In June 2016 the Marcela Trust generously agreed to support ADEPT to develop the former school house in the abandoned village of Angofa, near Sighisoara. It is an isolated and abandoned building which was purchased with protected land under the agreement with Fauna and Flora International and Grass Valley Trust. The old schoolhouse will be renovated for use as an educational facility and visitor centre, and to develop other activities for visitors, and research groups, which would be income-generating and help the financial security of the school in the medium term.

Phase 1 of the project will include the restoration for the old access road and of the building and the surrounding garden. The educational centre will include a conference room, a kitchen and will also provide simple accommodation for use, when necessary. We wish the schoolhouse to be a pilot project for a self-sufficient house (from the energy point of view).

Phase 2 of the project will focus on the development of an educational programme.

Later phases will focus on developing touristic and research activities.

Estimated impact of the educational centre:

Restored and equipped, the schoolhouse would become an important regional centre for educational activities.

Target ages: older children and early school leavers. We will use the location to give older children vocational training in nature guiding with some basic English language training. We will also organise farmer”s workshops and trainings in order to promote the innovative management practices.

Innovative teaching equipment: educational kits for forests and grasslands and interactive equipment will be created.

Visual and hearing impairment: we will consider creating a thematic trail with models of life-size animals and braille descriptions. Angofa could become a regional centre for such children.

The influence of the nature classes would not limited to the schoolchildren or to knowledge of nature, but it would have an impact as follows:

• better appreciation of one’s own culture

• slowing down out-migration, making children more interested in staying in their area because they appreciate it

• slowing down out-migration because of employment prospects. Basic English, contact with foreigners