Ann-Kathrin. With people. Against ignorance.: Misereor

"I want to break through the prevailing images in our heads and question colonial thought patterns," says Ann-Kathrin Borchert. That's why she talks about the global South in class instead of developing countries. She talks about informal settlements, not slums. She wants to teach her students to treat all people and cultures with respect and as equals. Since her excursion to Kenya with us, Ann-Kathrin's heart has been burning for the East African country. Her passion is passed on to the young people on her geography course: "When I tell them about my experiences, they really get into it." After the project visits to Kenya, she created a series of lessons on informal settlements with our support, which is available to all interested teachers.

The dedicated teacher wants to meet everyone on an equal footing, as here in conversation with a seventh-grade pupil.

Ann-Kathrin Borchert captivates her pupils in geography lessons with her personal experiences from Kenya.

A safe home and time for games for the residents of the Misereor partner project "Rescue Dada Centre" in Nairobi, Kenya.

With her commitment, the young teacher also reaches the pupils outside the classroom, for example with the sustainability club.

Ann-Kathrin Borchert from Germany

"Kenya was a very special experience," says Ann-Kathrin Borchert. A key moment was her encounter with young women in Kibera, an informal neighbourhood of Nairobi. "One of them spontaneously invited us to her home" - into her small four square metre dwelling with no water or toilet.

The women's stories touched her even more deeply. The worst thing was to learn that some underage mothers saw no other way out than to simply abandon their newborn babies on the riverbank.

In Kenya, however, the trainee teacher also realised what education can achieve. In the Misereor partner project"Rescue Dada Centre", young women from the street learn the hairdressing trade. "Now they run their own hair studios, where they offer all kinds of styles, and feed the whole family." Ann-Kathrin Borchert has also taken many positive things home with her from other encounters.

"There is so much innovation, pride, cheerfulness, mutual support and a warm welcoming culture." It is precisely these values from Kenya that Ann-Kathrin Borchert wants to convey at her school. That's why she is involved far beyond the classroom.

Her working group for environmental protection and climate justice has already planted a school forest, organised fundraising runs, raised awareness about plastic waste and set up a swap shelf. Further activities are planned, the proceeds of which could benefit a Misereor project. The school management is delighted to support the project.

The encouragement from all sides shows the young teacher how much her commitment moves people. And it motivates Ann-Kathrin Borchert to continue on her path against ignorance in the world.

I want to raise awareness of the countries of the global South, of the imbalance between North and South, and for more openness, respect and tolerance.

Ann-Kathrin Borchert

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Teaching material "Revaluation processes of informal settlements in Nairobi"

The teaching material "Upgrading processes of informal settlements in Nairobi" has been designed for…

The teaching material "Upgrading processes of informal settlements in Nairobi" has been designed for geography lessons at upper secondary level and can be viewed in combination with the explanatory film "Slum Upgrading & People-led Settlement Improvement in Nairobi ". Among other things, the teaching material enables a clear definition of terms and a critical examination of housing and living conditions in informal settlements. The pupils also use a real-life example to evaluate two options for upgrading informal settlements in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. The teaching material includes a concrete proposal for lesson organisation, worksheets and solutions. It was created following an excursion to Kenya organised by the Institute of Geography at the University of Cologne with Misereor in 2019.

Publisher: Misereor
Year of publication: 2021
Pages: 29

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