Munich Re supports kindergarten project in South Africa

In mid-August, following months of preparation, designing and planning, 29 students of architecture and six landscape architecture students travelled to South Africa with their tutors to build a new kindergarten and outdoor facilities in the township of Orangefarm near Johannesburg.

The students planned the new building and outdoor areas as part of an advanced-level design course at the Technical University of Munich Department of Architecture. The project was made possible largely thanks to donations received from corporations and individuals, which were used to fund the cost of building the new kindergarten. Besides lending generous financial support, Munich Re was also instrumental in ensuring project success through its local contacts.

Construction site offered new challenges every day

Despite thorough preparations in the months preceding the start of the works, many unforeseen obstacles and difficulties arose during the construction phase in South Africa. The construction work, which sometimes was extremely strenuous, had to be completed within a short timeframe of only 39 days. In addition, the team had to procure materials and equipment, arrange transport and accommodation, and repeatedly negotiate with the authorities.

Every day, as many as 20 local workers were selected, employed and paid, food and drinking water was prepared for more than 50 people, and construction material was purchased and delivered to the site in a volume and at a speed unusual for most suppliers. The biggest logistical challenge was to bring an overseas shipping container from Bremen full of donated material and tools to the site, where it was used as a tool storage room.

Ensuring local acceptance

Winning the acceptance and support of the local community and decision-makers was crucial to ensuring the project participants' personal safety and smooth progress of the works in the township. The project is mainly intended as a stimulus for further enhancement of the neighbourhood. This objective can only be achieved if the new building is integrated into the local community. To further this end, we established numerous contacts and engaged in discussion with neighbours, users and local authorities.

Thanks to the exceptional commitment of all participants and a strong team spirit, the construction project was completed within a very short time by the scheduled date of 30 September. A large celebration was held to mark the official opening of the new building. The solid structure with whitewashed walls has a large roof providing shade. It can accommodate around 60 children from the local community. But the kindergarten is more than just a stone building. For the people who live in the neighbourhood, it is symbolic of their hope that quality of life in the township will improve.

During the project, all participants gained very personal, lasting impressions of a magnificent and multi-faceted country: close and friendly contacts with the local population, insights into people's lives often marked by almost unimaginable deprivation, the music coming from the shacks, the numerous children and, last but not least, the African sunset.