This project obeys the urgent need to create different educational alternatives to better address the complexity of problems existing in the Colombian society, and is proposed by an interdisciplinary group of committed professionals in Cali, Colombia, who are convinced that anthroposophy offers an array of possibilities to transform and heal our society.
Our past and present experiences with ongoing initiatives in Cali, Medellín, Bogotá, and elsewhere in the country have made us aware and confident of the major contributions that could be made by the Waldorf school system, including the Christian community, the ‘Santiago Apóstol’ branch of the General Anthroposophical Society in Cali, the Center of Anthroposophic Initiatives, several local preschools, as well as the recent interest to bring together Waldorf schools, curative education, and the medical community.
Our goal is to join efforts as a community to promote this biodynamic agriculture project, linked to other initiatives that could potentially solve fundamental problems identified in our society.
Our goal is to establish a productive biodynamic farm as a vital space to generate income to partially support a series of components that also form part of this initiative. Each component, under the leadership of a group of stakeholders, will enjoy a certain degree of autonomy. These components are as follows:
- A biodynamic agricultural enterprise (or farm) that will include the raising of cattle, goats, and other minor species (poultry, fish, guinea pigs, etc.) to produce milk and meat that will be partially processed on the farm, as well as the planting of cereal, tuber, and grain crops, fruit trees, and vegetables, which will be partly destined for the fresh market and partly for the processed food market. Giant bamboo will be planted as well as timber species.
- A Waldorf school for children and pre-adolescents of low-income families of rural areas, oriented towards trades and crafts. The preschool aims to attend 40 children and the school, 160 children from grades 1 to 8. The cost for families has to be very low. The farm will provide part of the ingredients of the children’s school meals.
- A trades school for young people offering formation in areas such as horticulture, fruit-growing, livestock production, processing of dairy products, commerce, carpentry, ceramics, and construction. Anthroposophy can provide important elements to successfully carry out this modality of education. The offer of this type of school for rural children is quite limited in Colombia.
- The therapeutic center for children and adolescents with special needs. Basic education will be provided by the Waldorf School and the trades school, as well as through the participation in farm activities (curative education and social therapy). Specialized therapeutic activities will also be offered.
- A home for adults with special needs and for retirees. A group of persons interested in anthroposophy, who have already retired or are close to retirement, has been working on this initiative that aims to provide not only adequate housing facilities, but also an alternative cultural environment of community participation and continued personal growth. It will also provide the services necessary to attend the needs of the elderly adult. The idea of a home for adults with special needs obeys the need to offer independent housing facilities, while offering the possibility of also being member of a community.
