On December 13 and 16, 2019, the BoJO, under the direction of Sepp Herzog, presented a great mixture of "classical" jazz, winter songs like "Let it Snow" and jazz versions of various Christmas songs "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" and "White Christmas" in a well-known professional manner.

In his welcoming address, Primavera's CEO Christoph Kübel thanked the Bosch Jazz Orchestra and its director Sepp Herzog for their many years of successful support of Primavera's work. The history of the Bosch Jazz Orchestra is inextricably linked with the passion and personal commitment of Sepp Herzog, and so Christoph Kübel took the opportunity to express special thanks to him for his services to culture at Bosch on the occasion of the BoJO Christmas concerts.

Instrumental solo performances by Sepp Herzog and the alto saxophonists Rita Samuseva and Alexander Hübel, among others, as well as vocal performances by the singers Maria Rapp and Miriam Angstmann caused enthusiasm among the 400 visitors. Moreover, both evenings were very entertaining. The moderators from the JMP team also played their part in the American auction of beautiful and useful items. With their "sparkling" invitation to participate, they convinced the audience. The sum of the proceeds from the auctions made this clear.

Finally, the Bosch Jazz Orchestra also thanked its conductor Sepp Herzog for 16 years of excellent cooperation. Since the orchestra had postponed its own Christmas party to January 2020 in favor of the Primavera event, the BoJO used the Christmas concert to present Sepp Herzog with an early Christmas present.

With these two wonderful concerts a total of 9.100 EUR could be added to the Primavera account. A great result!

Primavera would like to thank all the active participants and organizers for the excellent preparation and realization of the events and the guests who were very generous.

At the end of a music year, the Christmas Quempas Singing has been taking place for many years with the Bosch Choir, Symphony Orchestra, their wind instruments and the Lower School Choir of the Salier-Gymnasium Waiblingen. This was the case on 10 and 11 December 19 in the Stiftskirche in Stuttgart - once for the benefit of Aktion Weihnachten e.V. der Stuttgarter Nachrichten and on 11 December for the benefit of Primavera e.V.

The director of the Bosch Choir, Till Drömann, who succeeded Ulrich Waldörfer last year, and his colleague and director of the Bosch Symphony Orchestra Hannes Reich put together a very special program for the 2019 Festival Concert. The focus was on one of the most popular sacred choral works by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy - the setting of the 42nd Psalm op. 42 "Wie der Hirsch schreit".

The evening also begins with a performance by organist Martin Kaleschke to the overture of a Mendelssohn organ movement. In tune with the 80-man Bosch Choir and accompanied by the entire orchestra, followed by the Lower School Choir of the Waiblinger Salier-Gymnasium, everyone finally sings together "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen". Other parts from Psalm 42 for choir and orchestra follow. Then the soprano Andrea Nübel, with her bell-clear voice, performs the "Salve Regina" and virtuoso "Ave maris stella".

Later she will perform several solo parts from the remaining movements of the Hirschpsalm.

In between, all active people and the audience can sing along to the hymns: "How beautiful shines the morning star" and "Praise God her Christians all at once". With "In Dulci Jubilo," Kirsten Schatz's Bosch brass ensemble, which is made up of nine members, will perform a festive interlude. Then comes the main thing of the evening: The Quempas. "Four groups of the Salier Schoolchool Choir sing from the corners of the collegiate church to the pastoral way in which the Bosch Choir and the visitors get into the right mood.

Till Drömann and Hannes Reich took turns conducting this evening - from the Quempas to the Hirsch Psalm to the joint conclusion with "Oh du fröhliche".

This Quempas-Mendelssohn evening was once again a musical delight, which provided for never-ending applause and for a great net profit in favour of Primavera in the amount of 12,203 €.

