For almost a year now, the electricity in South Africa is cut off every day. An outdated power grid, but above all corruption and sabotage lead to these daily hour-long power outages. That the high-quality coal is exported, while in the home country only low-grade coal is used to generate electricity, serves to exacerbate the situation. Many electricity plants have been forced to close due to lack of electricity, and whole sectors of the economy are in danger of collapse. The political and economic situation in South Africa is in a serious crisis. This impacts adversely on the education system, including the Waldorf schools in the country. William Bester, long-time teacher and manager at the Michael Mount Waldorf School in Johannesburg, has worked for the Southern African Federation of Waldorf Schools since 2022. William reports on the situation in South Africa for us.

In June, an emergency pedagogical seminar series started for educators, psychologists and social workers who work with young people from vulnerable communities. They are particularly affected by the aftermaths of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Corona crisis brought many Waldorf schools, Waldorf kindergartens and therapeutic education institutions around the world into great distress . As a general rule, the schools and centres do not receive any state support, and those who had less income due to the pandemic received no public financial support either. Those parents and families who might have been able to pay small contributions to the school before were no longer able to do so. The consequences for the institutions were devastating in many cases.

The Tashi Waldorf School was able to regain some reliability and regularity last year after several crises, some of which were caused by the pandemic. The small school in Kathmandu is currently attended by 64 children in two kindergarten groups and grades 1-3. Teacher Dil Maya Adhikari reports on the challenges and successes of 2022 in her annual report.

Ten years ago, thanks to the commitment of teacher Martin Henrich, a social-cultural centre was established in Baddegama in the south of Sri Lanka. Offering various counselling and support services for children and young people, as well as for people with disabilities, and an inclusive kindergarten, the Rainbow Foundation is a contact point for families in the area facing financial hardship. Dr Claudia Menzel, an anthroposophical doctor in Goslar, visits the facility regularly. For "Waldorf Weltweit" she reports on her last visit at the turn of the year 2021/2022.

The Hague Circle - the council of the Waldorf movement worldwide - met from 17-21 November 2021 and worked on current burning issues in Waldorf education. Here you will find a summary and overview of this work as well as the proposal to work together worldwide on three topics: 1. the pedagogical conference is the heart of the school, 2. grasping the cooperation with parents anew and 3. shaping the handling of digital media in a contemporary way.

For more than a year a bitter civil war has been raging in northern Ethiopia. The conflict between the regional government of Tigray and the Ethiopian central government has forced more than 1.2 million people to flee, and several million people are now dependent on humanitarian aid. The Waldorf School in the town of Hawzien is situated amid the turmoil of war. Even before the outbreak of the war, donations were needed to provide food for the families of the school and the countryside was already badly scarred by plagues of locusts and the effects of the Corona crisis. Shortly after the war began, the school was used as accommodation by soldiers. At about this time, contact with the region was lost, there were few internet or telephone connections, roads were besieged, aid deliveries were blocked. It was only in December that we managed to get in touch with a couple who work at the school. They reported that the school was finally back in operation from the start of the new school year…

The Corona pandemic is exacerbating global and social inequality. Waldorf schools and kindergartens are also feeling the effects. With our new appeal for donations we want to help them.

The Escuela Caracol in San Marcos La Laguna has always been a role model. It was initially the only school in Guatemala to teach the Mayan language – Kaqchikel – in addition to Spanish. State schools followed this example. The school's children come from families belonging to the Mayan peoples as well as immigrants, mainly from the USA. Children from low-income families can go to school for free, while the other families pay school fees. Like so many things during the pandemic, this well-functioning system came apart at the seams. With the help of the Joint Action: Corona Aid, the situation was transformed for the better, as a team from the school report in their thank-you letter:

Kildare Steiner School is an independent, multi-denominational school in County Kildare that receives no state funding. In Ireland, too, the pandemic led to increased unemployment and reduced income for many people - school fees could no longer be paid in the usual way. How a school day unfolded during this time was described by the school in a letter from spring 2021.