A journalist from Tagesspiegel took part in the last video exchange between students at Nelson Mandela School in Berlin and their peers from El Khairieh School in Latakia, Syria.

The article starts by noticing that although students in Syria experience regular power cuts, their Internet connection is better than the one at the school in Berlin, where students had to improvise and use a smartphone to overcome the Internet connection issues.

The story highlights how the impact of building direct connections between students on both sides:

"Talking directly to the Syrian students gives you a different picture than the news," says Julius. "We have seen that they have a functioning school and are busy with things, just like us." Teacher Joanna Diemer adds: "They got a face and were not just victims."

Full story (in German)

10 March 2017