Happy and laughing children surrounded us and watched us curiously, when we (the couple Eveline Fiedler and Roland Müller-Fiedler) visited the “Es-Salam-School” (Peace-School), right in one of Cairo’s carbage districts: Moytamadeia. During our private holidays in Egypt in November 2019, we used the opportunity for a visit to the school and the assoiated kindergarten. Roland Müller-Fiedler is in charge of the project ‘Es-Salam-School’ within the Primavera board. Therefore, it was important for us to experience the children and the facilities on site and to gain a first hand impression of the project. We also wanted to make personal contacts with the responsible people in Cairo and to discuss Primavera’s future priorities for the procect.

We were accompanied by Mr. Tamer Magdy (RBEG/COR), who is the representative of the local Bosch organization for this project. The chairman of the NGO EDAM, which is running the school (Mr. Nabil Shehata), as well as the school’s principal (Mr. Moody Fayek) received us very warmly. Also Mrs. Ulrike Fritz vom Yalla e.V. and the German EDAM associate Mr. Sebastian Drabinski took part in the discussions. Yalla e.V. in Stuttgart is a German aid organization that has strongly supported the school for many years.

The very warm welcome of the children was overwhelming and moved us deeply. Their happiness and light heartedness in no way mirror the circumstances, in which these children grow up: Moytamadeia is one of Cairo’s many waste recycling districts. Initially set up as an illegal neighborhood, it is still on the fringes of society.

Several thousand people make their living by collecting and sorting garbage. Due to their lack of education, many families have to work as garbage collectors (‘Zabbleen’) as the only alternative to unemployment. Also, many children in Moytamadeia have to actively support their families with waste sorting.

In order to break this vicious circle of poverty, schools have an important role to play. But in Moytamadeia, education is a scarce resource. State schools and kindergartens do not exist. Therefore, private initiatives are required.

The private Es-Salam-School (Peace School) is situated like an oasis in the midst of Moytamadeia. The school was founded in 1988 on the initiative of the German nun Sister Maria Grabis. Nowadays, the Es-Salam-School is in charge of the NGO EDAM (Environmental Development Association Moytamadeia). 430 children, muslims and christians, are taught together in grades 1 through 9 to receive their Inter-mediate Baccalaureate. In the Sister-Maria-Kindergarten, children are prepared for school in two classes. In an affiliated sewing school, adolescent girls are trained by experienced women in machine sewing and embroidery, so that they can lead an independent and self-determined life.

The conduction of medical preventive checkups for children, as it is usual in Germany, is not common in Egypt. Particularly dental hygiene and eye examinations are major challenges. In cooperation with EDAM and Yalla e.V., Primavera will finance annual general medical checkups, dental examinations as well as eye tests. Furthermore, eyeglasses, toothbrushes and toothpaste will be provided for all school children.

The children, the teachers and the facilities made a deep impression on us. We are sure that our help goes to the right place. And here, much can be achieved with relatively little money.

The jubilee concert for the 16th anniversary of the Bosch Big Band took place in the fully occupied riding hall of the Karlkaserne in Ludwigsburg. It was also the farewell gala for Josef Herzog, who is relinquishing the management of the Big Band after 16 years.

The 500 visitors were guided through the program by Keith Anderson with his British humor in a very entertaining way.

Well-known musical greats from the international jazz scene, such as Jiggs Whigham (USA) trombonist, bandleader and lecturer of world fame, Andy Rapp saxophonist and Josef Herzog, the well-known bandleader and jazz trumpeter, provided great enthusiasm with their solo interpretations. The two vocal soloists, Miriam Angstmann and Kevin Roth, also fascinated the audience with their performances of "Night and Day" and "Sittin on the dock oft he bay".

At the end of the event, Josef Herzog was bid a dignified and moving farewell and received the Robert Bosch Medal in Gold for his services to the Bosch Big Band - presented by the patron of the event Markus Heyn, Member of the Board of Management of Robert Bosch GmbH.

The lively and long-lasting applause of the 500 guests impressively underlined the high level of recognition for the conductor's performance. Miriam Angstmann's emotional performance at the end of the evening was the song "I wish you love", which she dedicated to Josef Herzog as a farewell gift.

The net proceeds of the evening in the amount of 4,300 Euros were immediately transferred to the Primavera account. Thanks to all who contributed to this.

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.