Charity and Volunteer Projects
ISR values social responsibility as we educate our students to become global citizens. Our students and community are actively involved with projects to help those in need both locally and internationally. Raising money for charities is also a focus for the International Baccalaureate (IB) CAS (creativity, activity, service) requirement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVI1aB9nB10
From March 29th to April 5th, 2015 a dedicated group of nine Grade 11 students and their teacher travelled to Portugal to work with Habitat for Humanity on their CAS project. CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) is a core component and central to the philosophy of the IB program and fosters the student’s awareness of life beyond the academic arena by experiential learning. The charity is committed to eradicating poverty and substandard living conditions globally. By collecting funds, “Habitat for Humanity” is able to provide building materials for voluntary teams to aid families in building houses, which is often unaffordable for them.
“We arrived on a Sunday and travelled directly from Porto to Amarante; a small town surrounded by beautiful vineyards and the countryside. Our worksite was located just outside of Amarante. We were the seventh and final group to work at this site. The family we were helping was a retired couple who could not afford to renovate their home, which was in grave danger of collapsing. They greeted us warmly and welcomed us to their home. Anna-Maria and her neighbor prepared delicious lunches for us each day. The food was absolutely delicious and the wonderful environment and the friendliness of the family we were working for made all of the hard physical labor worthwhile. We learned to truly appreciate where we come from and how comfortable we are in Germany. The difference in standards of living was something we weren’t prepared for and put things in perspective for us. On the last day, we also enjoyed a wonderful day trip to Porto, where we got to see the city and the urban Portuguese lifestyle.
“Ultimately, it was truly fulfilling to see how much of a difference we were able to make, to see how the house had changed. We learned a lot about ourselves and what we are capable of. Despite the short time we spent in Portugal, we were able to make a difference for one family and learn some valuable lessons in the process.
“To future CAS students in the years to come, we would definitely recommend this experience with Habitat for Humanity. You will never forget it.”
Muito Obregado!
Habitat Team
ISR students involved with Habitat for Humanity. Two ISR students Constantin F. and Maximilian K., now students at King Edward School in Whitley England, spent some time during the summer holidays together with ISR teacher, Ms. Allison L, on a building project of the organization Habitat for Humanity in Romania.
The group left on Sunday, June 29, from Dusseldorf airport and flew to Bucharest. There, they met a group of students from the Berlin Brandenburg International School who were also taking part in the project. Together they drove to a site in the city of Ploiesti, 60 km away from the capital city. All students were impressed and touched by what they achieved and experienced in Romania.
Habitat for Humanity is an international charity, which with the help of donations and volunteers, builds shelter and accommodations for families in need, regardless of their nationality and religion, throughout the world and in disaster areas.
