Trauma pedagogical emergency aid in crises and disaster preparedness
The emergency pedagogy of the Friends has been helping traumatized children and young people to process their experiences since 2006. The missions around the world are supplemented by national and international seminars. They are an important part of disaster preparedness and at the same time build up the network of global crisis intervention teams.
Emergency and trauma pedagogy
The Friends of Waldorf Education have been carrying out emergency educational missions since 2006.
We are committed to helping children and young people who have been affected by traumatising experiences. These can be natural disasters or armed conflicts, but also long-term problematic living conditions caused, for example, by high crime rates or drug abuse in the neighbourhood.
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Ethiopia: Emergency education for pupils
Even after the official end of the war in the Tigray region, the situation in northern Ethiopia remains precarious and there is also a risk of massive famine. In April 2024, an emergency education team from the Friends of Waldorf Education was able to work with pupils and teachers in the region for the first time as part of a kick-off seminar. We are currently still at the very beginning of an important work process. The basics from the kick-off seminar will be deepened in further assignments. We also support the Waldorf School in Hawzien in offering creative and practical activities for the children during the holidays.
Turkey: Reliable emergency educational work after the earthquake
The earthquake in Turkey and Syria in February 2023 continues to leave deep wounds and a great need for humanitarian aid among the local population. Well over a year later, at least 760,000 people are still living in informal tent sites, which is very stressful for the local people, especially in the very hot summer months and the cold winter months. Last year, we were able to set up a Child Friendly Space, which is run by two local kindergarten teachers. We also regularly offer introductory seminars for local teachers so that they can continue the work on site in the long term.
Our emergency and trauma education work in Ukraine
The Friends of Waldorf Education have been increasingly active in Ukraine since 2022. After some emergency pedagogical missions took place in 2022, the focus since 2023 has been on anchoring the core expertise of emergency and trauma pedagogy locally. This is an important low-threshold approach within the mental health and psychosocial support services in Ukraine. The traumas of war will last for years and possibly generations. This can only be partially addressed and absorbed by training and empowering local staff on the ground.
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Latest news
from emergency pedagogy
20 Years of Emergency Pedagogy – From a Pilot Project to an International Network
Wars and violent conflicts are among the most severe causes of humanitarian crises. They often force people to flee their homes and result in shortages of food, water, and medical care. Humanitarian disasters threaten or destroy the lives of countless people, including children, who are often the most severely affected by their consequences. Emergency Pedagogy aims to help children who have…
Learn moreUkraine: Vital Emergency Pedagogy Work in Kharkiv
From March 2022 through November 2025, the Emergency Pedagogy Department of the Friends of Waldorf Education was able to support children, adolescents, and pedagogues in Ukraine through, among other initiatives, four training cycles, each consisting of eight modules. The participating pedagogues work for local organisations that offer emergency and trauma-informed education in their communities.…
Learn moreIraq: “Our expectations were exceeded” – Emergency Pedagogy in Sinjar
The Warvin Organisation for Child Rights is a local non-governmental organisation operating in the Iraqi city of Sinjar. It is supported by the Emergency Pedagogy Department of the Friends of Waldorf Education. Warvin was founded in 2024 by project director Sadoon Barakat, a Yazidi who had been forced to flee Sinjar for Iraqi Kurdistan ten years earlier, where he became acquainted with emergency…
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