Darbari Waldorf School
closed since July 7, 2022.
Situation update following the closure of the school on July 7, 2022
Almost all of the school's 62 students were relocated to Indian schools in and around Jaisalmer. Thanks to your donations, the Malenbaï association continues to cover the costs of admissions, transport, school supplies and uniforms for each of them.
Indeed, we continue with this fundamental mission for children and are in the process of finalizing the implementation of local monitoring of children and their schooling.
Indeed, we continue with this fundamental mission for children and are in the process of finalizing the implementation of local monitoring of children and their schooling.
The partnership with the local association Sambhali Trust now allows us to maintain a relay of our action in one place, whether for the local monitoring of some of the children and their schooling, but also as a relay for aid. financial support that we continue to provide to support former students.
Changing lives through learning
Education for girls in Rajasthan
Darbari Waldorf School offers under-privileged girls and boys a learning environment where they are considered as individuals and are treated with respect and care.
In rural Rajasthan, nearly 30% of girls are married before the legal age of 18.
Some are as young as 12 or 13.
Female literacy is 43%.
Our goal is to provide an alternative to child marriage and labour through education. Our educational emphasis is on creativity and supporting the whole child to develop her or his direction in life.
We are a Hindi-Medium (Hindi language) school following the principles of Steiner Waldorf education.
We currently have over 50 students between 3 and 16 years old.
Darbari village is situated 7km from the city of Jaisalmer (70 000 inhabitants), in the Thar desert region, in India.
The literacy rate is one of the lowest in the world.
This remote desert area is still very traditional. Most women are not literate and have little confidence in their abilities outside housework and child-rearing.
Although Indian law forbids child marriage, it is still common for girls to be forced to marry well before the age of 18.
For girls, education is the only alternative.
By encouraging families to keep their children in school, child marriages and labour can be delayed and possibilities for a new future emerge.
An educated girl will be able to help other girls and women in her village and perhaps – with luck - will be able one day to get a job of her own.
How are we different?
The Steiner-Waldorf teacher’s aim is to see each child as an individual and to establish a relationship with him or her, based on trust and responsibility. The school provides a climate where every child can develop and discover his or her direction in life.
Steiner believed we must rely on trust and enthusiasm rather than on competitiveness and fear.
Intellectual, artistic and practical elements are part of every lesson, stimulating the head, the heart and the hands of each child. Singing, drawing, painting, craft and drama are important parts of the curriculum.
There are now around 1,000 Steiner-Waldorf schools in 60 countries. In India there are currently 9 schools : Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Jaipur and Darbari.
What do we teach?
Teaching takes place in both Hindi and Rajasthani. It broadly follows the official Indian curriculum so that pupils will be able to join the state system in order to finish their schooling on leaving us after class 8.
Subjects taught are Maths, Sciences, Hindi, English, French, Sanskrit, History, Geography, Drawing, Music, Art and Dance.
Wherever possible, we are working with Indian organizations to build a support network for our school and the community.
How we're funded
Our funding currently comes from charity donations from individuals, schools and organisations primarily in France and Germany. For more information on our organisation please follow the links Association Malenbai and Partners
Darbari Waldorf School needs your help!
Each year our school has been growing and so our costs are growing too! In order to cover our costs for the coming school year, we urgently need support.
Every roupee, euro, pound or dollar that you give will go straight to covering the running costs of our school.
You can support us by making a one-off donation, or by becoming a sponsor.
