Kinderdorf Pestalozzi Explained

Kinderdorf Pestalozzi
Named After:Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Formation:1945
Type:Non-profit organization to provide the Kinderdorf village for war-affected children
Status:active
Headquarters:Trogen, Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Switzerland
Region Served:Worldwide
Location:Kinderdorfstrasse 20, CH-9043 Trogen

Kinderdorf Pestalozzi is a non-profit organization located in Trogen, Canton Appenzell. It was named after the Swiss education pioneer Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. Established in 1945, the Stiftung Kinderdorf Pestalozzi provides the Kinderdorf village for war-affected children from all over the world.

History and objectives

In August 1944 Walter Robert Corti launched in the monthly magazine "Du"[1] [2] a call for the foundation of a village for orphans of World War II.[3] His initial plan was to build a refuge for about 8,000 children.[4] In 1945, the association Vereinigung Kinderdorf Pestalozzi,[5] [6] and after Trogen decided to donate the association 4.5 hectares of land on 3 March 1946, the foundation stone was laid on 28 April 1946.[7] The village counted with considerable support from the pedagogues Elisabeth Rotten[8] and Marie Meierhofer.[9]

The aim was to provide the children with education and a friendly atmosphere to give them the possibility to become cooperative, understanding world citizens[10] and that after their graduation they would return to their home-country. The locals were very positive about the project and agreed to the building of a road which connected the Children's Village with Trogen. As the symbol of the village the Ladybird was chosen, and handkerchiefs displaying the ladybird were produced. With the assistance of voluntary helpers from all over Europe, 15 houses were built that served war orphans from the surrounding countries as a refuge. In the same year children from war-torn countries settled the first houses.[11] The children from the different nations lived each in an own house and were taught in their native language.[12] The houses were given names in the language of each nation, and were often chosen from fairy tales or songs.[13] A strong emphasis was put into a cultural exchange with their countries of origin to enable a smooth return after the completion of their education. In the mornings the lessons were taught in their native language, in the afternoon the lessons were in German. The first children came from the nations France, Finland, Greece, Poland, Austria and Germany. In 1950, 30 children from Great Britain arrived, which were assigned two houses.[14] From 1960, in addition to European children, war orphans from Tibet lived at the orphanage,[15] later mostly children from Korea, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Lebanon, since 1983 also orphans from Switzerland. In 1967 a house for prayer open to all religions was built with funds from the British royal family. The length of stay varies from a few weeks (educational or recreational reasons) up to several years. Since 1982 the foundation is also active in countries of the Southern Hemisphere, and since 1990 supervised children's homes in Romania.

The villages own school closed in 1993 and since, the children attend schools in the surrounding municipalities. The aims of the village were reformed and its focus laid on education and intercultural communication. The fundraising is carried out mainly through fundraisers, sponsorships and legacies: In the 2000s the Foundation has invested CHF 18 million annually into the fields of integration, intercultural exchange and development cooperation. As of 2012, the projects of the foundation benefited 321,000 children and adolescents in Switzerland and abroad.

Arthur Bill

began to teach at the village in 1947,[16] assuming as its director in 1949.[17] In 1961 he took a year off and was involved in the Swiss delegation to the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission in Korea. Following he returned to the Pestalozzi village, where he was its director until 1972. Arthur Bill and his wife hired teachers from each nation to teach children in their native language and also act as a parent over the children.

Facilities

In 2005 the Trogen village consisted of twelve semi-detached houses for some 120 children and families as well as economy and administrative buildings.[5] [18] As of 2015, throughout the year around 1,500 children and young people from Switzerland and abroad hold reunions for a short time, inter alia with Swiss school classes. Worldwide, the foundation claims to support more than 400,000 children, young people and their teachers, parents and (educational) authorities in approximately 40 projects. The facilities also include a museum.[6]

