Our Goal – Karunia Foundation

Fighting poverty with education

Good education is key to development. In Papua, the quality of education is extremely poor. Karunia’s mission is to tackle this problem at the root by educating the teacher, the person who in turn educates children. We focus on character building and craftsmanship. An intrinsically motivated teacher wants to be different and wants to do better, even in difficult circumstances. In doing so, he/she becomes an influential role model. That will guarantee good education and is what Karunia stands for.

Expanding Teach the Teacher

Teach the Teacher fulfills the basic psychological needs of autonomy, self-esteem and belonging. This commitment allows for a successful transformation of Karunia’s teachers into impactful agents for change, inspired people who are committed to their task and exert a positive influence on student development. It is an approach with long-term importance for society. That is why Karunia would like to expand Teach the Teacher further into the region and beyond.

Christian basis

Papua has developed from being a traditional, animistic society into a modern society in a very short time. This has clearly taken its toll. There is a lot of aggression and frustration. Previously existing norms and values have been fading and the younger generation feels abandoned. Karunia promotes the Christian values of loving one another, of gratitude and forbearance, which all flow from loving God. In a context where everything is centered on the self, this is a radically different sound.

United for good education

Effecting lasting behavioral change in teachers is something you do as a team by being committed together to preventing a relapse into old patterns. The team is committed to working towards the future as a group. To that end, Karunia has introduced continuous and weekly cycles of practice, internship, observation, feedback and coaching. Constant dripping hollows out a stone. The new method of teaching eventually becomes ingrained in the students and teachers and also creates a strong mutual bond.