Sophia Foundation

The new Sophia Foundation aims to promote the practical anthroposophical work in Ukraine through real contacts and to provide financial support.

On 7 October 2019 a workshop was held in Kiev on ‘How can one find funding for one’s ideas and projects?` with Jean-Pierre Caron, vice-president of the French ethical bank La Nef. Andrey Gorsky, who co-founded a Waldorf kindergarten in Kiev, asked, “How can a kindergarten that has been going for twelve years and from which a school initiative has grown find financial support?”

There are many anthroposophical initiatives in Ukraine that find themselves in just that situation. The question was therefore extended to: what can we do as an anthroposophical community in order to be able to realize the many impulses arising from medicine, education, agriculture, culture etc.? Aspects to be considered include the immensely expensive bank loans (with interest of up to 36 percent per annum), the difficulties to find land for building schools and kindergartens and society’s lack of trust in new initiatives – a consequence of the post-Soviet transition period.

Jean-Pierre Caron suddenly said, “A foundation can unite both the sponsors who are prepared to support your initiatives and the anthroposophical projects that need financial support. Competent advice can often be crucial.”

Range of Initiatives

Andrey Gorsky and Jean-Pierre Caron then discussed the next steps: what conditions apply for a group of people to unite in a foundation, out of their own destiny stream? What criteria are required for finding and distributing the funds? In the following weeks a group was formed of six individuals from different cities and different anthroposophical professions. Apart from Andrey Gorsky, Maxim Penikov (entrepreneur) and Sergei Zabolotny (film director) these were Andrey Ziltsov (Christian Community priest), Valentina Golovina (special needs teacher) and Lasha Malashkhia (eurythmy training).

What was important to understand was how these initiatives related to anthroposophy and in what ways they were connected with the global anthroposophical community. The development of anthroposophy in Ukraine over the past twenty years was also taken into consideration: there is as yet no officially registered Anthroposophical Society. All work groups and initiatives foster their relationship with anthroposophy and to each other out of their own resources.

Even though this work has largely only been possible online or by phone and rarely in actual meetings, the time had come as early as February 2020 to include Jean-Pierre Caron into the consultations. The authorities proposed 7 October 2020 as the day for registering the foundation – twelve months to the day since the first question!

Celebrations in three cities

The foundation’s mission is included in its designation: Social Funding of Initiatives in Anthroposophy, or Sofia for short. The Sofia (or Sophia) Foundation wants to contribute to uniting the intentions of the founders of an initiative with those of the sponsors in one joint deed. It is the endeavour of the seven Sophia founders, who represent different orientations within anthroposophy, to first of all get to know the projects and initiatives in Ukraine more closely.

Despite the Corona situation, we were able to celebrate the foundation at the end of October. We did not only want to announce the birth of our Foundation, but also make it possible for as many anthroposophical initiatives in Ukraine as possible to witness it. And so, on 23, 24 and 25 October, three cities – Kiev, Dnepr and Odessa – were able to celebrate the new foundation. Jean-Pierre Caron gave lectures on the nature of money in all three cities.

During these celebrations, we boarded a train every day, travelling from one city to the next, sharing our perceptions during the journey and preparing for the next day.

A miracle unfolded before our very eyes: a Waldorf teacher suddenly realized that her next class trip would be to a small biodynamic farm that she had not heard of before and where her children would be able to learn what they needed to know! There were many miracles that may have seemed small from the outside but that hold great future potential. Some initiatives that had only just got to know each other formed alliances there and then. People started to think differently about dealing with money.

Future plans

Until recently the Ukraine was one of a few countries with a moratorium on selling land to private owners. In 2021 this moratorium will be partly removed for Ukrainians and in 2022 for foreign investors. Our aim is to protect the land in Ukraine against ‘unfair’ use and to make it available to biodynamic farmers.

Another priority for us is to support educational and cultural impulses: many more Waldorf kindergartens and schools shall be founded and built in Ukraine. It is very important to us to bring anthroposophy ‘from the lecture halls into real life’!

We also hope that our Foundation can provide support for anthroposophical initiatives in neighbouring post-Soviet countries.