After a well-deserved break, we kicked off the new year with plenty of momentum. The children returned with renewed energy, and our 11th-grade class is already in the middle of a very special adventure: the internship in Bali, which we announced in our last newsletter, is in full swing. Since January, four of our students have been working at a renowned 5-star resort. From housekeeping to guest services, they are rotating through various departments and applying their classroom knowledge in a real-world setting for the first time. For teenagers from Papua who are far from home for the first time, this is a real challenge—but also an opportunity to grow. Independence, responsibility, and new perspectives: this internship is a stepping stone that will have a lasting impact on their lives. They will return to Sawinggrai in July with a backpack full of experience.
Our new digital school platform, the Smart Child Aid Papua intranet, is live—and it is fundamentally changing and simplifying our daily routine. School operations are now entirely digital: daily schedules, homework, modules, attendance, and information are all centrally organized via the platform. The system was developed by one of our newer teachers, Haekal, who is demonstrating not only his socio-pedagogical skills but also his flair for forward-looking technology. Furthermore, our students are learning to keep pace with the digital shift and navigate these new, automated processes. Interest in the software solution is already growing beyond our school; other schools and regional authorities have reached out with interest in adopting the platform. We had previously presented Smart Child Aid Papua during an exchange with other educational institutions in the region—a strong sign that Child Aid Papua is doing pioneering work not only in its curriculum but also in technology.
At the beginning of April, we received visitors from the very top of the political hierarchy: the head of education for the province of Southwest Papua and the head of government for Raja Ampat visited our school to learn about our educational philosophy. Both were deeply impressed by the school concept, its implementation, and, above all, the children's enthusiasm for learning and their spirit. Our school was officially designated as a "Pioneer School of Southwest Papua." It is a milestone for the entire team and an incentive to continue on this path.
Another highlight of the first quarter was our students' participation in a volleyball tournament in Waisai. They bravely competed against students from other schools as well as experienced volleyball teams, and despite being physically smaller, they impressed everyone with their game intelligence, tactics, and unwavering fighting spirit. Spectators and fellow players alike were equally enthusiastic.
And the enthusiasm continues to grow! We were delighted to welcome Silvan Zindel, Director of Education at Swiss Volley, to our school. Over 16 intensive training sessions, he mentored and inspired our children and teenagers, and also brought along new volleyball equipment.
Since then, the spark has truly caught on: our students continue to train with passion and ambition. They are experiencing firsthand how much they can achieve together when they rely on one another. And they are realizing that effort, discipline, and perseverance create real change—not just in sports, but for their path in life.
Construction of our new school building is also making visible progress. The Ramadan period meant that some workers traveled home, but the schedule remains unchanged: completion is still planned for July 2025. Thanks to renewed support from Urs Schumacher—who already lent his skills to Child Aid Papua two years ago—we have now been able to professionally prepare the electrical panel for the new school building. Planning and material procurement for the interior finishing are currently underway. Windows and doors are scheduled to be installed by the end of May. Our architect, Garrett, was also back on site. Based in New York, Garrett traveled directly from Vietnam, where he is overseeing another construction project, and invested another two weeks to supervise the construction of our new Blue Ocean School building. He was thrilled with the progress and the quality—which, without him and his support, would undoubtedly not have been achieved.
Garrett is not the only welcome repeat guest in Sawinggrai. In March, we were able to welcome Simon Lister—photographer, director, and long-time supporter—for the third time. This time, he didn't come alone: together with an award-winning video editor and one of the world's leading underwater cinematographers, the team filmed at our school and in the surrounding area for several days. Simon's goal: to complete the image and video material he has already collected so that a high-quality documentary about Child Aid Papua can soon be produced. The first scenes are very promising, and we are already very excited about the result. The release date is still to be determined—stay tuned!
A short clip from an English hospitality class suddenly became an internet hit: two of our students were role-playing as a receptionist and a guest as part of their lesson. The goal of this teaching method is to engage in conversations that are as realistic as possible, which the students might encounter later during their internships. A teacher captured the scene on their phone and posted it online—and then everything happened very quickly: hundreds of thousands of clicks, shares on national platforms, and even the Indonesian Minister of Tourism shared the video. The reactions ranged from "How can I enroll my children there?" to media inquiries from Jakarta. What started for us as an ordinary classroom moment went viral across Indonesia within a few days and brought us national attention.
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