Projekt "Patio 13 - Schule für Straßenkinder"

About us

„Patio 13 – School for Street Children“ is an international education initiative of the Heidelberg College of Education and the Columbian Teachers’ Training College („Escuelas Normales Superiores“), in conjunction with notable universities in Germany (Heidelberg und Freiburg) and Columbia (Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, and Universidad Externado de Colombia, Bogotá). (details at www.patio13.de ).

War has driven over a million Columbian children onto the streets. Waves of refugees are flooding into the cities. Increasing numbers of children end up on the streets, abandoned, orphaned, with no prospects.

"Patio 13 - School for Street Children“ gives them a new start – helping them to help themselves through education. Street children from Columbia introduce themselves: with photos, drawings, reports. The school and its teachers go into the slums, where the children are taught. The new project course in the teacher training program is called “Street child education”.

The aim of the project is to give children and young people who are living rough a solid basic education – in their own language / alphabetisation, in mathematics, science, social studies, art and sport – to enable them to lead a self-determined and secure life, as a full member of their society. This is achieved by the development of teaching methods appropriate to the special experiences, interests and deficits of street children. Children and young people who are roaming the streets of Columbia are offered an education so that they can take up their school career again where they left it off. The chance of a life in human dignity and a self-determined future stands or falls by education. The experiences and results of the project should be transferred to other countries. We have had requests about cooperation from colleges, universities and other institutions in Germany, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Russia.

The assignment starts where the pedagogic know-how of a country is concentrated – in schools, colleges of education and universities. Teachers, students and professors are motivated to recognise the streets as an area of educational emergency, which concerns them for political and humanitarian reasons.

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