We already reported in the last newsletter tha,t like all schools in India, the small Waldorf School in Darbari/Rajasthan had to close and the foreign volunteers and the mentor Jaques Monteaux had to leave with a heavy heart. Before that, the school community, together with the English Waldorf teacher Alison Schwartz, succeeded in setting up a small library for the children of the school. Alison Schwartz travels to Darbari every year to support the English lessons at the school. The library is something very special for the children who usually do not find books at home. Alison Schwartz explains how the project came about in the school's latest newsletter.

The coronavirus pandemic has also reached Brazil. There it is hitting an ailing health system and families who cannot hope for support from the state. The Projeto Salva Dor – place where children can play freely, have safe spaces and receive three meals a day – had to close, like the rest of public life. When it will continue is uncertain. Financial and social consequences will not be long in coming. The food supply is at risk. Families live in quarantine in very confined spaces and social problems are intensifying. The employees of the Projeto Salva Dor help as much as they can to ensure the basic needs of the families. In order to ensure a minimum of social structure, food supply and hygiene, the Projeto Salva Dor would now be particularly grateful for donations to help the families directly.   In their report, the employees describe their current everyday life.

After the first cases of Covid-19 in Georgia, a curfew was imposed, which also affects the curative-educational Michael School in Tbilisi. Classes were continued online as quickly as possible, as Marina Shostak, one of the school’s teachers, recounts: “For a while we have already been working online with out children, via Skype or through other channels. It is an incredibly warm feeling when the children are so happy to see or hear their teacher on the computer or the telephone. We work in groups and individually, as needed. There are master classes for parents. We try to involve them into the learning process as much as possible; it is also very important for the children. Our school physician regularly communicates with the parents.”

In Russia too, schools have been closed for several weeks. There is a strict curfew in Moscow, Initially until the end of May. Only those working in systemically important professions are allowed to go to work. The Rostok Waldorf School is situated on the outskirts of Moscow. In a letter to their sponsors, the teachers describe how they can continue lessons despite the curfew. They also explain that they see the crisis as an opportunity to rethink their habits and change a few things, maybe for the better.

The lockdown also impacts the small rural Waldorf School Humane School in Kitale. Juliet Mia, principal and teacher of the school recounts: "The present situation is not easy for us and everyone else in the country, because some small businesses have been put on hold pending further instructions from the authorities. With small businesses being shut down, the prices of many goods have risen dramatically, and this has affected many people. The cost of public transport has also risen, as vehicles are not allowed to carry the full capacity of passengers. I would say that this pandemic has affected the entire country as a whole. We are very concerned about education, because we do not know when learning will resume, and this can lead to parents having to pay an extra year if children are to repeat classes. Our project is also affected, as most offices have been closed and we have no access to services. For example, we are planning to build on a new plot of land and we wanted to start…

Following the instructions of our management board and the precautionary measures instituted by the government of Pakistan, our institution is currently closed. Consequently, we had to send our friends with special needs home and they have been advised to stay there. We are in constant communication with the parents and are giving them all necessary advice. Our daycare workshops are closed until further directives from the government, as we continue to observe the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Also our Waldorf School, the Green Earth School, will be closed at least until 31 May 2020 (as announced by the government). Here the students are receiving study materials and classes are conducted by phone or via the Internet. Our community living for people with disabilities is still occupied and the house managers and other staff are attending to the residents. Eight special friends are staying in our community house. Their families are not in the city or cannot come, so our management…

The small town of Hawzien in northern Ethiopia has been the site of a Waldorf Kindergarten since 2006 and of an associated school since September 2014. The parents can only pay symbolic amounts to the school and kindergarten. School founder Atsbaha Gebre-Selassie and his colleagues are almost entirely dependent on donations. One of the initiators and companions of the school is Magdalena Bächtle, former student of the Waldorf School Chiemgau, Germany. In view of the already difficult situation and of the additional burden of the current locust plague and the lockdown due to the Corona crisis, she asks for donations for the Finks-Hawzien school community in a letter.

The coronavirus pandemic is having a dramatic impact worldwide, including in Kenya. The first case of Corona in Kenya was reported on 12 March in a residential area near the Mbagathi School. Since Monday, March 15, schools have been closed nationwide. Despite the spontaneous closure and limited resources, the committed staff of the Mbagathi School tries to keep in touch with the children and their families in order to accompany them in this difficult time. In addition to the concern that an outbreak of the Corona virus could quickly overwhelm Kenya's healthcare system, significant economic cutbacks are already apparent. Parts of the school community are particularly hard hit, as many families do not have a secure income and work in the informal sector. The increasingly tense economic situation means that the income of many families is falling, while food prices are rising sharply. It is already clear that many parents will no longer be able to pay the minimum fees for school…

In India, too, schools were closed in mid-March - including the small Darbari Waldorf School in Rajasthan. The school in northwestern India is primarily attended by the children of the Bhil people, one of the largest indigenous tribes in India. Despite the official abolition of the caste system, the families living here are still marginalized by society and live in great poverty. In school, the children experience respect and learn to develop self-confidence. Volunteers from abroad, as well as mentor Jacques Monteaux, had to leave the country. In a Facebook post, he reports on his concerns for the students. For the first time, some of the students were able to take official exams - but only four out of six. Now he hopes that the results of the first four exams will be recognized later, because the schools will not open again until after the summer holidays. Life in the nearest town of Jaisalmer has changed completely: "There are no more tuk-tuks, motorbikes or horns. All shops are…

Overnight public transportation and taxi rides were shut down in Kyrgyzstan. That’s why the employees of the Nadyeshda initiative can only reach the School for Curative Education by foot. We are still waiting for permission to use the minibus. The group homes are faced with new challenges due to the curfew. Providing for supplies and care has become difficult. Donate here for the Nadyeshda Curative Education Initiative.