[1] There are over 100 Camphill communities in more than 20 countries across Europe, North America, Southern Africa and Asia.
[2] The movement was founded in 1939 at Kirkton House near Aberdeen by a group that included Austrian paediatrician Karl König.
[5] The communities' philosophy, anthroposophy, states that "a perfectly formed spirit and destiny belong to each human being.
"[6] The underlying principles of König's Camphill school were derived from concepts of education and social life outlined decades earlier by anthroposophist Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925).Today there are over 100 communities worldwide, in more than 20 countries, mainly in Europe, but also in North America and Southern Africa.
[14] The Botton village received the Deputy Prime Minister's Award for Sustainable Communities in 2005; the award cited the community's dedication to the ethos of sustainability and mutual respect, as well as their concrete achievements in these areas.