Brazil: Vale de Luz
Renovation work to keep the Vale de Luz Waldorf School in Brazil open
Due to the pandemic and related new government regulations for school operations in Presence, the Vale De Luz Waldorf School had to undertake some renovation work, which was already supported last year with WOW Day donations. Unfortunately, so far the necessary total amount could not be collected to start and complete all renovation works. Therefore, this year's WOW Day donations will also go towards the renovation work.
Work still needs to be done on the Vale del Luz School building to meet the new health standards, primarily in the area that includes the school kitchen. In this room, the five daily meals are prepared for all students, teachers and other employees of the school.
Under the new hygiene regulations, the room where food is prepared for the children, the place where food is stored, and the place where students eat their meals must meet certain criteria in terms of size, equipment, and hygiene.
With the completion of the renovation work, it will be possible to meet the legal standards and finally obtain the necessary documentation for the full operation of the school, without the risk of closure of the property or fines due to the state of preservation of this part of the school.
The school community hopes to raise a total of 7,550 euros in donations for this purpose with WOW Day actions.
About the project:
Vale de Luz is a Waldorf school in the city of Nova Friburgo in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro, which has been giving its students, most of whom come from low-income families, a holistic education since 1991. Unlike many other Waldorf schools in Brazil, Vale de Luz has a social function and the school is financed exclusively through donations, partnerships and state support. The families of the students do not have to pay any school fees.
A total of about 125 children and young people between the ages of 4 and 12 attend the kindergarten or primary school up to grade 5. In addition to the official curriculum, artistic activities such as painting, drawing, music, theatre and cooking are offered.
Almost all the children come from underprivileged neighbourhoods in the city of Nova Friburgo. The families usually do not have a stable structure. Many mothers are very young, many fathers are completely absent, either because they do not take care of their children after childbirth or separations, or because they are in prison - a very common scenario as the community is plagued by drug trafficking and many of the families are victims of this environment. Currently 50% of the families rely on government assistance to survive. These are programmes for families in extreme poverty with a monthly per capita family income of up to 105 Brazilian Real (about 20 euros per month) and for families in poverty with a monthly family income per person of up to 210 Brazilian Real (about 40 euros per month).
About one in five students attending the Vale de Luz Waldorf School has special needs (e.g. children with autism or intellectual disabilities).