Different countries, different colours - After 3 months work, our school in Nigeria is now freshly painted in beautiful, warm earth tones.
Unlike on the Northern Hemisphere, it's not a good idea to paint buildings in Nigeria white; the Holy Trinity School in Nigeria is a perfect example of this.
White is known to have a cooling effect and therefore seems ideal for hot countries. According to colour psychology, white also epitomises the values that are needed in a school; namely cleanliness, order, lightness, objectivity and clarity.
But the psychological effects of colour didn't reckon with the effects of Nigerian soil, which is mostly red or black. Even the country's emblem has black to represent "the good earth". But that makes it difficult to keep white buildings clean.
It's been a few years, and it was time to give the school a facelift. From April to June, the school underwent renovation and the facade was freshly painted. The windows and doors were replaced, ceilings were renovated and furniture, such as chairs and tables, were also given a new lease of life.
Now the whole area looks almost as good as new again, with the beautiful, earthy red and ochre tones.
...that not being able to paint a building white is the only disadvantage of the red-brown or black soil? Darker soil is generally better. It is either more fertile than lighter coloured soil because it contains more humus, or because it's rich in minerals. Soil with a red-brown colour contains more iron oxide, is well-draining, not overly wet, but fertile.
In our projects, our main focus is on educational support, especially in our school projects. We believe that education is the pathway to empower people to build a better future for themselves.
Continuously supporting schools in their operation is just as well part of our work as is the construction and improvement of school infrastructure. Creating access to a secure educational environment free of charge in poor regions with comparatively high educational costs and inadequate public facilities is our goal.
