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.

Every day, children all over the world make their way to their Waldorf school, their Waldorf kindergarten, their Waldorf after-school club, or related activities. Waldorf education as lived all over the world, is as diverse and different as the ways of the children and young people. For some it is a long walk on a dirt road, for others it might be an adventurous ride on a bicycle along a river, and for others still, it could be a challenging walk through dark alleyways. But the destination is always the same: a place of learning and care. We tell you about these different paths in this issue of "Waldorf Worldwide".

Once a year, UNESCO awards the "UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for sustainable development", funded by the Japanese government. Each prize is awarded to three exceptional projects or programmes that provide education that promotes learners' knowledge, attitudes, values and actions to address urgent current global challenges such as climate change and the creation of a better future for all. Among the three winners this year is Kusi Kawsay School, nominated for the award by the Friends of Waldorf Education. The school is in the Andes, and works with elements of Waldorf education, and is committed to protecting and preserving the rights, culture, values and livelihoods of the indigenous population. The prize was awarded on 19th November during the 41st session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris. Click here for the UNESCO press release

The German-Georgian choir, Mze Shinas in Freiburg, raised €2,000 in donations with a benefit concert held in October. The donations will go to the Qedeli living and working community in Sighnaghi, Georgia. Qedeli offers 31 people with disabilities a place to live and work. There are several workshops that are geared towards self-sufficiency: gardening, baking, carpentry, a wool workshop and also a laundry. The community's own cows graze the surrounding meadows. However, not all their costs can be covered and the community depends on donations. The benefit concert by Mze Shinas was a great help. The choir reports about the concert on its website. Click here for a report on the concert with some excerpts.

In September, the International Campus Waldorf (ICW) launched its online lecture series on CORE VALUES OF WALDORF EDUCATION. A group of lecturers from many countries will lecture in English on this topic from 14 September to 12 December 2021 on Tuesdays from 19:00-20:30. Participation is free and the lectures will be made available online. The International Campus Waldorf, an international association of Waldorf teacher training centres, has launched a joint online-based teaching and learning platform. The idea is to establish a 'global classroom' that aims to show the worldwide diversity of Waldorf education. Experiences can be shared and new contacts can be made. Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter: www.international-campus-waldorf.com

With an interactive world map, the new SteinerWaldorf.World website makes the global network of Waldorf education tangible - and thus raises the international cooperation of schools, kindergartens, universities and other institutions working in Waldorf education to a new level: "We are continuing what was successfully initiated in 2019 for the anniversary of Waldorf schools within the framework of Waldorf100 and at the anniversary festival in the Berlin Tempodrom," say the initiators.

Despite the restrictions due to the Corona pandemic, some pupils and students managed to participate in the WOW Day and organise fundraisers. The proceeds went to Waldorf schools, Waldorf kindergartens and therapeutic schools all over the world. We have asked some of the projects in receipt of WOW funds this year to send us a short story about how the children and young people come to them each day, along with their thanks for your support and commitment. We would like to share these exciting stories with everyone. That is why we are presenting some of them here in our digital newsletter, on our website and, in the next issue of "Waldorf Weltweit", which will be published in November. Today we are presenting the school journey of some pupils of the Darbari Waldorf School in India.

After the Friends of Waldorf Education deployed emergency pedagogy in the flooded area in the Ahr valley, we provided the community of Rech with a mobile playground. In this way children have a safe place to play in the midst of an environment still scarred by the floods.

On 14th August, a powerful earthquake shook the island state of Haiti. The École du Village Waldorf school in Torbeck is located only a few kilometres away from Les Cayes, the town most affected by the quake. The epicentre of the earthquake, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, was only about 40 kilometres from the harbour town of Les Cayes - the town hardest hit by the earthquake. More than 2,000 people died and almost 10,000 were injured. In addition, more than 37,000 houses were destroyed - countless people were left homeless and unprotected by Storm Grace, which hit the island a few days after the earthquake with strong winds and heavy rains.

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: