Postcrossing Blog

So, this is a bit of a different post, but we’re excited to tell you about a school in northern Ghana that is improving the lives of children there through affordable education! While most of us might take education for granted, it is not so in many places. So read on to learn more about this special school and also, to learn how you can also help.

The goal of the Prince and Princess Foundation Academy is to provide an affordable academic environment in Tamale, catering especially to lower-income families. The heart of this initiative is to ensure that no child is denied their future due to high educational fees. The school’s mission is to nurture and develop the prospective leaders of Ghana, empowering them to contribute positively to their nation.

The journey began in 2014, with the school being constructed on a generously donated plot. Thanks to the unwavering support of donors, by January 18th, 2021, the academy opened its doors with six classrooms (for crèche, nursery, and multiple kindergarten and primary rooms), with 185 students at the moment. The school is about 75% complete, and the team is now on a mission to expand the school to the basic level, which will ensure that up to 355 children from the Kunyavilla community and surrounding areas like Shishegu, Dungu, Asawaba, and Nyohini can attend and benefit from it. Currently, classrooms Primary 5 and 6 are being built, and bricks are being moulded to prepare the construction of the computer lab and the library.

One of the standout features of this project is the team’s commitment to transparency. Donors can witness the building progress online, with detailed updates on the construction process and tons of photos. This level of openness is not only commendable but also fosters trust and encourages more people to join the cause. At the helm of this initiative is postcrosser Sisu Haruna (aka dotsiisu), who brings with him years of teaching experience in private schools. Last year, we had the chance to meet him and team member Belén (aka Belen94) in Seville, to chat about the academy and their plans. They both shared stories about the school, which Belén has visited and volunteered at. Their passion to education and commitment to the children of Tamale became clear to us, and so we’re happy to help them make this project a reality!

You can help too by donating to the school! Every contribution, no matter how small, brings the academy closer to its goal. Donations will be used to fund the acquisition of essential resources, building materials and equipment, which you can accompany on their website. And as a bonus for the postcard enthusiasts, for every €10 donated, the school will send you back a nice postcard, featuring some highlights from Ghana! You can find more information here.

By contributing, you’re not just building classrooms; you’re shaping futures. Many of our members have already generously contributed to this project, and as a token of gratitude, the academy has named one of their classrooms after the “Postcrossing Community”, which is a really touching gesture. 🥰 We’re proud of the work that Sisu and his team are doing at the Prince and Princess F. Academy, and hope to see the school completed and their classrooms filled with students very soon!

It’s that joyous time again — the season when Postcrossing postcards become beacons of hope and support! This year, we’re thrilled to mark the 11th anniversary of our cherished collaboration with Deutsche Post. A whole decade plus one has zipped by, during which many people in Germany have honed their literacy skills with the help of our united efforts. Hurray!

For our seasoned postcrossers, this will be a familiar recap, but let’s bring our new members up to speed:

That’s the essence of it! If you’re in Germany, now is the perfect moment to stack up on postcards and stamps to be ready for the month ahead. Once December arrives, every card you send within the month (and is received by the end of February 2024, which next year has one extra day!) will contribute to this noble cause. But wait, there’s more – your postcards could also be your ticket to winning these nice prizes:

• 1 voucher worth €100, to use in Deutsche Post Online Shop
• 5 vouchers worth €50 each, to use in Deutsche Post Online Shop

The more postcards you send, the more you contribute, boosting your chances to snag a voucher for Deutsche Post’s goodies. In March 2024, Paulo will set his random number generator in motion, and we’ll announce the total number of postcards sent and funds raised for Stiftung Lesen in a blog post. Last year, we raised an astounding €12,359.60!

What if you’re not in Germany? You’re still a vital part of this campaign! Simply register the postcards landing in your mailbox promptly. As waves of postcards from Germany journey across the globe, your quick registration helps the sender mail another card sooner.

Stiftung Lesen, a German non-profit, is dedicated to improving literacy, focusing on children, adolescents, and assisting refugee families in learning German. These fundamental skills are often taken for granted, but they can be transformative for those who struggle with them. We’re proud to support their invaluable work.

We invite you to join the 11th “Cards for Literacy” campaign, sharing our enthusiasm to make a difference with our postcards!

P.S. – Postcrossing respects your personal information and will not share it with any company without your explicit permission. The full details of this campaign can be read here (German only).

Last year, we had a post on the blog about Reto’s Travel Mode experience in South Georgia, an island in the South Atlantic Ocean. You might have thought that that was definitely the southernmost post office in the world… but you’d be wrong! There’s a small post office hidden away even further south, processing over 70,000 pieces of mail every year — it’s Port Lockroy, in Antarctica!

