The General Assembly of the United Nations has designated September 5 (the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa) as the International Day of Charity. At Bosch Rexroth (Drive and Control Technology), we are aware of our social responsibility. We locally support social facilities all over the globe enabling for example better education or health. To mark this special day, we would like to share some charitable activities our associates were involved in around the world.

In November 2018, DC and charitable organization Primavera helped the Pure Hope School in Pretoria, South Africa, equip two new classrooms with books, stationery and furniture, as well as purchase outdoor gym equipment. The primary school provides education for 350 children from underprivileged families.

In January 2019, 50 associates of DC South Africa rolled up their sleeves and helped the ‘Lift Clinic'. This is a container from which primary healthcare services are offered to families with a focus on maternal and child health. DC supported in conducting a nutrition survey as part of a growth and developmental assessment and catch-up on deworming and Vitamin A supplementation for the children of Woodlane Village.

Our associates in Africa are committed to putting into practice what they call in the local African vision: “Shape Africa – make a change to better the lives on our continent.” They have already developed plans to expand Pure Hope School with four additional classrooms to give the children a chance to progress to High School, as the school currently only operates until middle school.

We, that means @Minks Sandra Lesley (AS/EM) (28) and @Minks Toni (AS/PCB11) (30) from Schwäbisch Gmünd, are active for Primavera for many years. Since the first day we had the wish to visit a Project of Primavera. Now, we will tell you about our experience.

Our trip to Primavera began in March 2019. We flew to mexico for our honeymoon and combined this vacation with a visit at two Primavera projects. The School “Vini Cubi” and the nursery school “Mi Castillito”.

At first, we want to tell you something about our planning of the visit: We got the contact of @Giovanna, a very lovely staff of Bosch from Mexico City (Foundation Director). Our contact starts many months before our trip to mexico. We only told her two things: What we want to visit (school and a nursery school) and the dates, which are possible for our visit. All the other things, which were to do does @Giovanna by her own. She sent us an agenda and organized the transfer for us. She was in contact with the responsible persons of the Primavera facilities the whole time.

It finally happened on March 25: We met @Galicia Rivera Giovanna Gabriela (RBMX/TAX) in the morning directly at the school “Vini Cubi” in Mexico. We became a very warm welcome from her and a staff of the school. They gave us a tour to each classroom. The staff of the school told us many things about the school and @Galicia Rivera Giovanna Gabriela (RBMX/TAX) translated this in English for us. Primavera has repaired the roof and installed the lights at the whole school including classrooms. Additionally, it took place adequacy for an appropriate storage room. We got a very warm welcome in each class. The teacher and students presented us their learning success full of pride. The contact between the teacher and the students is very warm-hearted and fondly. The classes are not comparison to the german school classes; you can better describe them as a big family. The children are very curious, willing to learn and open. The schoolmaster was coming at the end of our visit, and told us a lot about the school and answered our questions. She is very happy and thankful about primavera and our visit. At the end we took a picture with @Galicia Rivera Giovanna Gabriela (RBMX/TAX), the schoolmaster, some kids and their parents.

A very nice and well attended Primavera garden party on 6 July 2019!

More than 500 guests accepted the invitation to this year's Primavera Garden Festival. Members and donors came with their families, children and friends.

Christoph Kübel, CEO of Primavera, welcomed them all very warmly and at the same time thanked all organizers, helpers, sponsors and actors who made this day possible.

For the first time, the Bosch Jazz Orchestra - under the direction of Josef Herzog - provided musical entertainment with world-famous songs in the beautiful ambience of the spacious park and the Robert Bosch House. The soloist Miriam Angstmann, among others, impressed the audience with her great voice and spirited charisma.

In between, the drum group "TemnaDaiko" presented dance and instrumental interludes of traditional Japanese pieces.

Small meals, fresh drinks as well as coffee and delicious cakes were provided. And many of the guests also visited the new cocktail bar, which offered exotic mixed drinks (with and without alcohol).

The children had fun and joy with soap bubbles, goal wall shooting, model building, painting and child make-up etc. Also the stilt runner with his "small" dragon and the balloon animals made the little ones laugh.

Many visitors also took the opportunity to take a guided tour of Robert Bosch's home and enjoy the magnificent view of Stuttgart from the tower.

Those who had bought raffle tickets and even received a prize were also delighted. But even those who (unfortunately) only received small consolation prizes were satisfied, because every time they bought a raffle ticket, they supported the children in the Primavera projects.

At the end of the day the financial result was also very gratifying, because more than 7000 Euro could be transferred to Primavera as net proceeds.

Many thanks to all who contributed to this.

A narrow gravel road and a rather adventurous journey leads to the modest home of 28 young girls in the heart of Bengaluru, India's third largest city with over 11 million inhabitants. As orphans or children from the poorest families, they were lucky and found a new home in the Prasanna Trust, which offers them prospects for the future.

Thanks to years of support from Primavera and Bosch India, the children will receive food, clothing, and above all education that will enable them to live off the streets in adulthood. Primavera patron, Christoph Kübel, was on a business-trip to the local Bosch facilities and used this opportunity to visit the Prasanna Trust. The children and their carers proudly guided him through the small kitchen and two modest living rooms. In the evening, these are converted into dormitories. The only luxury there is is a donated Bosch refrigerator. For us in Europe, it's hard to imagine living like this. "But for the local girls it's a rescue," reports Christoph Kübel after his return to Germany.

Two weeks ago, Mr. Wolfram Anders, member of the Primavera Board, visited the Primavera Project CES Walldorf in the south of Bogota in Colombia, "Sierra Morena", the poorest and most dangerous part of Bogota.

The aim of the project is to get street children of a barracks town off the streets. Currently, 250 children between the ages of 3 and 16 and their families are being cared for.

The children receive a healthy diet, medical care and holistic education according to the Walldorf philosophy.

“Shining eyes” is what Mr. Hanns Bernd Kettler and Mr. Stefan Grosch noticed about the children from the Cuauhtemoc Elementary School, located near the Bosch Queretaro Plant.

During the second week of March, the QueP "Me Gusta Mi Escuela" committee invited over 90 students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades from the Elementary School, and their parents for a “Shaping the Future” event.

The main purpose of the visit was to raise awareness and start the thought process about their future and to determine what support their parents would provide. The students and parents participated in a plant tour, and listened to Bosch engineers and managers from around the world describe their life experiences, where they came from, how they came to work for Bosch, their education, families, dreams and hopes for the future. Afterwards, the kids participated in fun games focusing on the importance of cooperation, teamwork, communication, problem solving, innovation, openness and trust. Their parents were treated to a more detailed tour of the plant while we stressed the importance of education. At the end of each activity, the students reflected what was helpful and what they should take away for their future.

Near the end of the visit, the students and their parents came together for one final activity called “My Dream”. The children were asked to draw or write what they want to be when they grow up and the parents were given a similar task to answer he question, “What is your commitment so their dream can become true?”. On the third day, Mr. Hans Kettler and Mr. Stefan Grosch participated in the “My Dream” event and shared their dreams from when they were kids. It was motivational for the kids to hear that we all dream and we can all achieve our dreams by working hard, and dedicating your time to studying. The activity moved the parents also, and they all agreed that they wanted the best for their children and that they would always support them, as their happiness is what makes them whole.

We would like to thank the committee and the volunteers who made these plant visits possible. It was a great experience for all involved, and it surely left a mark on the hearts and minds for the children, parents and Bosch volunteers.