a high number of other cases of sexualized exploitation and violence caused by poverty and lack of prospects. This is where the work of the Hedwig and Robert Samuel Foundation's new project partner comes in. Fundación Rahab has been active in the fight against human trafficking for 25 years and is committed to combating all forms of violence and exploitation of women and girls. The San José-based foundation supports trafficked women and their children, as well as at-risk youth, in holistic prevention and rehabilitation programs. It helps them to come to terms with the trauma they have suffered, strengthens their social skills, and offers educational and professional qualification measures that open up ways out of the dependencies they have developed and show them new perspectives. Specifically, the project, which started in July 2023, includes the modernisation of classrooms, workshops and computer systems at Fundación Rahab in order to improve or create new infrastructural facilities for vocational training. In addition, the women participating in the project will be qualified in a range of new courses. As part of the project, cooking, sewing and cosmetics courses will be offered, which will help the participants to build a new livelihood. The project is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Samuel Foundation and Fundación Rahab.

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Together for a clean neighbourhood
01.08.2023 | Costa Rica

Together for a clean neighbourhood

In June and July, the Samuel students of our center in San José joined an initiative as part of a safety day launched by the Police and Municipality of the Costa Rican canton of Goicoechea by cleaning up lots and collecting waste. The day had the ambitious goal of leaving their community without an ounce of litter. The Samuel scholarship holders participated in the initiative as part of their social service that is included in the curriculum of the four careers offered by the Technical Education Centre in San José. The efforts of our students were also recognised by officials. "We are proud of the commitment of these volunteers, who set an example and motivate the community to make environmental awareness a way of life," commented Roy Diaz, head of the Municipal Police. And as the photos show, the Samuel students supported the initiative with commitment and good spirits. Many thanks to all participants in this activity.

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“Hardware-Upgrade” for our Centres for Technical Education in Delhi
03.07.2023 | India

“Hardware-Upgrade” for our Centres for Technical Education in Delhi

The students of our two Centres for Technical Education in Delhi are delighted about 28 new laptops for their computer labs. The computers are a donation from the German Embassy in Delhi with funds from the German Foreign Office. After all, digital skills are an essential prerequisite for being successful in today's working world. This is why the proficient use of computers is an important part of our "Fashion Design and Management" program. By the end of their 15-month technical education, the Foundation's scholarship holders master the standard Office package and move around the internet confidently. The generous donation from the German Embassy is a great help in preparing our students for their professional start with new-generation laptops. We do appreciate this support! Every year, the Samuel Foundation educates 108 young men and women in Fashion Design and Management. The Foundation's holistic training concept not only includes the teaching of technical skills, but also professional communication in English, digital skills, and personal development.

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The GIZ representative Adolfo Córdoba, his German colleagues, Miriam Frisch and Maja Schmauser, together with management and instructors of our centre in San José.
02.05.2023 | Costa Rica

Climate protection at a high level

At the end of March, our Centre for Technical Education in San José received a visit from representatives of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ). Among other things, the meeting served as an exchange on the GIZ project "Cool contributions fighting climate change", in which our centre in Costa Rica has already been participating for several years. Further options for future cooperation with this important partner of the foundation were also discussed. Our team and the students in San José were particularly pleased about the handover of two refrigeration units that are operated with environmentally friendly refrigerants. The two units were built as part of a further training measure carried out by GIZ in our centre and can now be used here for training purposes. Thanks to this donation our students in refrigeration and airconditioning technology stay up to date with the very latest in environmental protection!

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Helping during meal times at a school for the blind in Delhi
18.04.2023 | India

A special day

As a part of the Samuel comprehensive approach our scholarship holders regularly perform mandatory social work. All social service activities are designed to promote our students’ cognitive, emotional and social skills and enable them to participate in society. To this end, students of our Delhi Centres for Technical Education split up into different groups and spent a day helping out in different facilities. They visited an old age home located in Delhi, where they assisted and spent quality time with the residents. Another group cleaned and decorated the classrooms in a municipal school and gave the kids a lesson in personal hygiene. At a blind school our students spent an interactive lesson with students, getting to know about their lives and problems and assisted at meal times. Meena, one of the students from our Uttam Nagar centre, summarised her day: “It made me happy and proud to bring some happiness to others.” In the end, this special day was both, a learning and highly emotional experience for the Samuel students.

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Annual meeting in Düsseldorf
07.10.2022 | International

Annual meeting in Düsseldorf

After a two-year forced break imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Samuel Foundation's team in Düsseldorf was pleased to welcome the complete board of directors as well as the country directors from Costa Rica and India to the foundation's head offices. During an entire week, the team worked intensively on all topics concerning the foundation's projects. The difficulties the foundation’s work has faced since the beginning of the pandemic - especially in its Centres for Technical Education - were reflected upon. New perspectives for the coming year arose and new projects were planned as well. The shared weekend which was included in the programme offered all participants numerous opportunities to exchange ideas on a personal level and intensify their team building. This was an important personal exchange of the Samuel family, which hopefully can take place annually in Düsseldorf again from now on.

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