When Children Imagine a City of Encounter and Cooperation
What does a City of Ubuntu look like through the eyes of children?
Over the past semester, students at Mittelschule Klosterneuburg gave us a beautiful and hopeful answer.
Under the guidance of their teacher, Dipl.-Ing. Herwig Ferch—architect, board member of City of Ubuntu, and one of the two architects behind the planned Ubuntu Center in Sanki, Cameroon—three school classes of students aged 10 to 12 explored the question of how they imagine a city shaped by Ubuntu values. The result: three model cities full of encounter, cooperation, and shared responsibility.
From Philosophy to Practice: Ubuntu in the Classroom
As part of the subject Technology & Design, Herwig Ferch introduced his students to the basics of urban planning, local and contemporary architecture, and the realities of building in the Cameroonian highlands. Step by step, the children developed their ideas through sketches, plans, and discussions—before bringing them to life in scale models.
What made this project especially meaningful was that it was connected to a real initiative: the development of the Ubuntu Education Campus in Sanki, led by City of Ubuntu Austria and City of Ubuntu Cameroon. This future campus aims to create better educational and vocational opportunities for young people and adults and is envisioned as a pilot project for sustainable development in other parts of the world. The architectural concept was developed by Symbios Architektur ZT GmbH, with a strong focus on ecological, structural, and economic sustainability.
A Proud Moment: Presentation on January 26th, 2026
On January 26th, 2026, the three city models were presented to the public at the school. Parents, teachers, and the school director filled the room—and we at City of Ubuntu were honored to be invited.
Two of our founding members, Jean de Dieu Tagne and Veronika Pawel, joined the event to introduce the work of City of Ubuntu and share insights into the project in Cameroon. The atmosphere was open, joyful, and deeply appreciative. It was clear how much thought, creativity, and teamwork the students had invested—not only in designing their cities, but also in confidently presenting them.
Inspired by the Next Generation
We were truly impressed by the children’s ideas and by their natural understanding of Ubuntu:
“I am because you are. I am because we are.”
Their cities reflected spaces for meeting, learning, caring for one another, and living in harmony with nature. More than that, they showed us how strongly the values of solidarity, respect, and cooperation already live in the next generation.
Thank You for Teaching Us Ubuntu
We warmly congratulate all the students on this outstanding project and thank Herwig Ferch for bringing Ubuntu into the classroom in such a tangible and inspiring way. Most of all, we thank the children—for their curiosity, their creativity, and for reminding us that building a better future starts with imagination, courage, and community.
This project did not just teach Ubuntu.
It lived Ubuntu—and in doing so, it taught us all.
