On October 1, 2024, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Commission for UNESCO presented the “National Award – Education for Sustainable Development” in Bremerhaven. 24 organizations that are committed to education for sustainable development (ESD) and thus also to the 17 global sustainability goals were honored with the award.
German-Namibian association Suni e.V., based in Igel, was one of the award-winning initiatives.
Education for Sustainable Development, or ESD for short, is education that enables people to think and act in a sustainable way. ESD enables everyone to understand the impact of their own actions on the world and to make responsible, sustainable decisions. This educational concept is anchored in the United Nations’ fourth Sustainable Development Goal “Quality education for all people worldwide”.
Suni e.V. was founded in 2008 and has received several awards for its work in Germany and Namibia. Since 2023, Suni e.V. has been an ESD learning center in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland and visits schools and educational institutions to show German-Namibian connections in a global society. The German UNESCO Commission was particularly impressed by the association’s ESD qualification and exchange program.
Barbara Scharfbillig, Managing Director of Suni e.V., explains: “Together with the Light for the Children Foundation in Gobabis, the University of Trier, the Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust and the Education Directorate of the Omaheke region, we are running a German-Namibian exchange program for educators and student teachers. The participants jointly qualify in the field of education for sustainable development. They take part in several workshops, webinars and study trips. They also work together to implement their own ESD projects in both countries – for example on the topic of recycling.
Maury Javiera Fernandez Clark and Filbo Fensch, both from Prüm, accepted the award on behalf of Suni e.V. “It was a great honor for Suni e.V. to receive this award,” said board member Fernandez Clark. “We are delighted that the international work of our dedicated volunteers has been recognized so highly.”
Suni e.V. currently has the capacity to carry out school visits in the Trier region. Interested schools and educational institutions can contact kontakt@suni-ev.de.
Information about the offer here: https://suni-ev.de/projekte/entwicklungspolitische-bildungsarbeit-in-deutschland/