GDR-Children of Namibia is a colloquial term denoting black Namibian children that were raised in East Germany, also known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR). During the South African Border War, the children of hundreds of Namibian refugees and political exiles were resettled and educated in the GDR from 1979 onwards. They were repatriated to Namibia upon that country's formal independence in 1990. Most "GDR-Children" are part of Freundeskreis ex-DDR (FeD, Friends of the former GDR) organization. The official language of the organization is Oshi-Deutsch, a mixture of German and Oshivambo. History During the South African Border War, SWAPO solicited material assistance from around the globe, which they got in the form of education, health, arms and funds. Between 1960 and 1980 hundreds of Namibians came to GDR and were offered academic education. In 1978 many wounded SWAPO guerrillas came from Cassinga to GDR for medical treatment. The GDR offered what was termed "Solidarity Consignment“ to South West Africans. Sam Nujoma turned again to the GDR and other socialist countries after the Cassinga massacre and asked again for children to be taken out of the SWAPO refugee camps for safety, support, and care. On 12 September 1979 Nujoma's request was granted by the SED's Central committee. Jagdschloss Bellin, a hunting castle in Bellin, a village ten kilometers south of Güstrow (today in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) was identified as a safe home for the children. Arrival On 18 December 1979 the first group of about 80 children arrived in the snowy winter in Bellin. Some were between the ages of 3 to 5 years old. Besides medical and general support it was agreed that German should be the medium of instruction for those in pre-primary and primary school. Between 1979 and 1988 a total of 430 black children came to the GDR. Due to inadequate space, the groups from 1979 to 1985 were moved to the School of Friendship in Staßfurt. The children were mostly pre-school war orphans. Some of them were selected from families of SWAPO functionaries, reportedly without the consent or consultation of their family members. The government of GDR saw the education of these children as one of their contributions to the international revolution. The first group of children that went in 1979, and were called later the "79ers," spent eleven and a half years in the GDR. They went to school, learned German as a mother tongue, and basically