Waldorf schools collaborating? Is that something new? The answer in Chile is clear: yes! For several years, the IHF has been supporting some Waldorf initiatives in Chile. Although Chile is not a developing country, it is a struggle for many schools to stay afloat in these turbulent times. They have to finance themselves without any form of government compensation. Often this means that only children from the rich upper layer of the population can receive Waldorf education.

In Chile, there is also a cultural factor. The Waldorf schools are spread across the country. The distances between the schools are enormous by Dutch standards. So every school works for itself. There is no association or national federation. Many schools are in survival mode. If there is a calamity, money has to be borrowed. For example, last year the building of the kindergarten department of La Siembra was destroyed by severe weather; during the construction phase for new classrooms up to and including the eleventh grade, this was a financial disaster.

Given the phase of construction in which both schools are located, the teachers and parents are constantly in action; there is little time left for national cooperation.

The schools La Siembra in Requínoa and Corcolén in Romeral are now taking a different approach. They are looking for forms of cooperation. The schools are both in the same phase of their biography. There is increasing interest from parents and children in Waldorf education. More children means more need for classrooms.

Collaboration - what does that mean? For example: for four years, experienced mentors have been supporting both schools in the field of pedagogy. Both schools have construction plans for the coming years. There is increasingly frequent consultation between La Siembra and Corcolén, both at the administrative and economic level. After all, together they can achieve more than each school individually. Fundraising campaigns, contacts with architects and construction companies are going smoother. And the costs are reduced. Despite the many setbacks, there is a lot of enthusiasm in the entire community to persevere.

The IHF supports these initiatives with advice and action. We sponsor the mentors of both schools with warm money from the Netherlands. It is urgently necessary for the enthusiastic candidate teachers for their Waldorf education to be supported without it being deducted from their modest salary. We are convinced that these beautiful schools can then truly flourish.