During the summer months in Chile, the small school in Arica was able to conduct a large construction project right up until the beginning of March. The construction materials for building a classroom for the third grade were funded by the Friends of Waldorf Education from donations out of the International Cooperation Fund. The school was actively supported by volunteers so that a beautiful classroom was created during the summer. But with the onset of autumn in South American, the Corona pandemic also reached Chile. A strict lock-down was imposed which, out of the blue, brought unemployment to many students' households. In view of the country's poorly funded public health system, many parents are rather sceptical regarding the safe reopening of schools. The Corona crisis is hitting Chile hard economically, and the situation is compounded by five months of ongoing civil protests. The Waldorf School in Arica is also feeling the effects and some parents are no longer able to pay contributions to the school.

In order that the school, which is still in its infancy, can continue to exist, we are helping with just under €19,000 from the appeal for donations: "Mitigating the consequences of the Corona crisis". With this money, we have been able to cover the salaries of the teachers, who continue to teach the children via video conferencing, for the next five months.