You know how from time to time in guesthouses and on the road you meet the most incredible people doing the most worthy things...well, here in Cali (safely out of Buenaventura I hasten to add) I had the good fortune of meeting Andres Bappler an accomplished architect from Frankfurt. We shared a beer or two on the terrace of the Aguacanela guesthouse while watching my chosen Colombian football team Millonarios lose to America of Mexico and Andres mentioned that he was in the process of building a school up in the hills just beyond Cali's city limits in a place called Monte Bello.

Andres is Colombian by birth and was taken to Germany aged 5. He returned for the first time aged 21 and spoke of his absolute terror upon arriving to see his family in Cali - pretty much for the first time - as there were some 28 family members waiting to greet him. Apparently he still has the journals he wrote all those years ago trying to put faces to names of family members. Two full books!

Anyway, 4 years ago he decided from Germany to start a foundation to raise money and invest it into something good in the impoverished region of Monte Bello, his barrio. The people had nothing, taxi drivers were, and routinely still are, too afraid to drive up here believing the area to be rife with sicarios (child assassins) and traffickers.

I was honoured to accompany him that following day.

We wound our way through the myriad of roads that lead out of Cali, climbing beyond the city limits to where the thoroughfares are no longer paved. On this side of the river valley houses are roofed with corrugated iron held down with stones scrounged from wherever. On the other side wealthy Calenos have their weekend retreats, the contrast couldn't be more stark.

Before heading to Andres' project we stopped at his mother's house for lunch where she put on a fine spread. I was invited in as if I were her own and we chatted more about Andres' first visit here when he was 21. He points to a shack from the roof where we are standing. It resembles a chicken coop. This is apparently what the house used to resemble but over the years and with money sent from Europe he has been able to renovate his mother's place and provide her with very comfortable accommodation. All the while her neighbours believed that she was making good money selling arepas (thick flower/ maize cakes that are traditionally served with most colombian meals).

But, I could not believe it when, after lunch, we got to the school. In four years they have bought the land some 200m down the road, redone the house there to make classrooms and are now putting the finishing touches to a new school building that is better equipped and more accommodating than any building I have seen in public schools anywhere in the world. Andres' skills and know how as an architect have made this a wondrous place.

There is a natural spring on site so the school has a water source. The new building has been built with local labour and local products and donated money from Germany. Andres insisted in not using large multi-national firms in downtown Cali but the guys up there in need of work in Monte Bello. The school now has computers and 150 children. The children are largely from displaced families who have fallen victim to the conflict. Andres hopes to have room for up to 400 children within a few years.

The Colombian Government has recognised his efforts and are set to pay some of the bills. Right now the job Andres most has in mind is to build a decent kitchen for the school so the children can eat well and be nourished. Some students here have won prizes for schoolwork, you could see it on their faces as they came here that they are proud to be part of this. Children excitedly greet Andres as he walks through the barrio. The community is immensely proud of the school.

I don't read or understand german, but for those who do check out this www.schulefuersleben.de

I was impressed, remain impressed and will go back as soon as I can to see how the school is expanding and achieving its goals. Often you meet people who talk a good talk and don't come through on their ideas. Andres is not one of these, he has truly delivered on ideas and promises.