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In Construction (Foundation Laid) 📍 Mafabaneh, Northern Province, Sierra Leone

Mafabaneh Learning Hub

Sustainable Architecture as a Bridge for Education, Environment and Peace

Mafabaneh Learning Hub

Architecture as a Living Peace Covenant

A land dispute had persisted between Mafabaneh and the neighboring village of Magbashai since the late 1940s. Through the joint development of the new Learning Hub, the elders of Mafabaneh extended an invitation to Magbashai to educate their children together, turning the school into a living peace agreement.

🏆 Winner 2027 German Design Award 2027
Winner: Excellent Architecture – Conceptual Architecture

The visionary architecture of the Mafabaneh Village School, designed pro bono by Tchoban Voss Architekten (Sergei Tchoban) in partnership with Bildung mit Herz Sierra Leone e.V., has been honored with the renowned German Design Award 2027 by the German Design Council.

View Official Jury Entry in German Design Award Gallery ↗

Key Architectural Features

Circular Pavilion Design

Modeled after traditional circular architecture with 5 classrooms and 1 staff room for 240 pupils.

On-Site Interlocking Brick Press

Dedicated mechanical brick press acquired to produce high-durability, weather-stabilized interlocking earth blocks on site.

Passive Climate Control

Innovative roof geometry creates natural ventilation cooling without electricity.

One Tree Per Participant

Integrated with the reforestation program 'One Tree Per Participant Per Year'.

Chronological Construction Progress & Milestones

2025 ✓ Completed

Architectural Design & Site Survey

Source: Tchoban Voss Architekten
Februar 2026 ✓ Completed

Foundation Ceremony & Brick Press Acquisition

Source: Bildungsreise Dokumentation 2026
April 2026 ✓ Completed

On-Site Detail Engineering by Victor & Vasilii (Tchoban Voss)

Source: Bürobericht Tchoban Voss
2026/2027 In Progress

Masonry, Timber Roof & Phase 1 Completion

Source: Kaprr Yoni Hub Bauzeitplan

Field Photography & Impressions

Mafabaneh Learning Hub Mafabaneh Learning Hub Mafabaneh Learning Hub

Local Partner & Leadership

Tchoban Voss Architekten (Sergei Tchoban): Laureate of the European Prize for Architecture 2018 and German Design Award 2027 Winner. Pro bono circular pavilion design featuring passive cross-ventilation without power grid reliance.

Personal Contribution: Sergei Tchoban is contributing $14,000 USD of his own private funds into the learning hub.

Victor and Vasilii, two architects from Tchoban Voss, traveled to Sierra Leone in April 2026 to coordinate detailed structural engineering and blueprint execution on-site with local professionals.

Local Leadership: Kaprr Yoni Global Learning Hub (Yoni Sesay, geboren in Mafabaneh).

📄 Strategic Plan 2025–2030 (Kaprr Yoni Hub) Comprehensive conceptual paper available upon request via email
Request Strategic Plan ✉

Funding goals and building costs

Choose a specific building item or enter your own amount. A contribution toward any item is welcome.

€35,000

First phase: three classroom modules

Three classrooms, including attached and connecting galleries. Fundraising goal based on a provisional cost estimate.

€70,000

Expansion goal: six classroom modules

Indicative goal for six modules, based on the rounded €35,000 target for three.

Provisional fundraising goals, as of 8 November 2026. The €35,000 first-phase goal rounds up a current construction estimate of approximately €31,000. The six-module figure is an indicative target based on that goal.

Individual donation items

  1. €40

    100 handmade compressed earth blocks (CSEB)

    The soil is free, and the village community makes the blocks without paid labour. This amount helps cover cement, sand and several deliveries of soil to the production site.

    Choose this item
  2. €250

    One steel roof truss

    Provisional amount for one fabricated steel roof truss.

    Choose this item
  3. €250–€300

    One complete earth-block wall

    Indicative contribution toward one completed wall made from locally produced earth blocks.

    Choose this item
  4. €500

    Furniture for one 40-seat classroom

    Indicative cost of furnishing one classroom for 40 children.

    Choose this item
  5. €1,000

    All earth-block walls for one classroom

    Indicative cost of all the earth-block walls for one classroom.

    Choose this item
  6. €2,500

    Complete roof for one classroom

    Indicative cost of the complete roof structure and covering for one classroom.

    Choose this item
  7. €3,000

    Structural shell for one classroom

    Walls, reinforced-concrete columns and beams.

    Choose this item
  8. €10,000–€11,000

    One complete classroom module

    Indicative amount including the module's share of the connecting gallery space.

    Choose this item

These amounts are provisional and may change when current local supplier quotations are available. Individual items are included in the cost of a complete classroom or construction phase.

💳 Direct Bank Transfer to Donation Account

100% of your donation flows directly into local building materials and labor.

✓ Tax Deductible
Account Holder / Recipient
Bildung mit Herz Sierra Leone e.V.
IBAN
DE55100500000191572900
BIC / SWIFT
BELADEB1BRL
Banking Institution
Berliner Sparkasse
Transfer Memo: Donation Mafabaneh Learning Hub + Address
Please include address for tax deduction receipt
💳 International Donors or Credit Card? For international contributions or payments via Credit Card / Apple Pay, our verified GoFundMe campaign is optionally available. Note: With direct SEPA bank transfer to our donation account, 100% of your donation reaches the building site completely free of platform fees.
GoFundMe Campaign ↗

Drone Aerial Footage & Site

Experience the village of Mafabaneh and the building site from an aerial perspective:

Drone Aerial View of Mafabaneh: The Building Site from Above
▶ Play Video (Theater Mode) YouTube HD
Drone Aerial View of Mafabaneh: The Building Site from Above
Spectacular aerial drone view of Mafabaneh. From above, the designated building perimeter and structural contours of the Tchoban Voss-designed circular school (German Design Award 2027 Winner) are clearly visible.

📸 Live Video Updates on Instagram

Follow our official Instagram channel @bildung.mit.herz for regular reels and field updates directly from our construction sites.

View Instagram Channel →