Kinderdorf in popular culture

Literature

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ruchat . Martine . Walter CORTI (1910-1990) . 2022-03-08 . L'internationale des Républiques d'enfants (1939-1955) . fr-FR . 2022-03-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220305172405/https://repenf.hypotheses.org/2170 . live .
  2. 1965 . Villages of Peace . The Elementary School Journal . 65 . 4 . 184–189 . 10.1086/460202 . 999141 . 222321766 . 0013-5984 . 2022-03-10 . 2022-03-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220309234011/https://www.jstor.org/stable/999141 . live .
  3. Heinz . Christian . 2010 . "... nichts Totes : keine blosse Sache, kein Hochgebirge von Buchstaben und Papier, sondern ein Feuer, ein Leben, ein Projekt " : das Archiv für genetische Philosophie von Walter Robert Corti . Librarium . 53 . 165 . E-Periodica . 2022-03-08 . 2022-03-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220305194705/https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=lib-006:2010:53::235 . live .
  4. Web site: The Pestalozzi Children's Village – The Swiss Spectator . 2022-03-24 . www.swiss-spectator.ch . 2022-03-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220327090938/https://www.swiss-spectator.ch/nederlands-kinderdorp-pestalozzi-75-jaar/ . live .
  5. Web site: Kinderdorf Pestalozzi . HDS . Andrea Weibel . German . 2015-03-26 . 2015-09-22 . 2015-09-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150923085640/http://www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/textes/d/D16628.php . live .
  6. Web site: Ein Kinderdorf für die Welt . Stiftung Kinderdorf Pestalozzi . German . 2015-09-22 . 2015-09-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150925093818/http://www.pestalozzi.ch/de/wer-wir-sind/geschichte/das-kinderdorf/ . live .
  7. Web site: Eine Reise durch Geschichte, Gegenwart und Zukunft . Stiftung Kinderdorf Pestalozzi . German . 2015-09-22 . 2015-11-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151105130856/http://www.pestalozzi.ch/de/besucherzentrum/ . live .
  8. Rotten . Elisabeth . Elisabeth Rotten . 1949 . Auswirkungen des Internationalen " Kinderdorf Pestalozzi " in Trogen, Kt. Appenzell . Die Friedens-Warte . 49 . 1/2 . 19–23 . 23777054 . 0340-0255 . . 2022-03-25 . 2022-03-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220325091647/https://www.jstor.org/stable/23777054 . live .
  9. Web site: Marie Meierhofer . 2022-03-27 . Turgi online . de.
  10. Swineford . Edwin J. . 1974 . Das Kinderdorf Pestalozzi: A Swiss School That Educates for Peace . The Phi Delta Kappan . 55 . 10 . 658–662 . 20297737 . 0031-7217 . 2022-03-24 . 2022-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220324234145/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20297737 . live .
  11. Web site: Kriegswaisen im Kinderdorf Pestalozzi . Swiss television SRF, SRF WISSEN, 04.06.1948 . German . 1948-06-04 . 2015-09-22 . 2015-09-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150923085611/http://www.srf.ch/play/tv/srf-wissen/video/kriegswaisen-im-kinderdorf-pestalozzi?id=928689ee-b3a4-4f41-9dc9-5e4a44c0e0a9 . live .
  12. Zahra . Tara . 2009 . Lost Children: Displacement, Family, and Nation in Postwar Europe . The Journal of Modern History . 81 . 1 . 73–74 . 10.1086/593155 . 10.1086/593155 . 144364063 . 0022-2801 . 2022-03-24 . 2022-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220324234147/https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/593155 . live .
  13. Ben Hamida . Amor . Idee und Wirklichkeit im Dorf . Saiten . 38 . 2022-03-24 . 2020-10-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201022095650/https://www.saiten.ch/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Report-zum-Kinderdorf-Pestalozzi.pdf . live .
  14. Web site: Simmons . Brian . My Early Years in Hayes . 2023-05-24 . Hillingdon Council . en.
  15. Web site: Kinderdorf Pestalozzi feiert 60 Jahre . 2022-03-24 . . de . 2022-03-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220325134253/https://www.swissinfo.ch/ger/kinderdorf-pestalozzi-feiert-60-jahre/4055868 . live .
  16. Swineford . Edwin J. . 1974 . Das Kinderdorf Pestalozzi: A Swiss School That Educates for Peace . The Phi Delta Kappan . 55 . 10 . 658–662 . 20297737 . 0031-7217 . . 2022-03-24 . 2022-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220324234145/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20297737 . live .
  17. Web site: Jeannerat . Roland . 2011-04-19 . Dasein für Andere Journal21 . 2022-03-24 . www.journal21.ch . de . 2022-01-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220110212438/https://www.journal21.ch/artikel/dasein-fuer-andere . live .
  18. Web site: Kontakt . Stiftung Kinderdorf Pestalozzi . German . 2015-09-22 . 2016-01-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160118194715/http://www.pestalozzi.ch/de/news-services/service/kontakt/ . live .
  19. Book: Serraillier . Ian . The Silver Sword . 1956 . Random House . London . 9780099439493 . 179 . 2003.

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