Here’s a short video introducing the post office, its staff, and the many penguins that they share the space with:

Located on Goudier Island, off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, the Port Lockroy Post Office is visited by 18,000 people annually. Besides being a post office, it functions as a living museum, and the workers also double as scientists, observing the penguin population as part of the British Antarctic Survey. Tourists flock here to experience its rich history and, of course, send postcards from the southernmost post office in the world.

The post office and museum are maintained and operated by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT), a charity organization committed to conserving historic buildings on the Antarctic Peninsula. The funds raised from the sale of souvenirs and postage fees go directly to supporting the conservation of six historical sites in the area.

But you don’t have to go all the way to Antarctica to send a postcard from there! Currently, the UKAHT is raising money for their conservation efforts by selling postcards that will be sent from Antarctica. Each postcard costs £20, and you can personalize it with your message. Orders are being accepted until October 5th.

If you’ve never received a postcard from the icy continent, now is your chance — or, you can also take the opportunity to surprise a friend with a special postcard from far away. You’ll be helping to preserve history and ensure that stories of Antarctic exploration, science, and resilience remain accessible to future generations. Who knows… one day, you might even be able to visit it yourself! 😊

PS: Their Paypal interface system is having the hiccups at the moment, but payments through credit or debit cards are working!

And so, the 10th edition of our Cards for Literacy campaign with Deutsche Post comes to an end, and here we are to let you know how many postcards were sent for this good cause in 2022. Without further ado…

Hurray! A brilliant result, which will help many people improve their reading skills in Germany, and thus improve their outcomes in areas like education, professional success, and integration. Well done to all our enthusiastic German members, and also to all the recipients of these postcards, who welcome them with open arms mailboxes!

Our heartfelt thank you to Deutsche Post, for partnering with the Postcrossing community and making this possible. Being a non-profit organization, funding is super important for Stiftung Lesen to run their various programs, but also to do research into different aspects of literacy! For instance, they’re trying to answer big questions like, how are reading behaviors affected by different media, and whether teenagers read differently than adults. It’s by studying these issues that they’re able to make policy recommendations, that in turn contribute to sustainable social development.

And as always at the end of the campaign, Paulo runs his magical script to randomly choose the recipients of vouchers for the Deutsche Post shop. If you’re in Germany and sent at least one postcard last December, keep an eye on your inbox for a message from Postcrossing soon. You might be one of our winners!

It’s the best time of the year — the time when Postcrossing postcards count for a good cause! It’s hard to believe that this year celebrates the 10th anniversary of this partnership between Postcrossing and Deutsche Post… Ten years have flown by, and in this time, many people have improved their reading and writing skills in Germany with the help of this community. Hurray!

By now, most of you know how this goes, but let’s recap once more for the new postcrossers:

That’s it! If you’re in Germany, now is the right time to stock on postcards and stamps… especially the new Postcrossing stamp! 😍 Once December starts, every postcard you send during that month (that arrives before the end of February 2023) will count towards this good cause. But that is not all, as your postcards could also help you win one of these cool prizes:

• 1 voucher worth €100, to use in Deutsche Post Online Shop
• 5 vouchers worth €50 each, to use in Deutsche Post Online Shop

The more postcards you send, the more you’ll be helping, and the higher are your chances of winning a voucher to spend on Deutsche Post’s shop. Paulo will run his random number generator in March 2023, and we’ll reveal the total amount of postcards sent (and money raised to Stiftung Lesen) on a new blog post. Last edition, €13,729.90 were raised for this good cause, which was just brilliant!

Many of us are not in Germany though, and I know what you’re thinking… how can WE help? It’s easy — we just need to register the postcards we receive extra promptly! In the next few weeks, a lot postcards from Germany are going to be making their way to our mailboxes and the sooner we register them, the sooner it will be possible for that sender to mail another postcard. :)

Stiftung Lesen is a German non-profit organization, working to increase literacy in the population, especially among children and adolescents. Their activities include reading clubs, media literacy projects and initiatives to promote the learning of German language by refugee families in the country. Many of us go through life taking these basic skills for granted, but for those who struggle with them, a small improvement in this area can be life-changing. The work Stiftung Lesen does is super important, and we’re glad for this chance to support them.

We hope you will all join in on the 10th anniversary edition of the “Cards for Literacy” campaign, and are as excited as we are to help others with our postcards!

P.S. – Postcrossing respects your personal information and will not share it with any company without your explicit permission. The full details of this campaign can be read here (German only).