International Help Fund
Supports the development of children worldwide
IHF supports innovation and growth in international projects based on Waldorf pedagogy.
Waldorf pedagogy is unique in that it supports children not only in their intellectual development but also in their creative, artisanal, emotional and social development.
Worldwide, groups of people work together setting up Waldorf pedagogy based projects: from Nepal to New Zealand, Australia to Africa and Brazil.
The aim of Internationaal Hulpfonds
- IHF supports and monitors initiatives on Waldorf Education outside the Netherlands. These can be schools, but also teacher training colleges for nursery and school teachers, daily nurseries, children’s homes, orphanages, projects for street youths and after school care.
- IHF tries to promote the principles of Waldorf Education in the world. It considers this form of education to be an important stimulus for further development.
- IHF holds the view that donations to support training and further education of teachers are an effective investment in this development.
- IHF tries to recruit donors and benefactors to make this possible.
- IHF maintains the IHF website and publishes a bi-annual newsletter (twice a year, spring and autumn).
- IHF facilitates the sale of products from projects via the webshop.
- IHF intermediates in finding teacher trainee places or in realizing work arrangements at one of the initiatives abroad.
- IHF gives information on foreign schools/projects.
- IHF stimulates the activity ‘Waldorf One World’ campaign during which bstudents at secondary Waldorf Schools in Europe, take part in extraordinary fundraising activities for one or two days during schooltime for the benefit of a foreign educational project
- IHF takes part in Waldorf school markets to fundraise for affiliated projects and promote the work of IHF.
How does the IHF operate?
IHF supports the above mentioned initiatives by giving donations for:
- the renovation, (re)building or extensions of schools and installing their equipment
- teachers at schools abroad
- mitigating the often extremely difficult circumstances of schools, training colleges and other projects
- the school/college fees for pupils and students in financially difficult circumstances
- better salaries for teachers at schools and training colleges in countries where it is impossible to pay a salary covering the minimum of existence
- the costs of material for playing, teaching and studying
- the acquisition of transport facilities, books for a library or text-books on behalf of teachers abroad
- day-care for children
Criteria for support
The IHF stipulates that it will only give support if the projects meet with certain requirements:
- the projects have a place in their own culture and are firmly rooted in their own society
- the projects can support themselves to some extent after a few years
- the projects intent to stimulate renewal of education and teaching in their own country
- the projects remain in close contact with the country’s civilization in general and education in particular, in other words: no isolation takes place
- the projects work together with other initiatives in the country, initiatives inspired by the same ideas, for instance projects in the field of medical, social-educational or agricultural development
Some information about the Fund itself
Twice a year the Fund sends out a circular letter covering the annual report and a financial survey. This letter contains articles about the latest developments of the Waldorf School Movement worldwide and especially covers the developments of projects related to the Fund. Also new projects are presented and new actions are announced. This letter is in Dutch.
The IHF is presenting itself at many Waldorf school-markets and fancy-fairs where products are sold to benefit specific projects.
What could you do?
- you can become a donor and donate a regular gift to the Fund or to a project or country of your choice. (minimum annual donation Euro 30,- this includes a subscription to the circular newsletter).
- you can donate a special gift to a specific project or to the Fund in general.
- you can give publicity to the activity of the Fund in your own vicinity for instance by distributing .newsletters, brochures, or flyers.
- you can organize a campaign in your circle of family and friends on the occasion of a birthday or an annual celebration to benefit the Fund.
- you can subscribe to the circular newsletter to the amount of Euro 30,- annually.
- Leave the IHF an endowment in your will.
If you need more information and publicity items please contact:
Stichting Internationaal Hulpfonds
Triodos Bank IBAN: NL03 TRIO 0212 1950 50
Donations and gifts will probably give you a tax deduction, since the IHF is officially recognized as a charity.
The IHF is working together with Die Freunde der Erziehungskunst (Germany) and ACACIA (Switzerland) as well as Scandinavian funds and within the country with Stichting Helias (Middle and East Europe), the IONA-Stichting and circles of friends of projects the IHF has a connection with.