Brazil: CREAR
Handicraft and learning materials for the children of CREAR
The small Waldorf school "Escola Renascer" (kindergarten and nursery school) run by CREAR does not receive any state support because it is run as a private school. Since the children mostly come from very poor backgrounds and the parents do not pay school fees, the school is dependent on donations for all new purchases and for running costs.
For the school year 2023/ 2024, the school mainly needs handicraft materials, such as various types of paper (water colour, drawing paper, tissue paper, cardboard, etc.), colourful felts, as well as wool, yarns and fabrics. In addition to the craft materials, the school also needs learning and playing materials for the children and the teachers. In order to provide important continuing education for the teachers, the school would also like to create a continuing education fund. Partly for the purchase of literature and books and to be able to participate in regional and national conferences and meetings.
This year the VI. Waldorf Education Conference of Brazil took place. These events, where there are lectures and workshops on Waldorf education and anthroposophy and where there is an exchange of experiences with colleagues, are very valuable and give new strength for the work. It would be important that several teachers from the institution can participate.
CREAR needs a total of about 2,500 Euros for the materials in the next year.
About the project
CREAR is a non-profit association dedicated to two main fields of work: a small Waldorf school with one crèche and one kindergarten group and social-educational work for children and young people in 6 groups (3 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon).
CREAR was founded in 1994 and is located on the outskirts of Vila Aparecida, one of the poorest neighbourhoods of Capão Bonito in the state of São Paulo. Since the year of its foundation, the desire has been to help the population and especially children and young people to help themselves. In the meantime, there is a great variety of offers: a daily all-day care for small and preschool children, courses for teenagers, as well as a handicraft group for mothers from the neighbourhood.
The "Escola Renascer" runs the nursery with 16 children from 1 to 3 years and the kindergarten with 18 children. With much love, two teachers, three educators and 1 volunteer take care of the children. The groups, supported by CREAR as a social association, do not receive any financial support, as this is considered a private school (although free of charge for the children and their families). This makes the financing of Escola Renascer very challenging. They strive to finance their upkeep with donations and fundraisers, which is not easy and very time and energy consuming. Thinking about new purchases when the total amount of monthly bills is greater than the amount of funding coming in is difficult to impossible.
In addition to the daily work with the children and young people, CREAR is also a contact point for their families and other families in the district. Talks and lectures are held on topics such as health (mental health, women's health, dental care, nutrition, etc.), career orientation, combating violence against children and women, bullying, and much more. There is also advice and guidance on educational, social and legal issues. Sometimes people are just looking for someone to listen to them, give them a tight hug or a smile.
This year, some changes were introduced into the Brazilian school system, the consequences of which were also strongly felt by CREAR's work. Until last year, children in grades 1 to 5 attended CREAR in the mornings and children and young people in grades 6 to 10 attended in the afternoons. With the extension of the daily school hours (from 4.5 to 6 hrs.) and the "shifting" of the school hours of some classes from morning to afternoon, this has changed. Thus, only the children of the 1st and 2nd grade can come to CREAR in the morning, all others have school in the morning and, moreover, the 7th to 10th grade even until 2 pm. Since there are not so many first and second graders in the neighbouring elementary school, and it is simply very exhausting for many of the little ones, CREAR has free places in the mornings, which means that the groups are not complete, and in the afternoons, on the other hand, a long waiting list of children who want to come, but unfortunately no free places. Among them are many who were at CREAR until last year, but due to all the changes, have unfortunately not found a place this year. This saddens the staff very much, but unfortunately it is not possible for them to accommodate another group, either in terms of space or personnel.
"Receiving financial help for our work is very important. We receive recognition every day through the happy beaming eyes of the children, but unfortunately this is not enough to realize our work. Any support we can get helps a lot."