Nestled in the Galician countryside is the small, inclusive school, Meniñeiros, the only Waldorf school in Galicia, which began in 2003 with a kindergarten. Since 2009, the farm and orchard have been wonderful and much-loved places for play and learning for the children in the kindergarten and school classes. Almost all the pupils come from Lugo, the oldest and most central town in Galicia, still surrounded by a wall built by the Romans in the 3rd century.

A new Waldorf school is being built in the city of Osijek in eastern Croatia. Since 2015, a group of people has been working to establish Waldorf education in Osijek for the first time. To begin with, there was a programme of lectures and workshops, along with the undertaking of some social projects. By 2017, a Waldorf kindergarten opened, thanks to funding from the Friends of Art of Education. And in September of this year, the school will begin with a class one and after-school care. The school association rents a couple of rooms in an educational centre in the middle of Osijek. This arrangement is fortunate, since as an independent school, it does any form of public funding. The centre is close to green spaces and parks, and the school garden is easily accessible. If necessary, further rooms can be rented for morning classes. Furniture and toilet facilities are already on site. Nevertheless, there are some additional necessary expenses. For example, the classrooms have to be…

Almost 20 years ago, in 2002, Nhu Tri, the leading nun of the Dieu Giac Buddhist Temple in Ho Chi Minh City, added a Waldorf kindergarten to the orphanage she had established and run near her temple. About 30 children find a free place of care here - some of them are children from the home, others are children of poor families from the neighbourhood. Nhu Tri cares not only for the children in the neighbourhood, but for all people in the neighbourhood. In emergency situations, for example, she organises life-sustaining funds and free meals for all who need them. She was honoured by the Vietnamese Prime Minister for her commitment.

For weeks now, a fire has been ablaze in the Argentinian part of Patagonia. Over 250 families have lost their homes. Several people have died, and some are missing. Many animals also fell victim to the flames. According to the Reuters news agency, more than 2,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed so far. As the fires broke out in several places, arson is assumed - possibly to be able to use these areas as pastureland. La Escuelita Waldorf School in Chubut province has also been affected by the fires. At least five families from the school have lost their homes.

In January, the new school year began in Kenya. For almost a year, schools in Kenya were pretty much closed due to the Corona pandemic. With the new school year, children are allowed to return to school for the first time in 10 months – albeit with lots of regulations regarding hygiene and physical distancing. At the Rudolf Steiner School Mbagathi in Nairobi, all 350 children are now allowed to attend school once again. The Head Teacher writes about the new daily routine in a letter to fundraisers.

A turbulent year has come to an end and we are happy to be able to give you an interim report on the WOW-Day Campaign. So far, 51 schools from ten countries have transferred their WOW-Day proceeds, totalling €86,335.11 to the Friends of Waldorf Education. We forward 100% of the money raised to projects that urgently need support.

Despite the school closures and other hurdles due to the Corona virus restrictions, a great many committed students and teachers have already participated in WOW-Day 2020. It has been an extraordinary year requiring extraordinary and creative ideas for action. Sponsored runs in small groups, making apple compote to sell at school, working on the nearby farm, or collecting acorns in the forest are just a few of the many and varied activities undertaken.   You can find an impression here of the work of Class 5 at the Waldorf School Soest, in Germany, where the pupils collected acorns with great diligence.  

At the end of November 2020, during the Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Waldorf Education, a Supervisory Board was elected for the first time. It consists of Fiona Jaffke, Constanza Kaliks and Michael Zech, as well as Florian Osswald, Andreas Schubert and Henning Kullak-Ublick, the latter three as "born" members according to the statutes. On 21st December 2020, at the Supervisory Board meeting, Nana Göbel and Bernd Ruf were confirmed as Executive Board members and a new Executive Board member was appointed: Johannes Prahl. Johannes works in staff development at GLS Bank and now brings his expertise to the board of the Friends of Waldorf Education. In the interview he tells us a bit about himself.

The whole world is talking about and living with the Corona Crisis. In some parts of the world, the effects of the pandemic and the accompanying restrictions are compounded by other problems: wars as well as natural and man-made disasters lead to many refugees and severe emergencies. We would be most grateful if you could support us with a donation to help Waldorf schools, Waldorf kindergartens and therapeutic education institutions in these areas.

The Liceul Teoretic Waldorf School in Chișinău, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, is constructing a new building to create space for more pupils. With the expansion to a two-form entry, the school can also obtain recognition as a grammar high school.