Every Donation Helps!
The school’s main source of income are the school fees paid by the parents. Unfortunately, it doesn’t receive any grants from the government, be that from South Africa or Germany. Thanks to a very supportive parent body, money can be raised through events and other initiatives. This doesn’t cover all the costs, and the school is still dependent on private donors, especially those donating to the Förderer der DSD, as well as donations coming from other Trusts, to avoid unnecessary financial strain. The financial breakdown of the DSD can be explained as follows:
| Private donations through Trusts | 34% |
| School Fees from Parents | 62% |
| General Donations | 4% |
These funds only cover the basic, day-to-day activities and doesn’t allow for the school to save money or spend additional money on projects to grow the school.
What difference have your donations made?
Solar Energy
One of our projects that we started last year and for which we still need support is our solar energy installation. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on our municipal services and need to create our own sustainable sources of electricity and water. Constant and irregular power outages, known here as ‘Loadshedding’, have been disrupting the continuous course of lessons for many years. The board of the DSD has now approved a proposal from Starrate IT for a 20.72 kW solar energy system, which includes 56 solar modules, an inverter, and a 64.44 kWh battery so that the school can function optimally.
The project costs amount to approximately ZAR900,000, which will lead to an estimated annual electricity savings of ZAR102,000 per year, and a payback period of six years and eight months. The project has started, but will be implemented gradually as funds become available. The initial funding was provided from the existing financial resources of the school and donations from parents. All solar modules will be installed by the end of March (roof repairs were necessary in the auditorium after the devastating floods two years ago), but we still need about ZAR400,000 for the batteries to get the system operational.
Neither the South African nor the German government supports us financially, and our established base of donors is shrinking as the second generation of families who have supported us from the beginning do not always have the same connection to us. We are also experiencing growing interest from non-German-speaking parents who want to provide their children with an international education. Often these are low-income families facing financial challenges, and we support them with scholarships, which affects our financial reserves for projects like this.
Your support would be invaluable and would help us continue to provide our students with an education that can compete with any other international school. The German foundation arm of our school (Förderer der Deutschen Schule Durban e.V.) https://www.dsdurban.co.za/de/forderer-der-dsd/ can issue donation certificates that offer tax advantages. Please let me know if your organization can possibly sponsor our solar project in whole or in part, and whether I can submit a detailed application?
If you require further information or details before making a decision, please do not hesitate to write to me at development@dsdurban.co.za or contact me by phone or via Whatsapp at +27 83 7858566.
Thank you in advance for your consideration and possible support. Your contribution would help the Deutsche Schule Durban continue to be a vibrant and inclusive educational institution.
School Busses
Your donations have bought 2 Sprinter Busses and 1 Toyota Avanza, which are used to transport the children to and from school. Now they need to be service regularly. It’s activities like this, where we are dependent on your donations.
School Books
Your donations allow the DSD to purchase new, German school books every year. Yet, donations unfortunately don’t allow for every child to receive their own copy.
Bursaries
The DSD pays almost €35 000 for bursaries every year. Your donations help alleviate the financial strain these costs have on our school. The DSD still needs a lot of support in this department.
Thanks to our donors, we were able to build an extension to our school, in which two new classes found a home. We are currently running a Buy-A-Brick initiative, which we hope will pay off the extension entirely.
This is Slindo. Your donations enabled him to complete his primary school career at the DSD. Because, thanks to you, Slindo has such a good command of the German language, thanks to a scholarship he can now attend the German School in Hermannsburg and continue to practice his German. Who knows what Slindo will do in his life because you made it possible for him.
Golden Don0rs
Frau Heidrun Castner-Landgrebe
Herr Dieter Crome
Herr Dr. Martin und Frau Christine Noltenius
Herr Dr. Eckart Thurich
Herr Dr. und Frau von Heydebreck
Herr Meier-Hedde