L’Ecole Des Enfants
This week we are super excited to introduce guest blogger Maria Johansson, who will be introducing her organization, and sharing a little bit about their mission to build a Waldorf inspired school in war torn Côte d’Ivoire.
Our Mission
The mission of L’Ecole Des Enfants is to bring Waldorf education to West Africa. L’Ecole Des Enfants, Inc is a nonprofit organization incorporated in Massachusetts, USA, February 2017 and received the 501c3 status in November. We are currently focusing on the realization of our first school that will be built in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire. Côte d’Ivoire is a nation where more than 46% of the population lives below the poverty line. The nation went through a turbulent period after their long term president Félix Houphouët-Boigny passed in 1993. The political unrest peaked during the civil wars in 2002 and 2011.
The country is now stabilized under the leadership of the sitting president Alassane Ouattara, and the economy is slowly recovering. However basic infrastructure is significantly lacking to support the needs of the people. The need for schools throughout the whole country is tremendous. Almost one child out of two between 6 and 11 does not go to school. A proper education empowers a child to have the opportunity to rise out of poverty and to responsibly participate in their communities and family lives.
Be part of our team
The main focus for L’Ecole Des Enfants now is fundraising towards the construction of the kindergarten section of the school in Bouaké. To build the walls around the campus and the first classrooms we need to raise $120.000 of which we have raised 19% of that milestone goal. The ground breaking ceremony will take place May 12th.
If you want to be a part of the team making this Waldorf inspired school a reality you can get involved in a number of ways. To mention a few options to support us you can for example do a local fundraising event, make a personal donation towards our goal and you can share the links about our project to enrol more people.
We are also looking for active and experienced grant writers. Please send your application to lecolepresident@gmail.com or visit www.lecoledesenfants.com for more information.
Rudolf Steiner Training
In April our President and Founder Maria Johansson and Director of operations Aboubacar Sylla are in Rudolf Steiner training at the Waldorf school in Mbagathi, Kenya. The exchange with Waldorf teachers from East Africa is of great value as they can share what works and what does not work in their environments. Here are some photos from the past days training:
Maria at Mbagathi Waldorf Kindergarten
Rudolf Steiner Teacher training participants
Eurythmy
Abou outside one of the Waldorf Mbagathi school buses.
About Maria Johansson
Maria Johansson grew up on the countryside in Sweden. She holds a MEng in robotic surgery, an Executive MBA and has 12 years of global management experience within a multinational energy company. She has lived in eight countries, speaks seven languages and really considers herself a citizen of the world. It was during her MBA that she really paused and said “there has to be more to life than this” and she started her path as a healer in 2013. She has led meditation and yoga classes in many countries. Her flame burns strong for the healing modalities in the lineage of King Salomon as she can see how they transform lives where individuals shift out of stress, depression and lack of motivation into finding their joy and sense of purpose in life. What sparked her passion for Waldorf education is the link with Rudolf Steiner who was also a high initiate in the lineage of King Salomon and she has a deep sense of “turning the tides” with his anthroposophy. This is why the schools of L’Ecole Des Enfants are not merely “just another school”. Our vision is to empower the children to be free and take responsibility for themselves, their communities and the planet. To learn more about Maria’s healing work visit her website: www.DeepikaHealing.com
Mini Me Yoga is an open platform for guest bloggers to share their voice. If you have something you want to share with the Mini Me Yoga community, please contact: info@minimeyoga.com.