Brazil: To strengthen a sense of shared humanity

The small town of Várzea da Roça is located in the hinterland of the Brazilian state of Bahia, about 300 kilometres northeast of the capital Salvador da Bahia. There are limited employment and educational opportunities for the people living here. As a result of this, increasing numbers of people are moving to the big cities, where they usually live in the increasingly crowded favelas. Life in Várzea da Roça is often characterised by poverty, violence, drug use, and prostitution. This has consequences for children and young people: they do not do well at school and eventually stop attending altogether. The Escola Waldorf Anael was founded almost twenty years ago for precisely these kinds of children. Waldorf teacher Doris Knipping has been involved with the school since the beginning. She recalls the time when the school was founded and how it developed.

Twenty years ago, my then newlywed husband Wolfgang Knipping and I enthusiastically decided to follow a call to the remote interior of the Brazilian state of Bahia. A single teacher from Várzea da Roça had asked for help in setting up a Waldorf centre there to combat rural exodus and crime.

Today, Escola Waldorf Anael supports two kindergarten groups and eight school classes with a total of 170 children. All employees are local residents.

Back then, we met people in this remote village who still lived in a bygone era but were increasingly overwhelmed by modern civilisation. We encountered poverty, crime, and deprivation in every respect. Today, modern life has arrived there too: donkey carts and later ‘motos’ were quickly replaced by cars. The houses, originally made of wattle and clay, are now built from fired clay bricks. The traditional accordion, guitar, drum, and triangle musicians have been replaced by modern bands that perform on large open-air stages, their music blaring from oversized loudspeakers. Televisions and mobile phones have also become commonplace, as one would expect. People are happy to be seduced by the illusory world of the media. Glamour and money rule the world here too!

Living in two worlds and spending time in seclusion in Várzea da Roça has enabled me to perceive external influences much more clearly. Unfortunately, I also came to the realisation that every person has to make and implement their own personal experiences.
However, at our school, we can help to show children and young people a world in which lively learning and spiritual experiences are still possible. As is the case throughout the world, it is very difficult to resist the many temptations, but some of these people still have a very natural approach to what it is to be human, and we want to preserve and promote this with a great deal of heartfelt commitment and a Waldorf education adapted to our specific circumstances.

When children eagerly ask, “When will the holidays end?”, or proudly show their friends our school, or even say to their parents, shy but excited, “I want to go to this school!”, then our efforts have been worthwhile!

This wonderful project could and can only be realised through a great deal of passion, large and small donations and, last but not least, loyal donors who guarantee a monthly budget for the maintenance of the school. We are infinitely grateful for this!