Sagarmatha Rapport Annuel 2014 Pages English Web

Because every child deserves a future

Swiss organization

Sagarmatha

www.sagarmathasuisse.ch

Annual report 2014

Version française sur notre site:

Fondation de bienfaisance de la Banque Pictet,

those who took part in the 2014 trip of the International school and who helped out over there under the guidance of the organizer of the trip or the youth from the orphanage : Cathy David-Raphoz, Anne-Sylvie, Lara and Sam Debard, Mike Gorsky, Béatrice Pothier and Olivier Revaz,

the students from the International school of Geneva and their parents, whose fundraising in 2014 helped finance a part of the Sagarmatha budget: Julia Beck, Raphaël Beck, Helena Brown, Noémie Clerc, Devy Philippart De Foy, Charlotte Gaillard, Carl Giardina, Léa Hiralal, Lia Johansen, Zachary Ogden, Léo de Riedmatten, Alice Ramazzotti and Seong-Jae Woo,

the Swiss Embassy in Nepal, Mr Jean-François Cuénod – for his presentation of the work done by the Swiss Confederation/DDC in Nepal, as well as Pratigya Symkhada,

the administration of the International School of Geneva for its unflagging support, as well as to the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA),

all those individuals or companies who raised funds or donated in kind last year: Corinne Attia, Vanessa Bazetoux, Deborah Berlinck, MM. Cadart and Morel, Marie-Agnès Conrad, Annie David, Anne-Sylvie and Samuel Debard, Gilles Deaux, Jacques Gaillart, Jean-Yves Henry, Kristel Keller, Myriam Krebs (Nanda Devi), Aurélia Monbaron, Anaïs Morzier, Carinne et Philippe Musset, Michèle Papilllard, Diana Pellolio, Pharmessences, Sulis Remedy Makers, Vanessa Steger, Swisslabnat, Isabelle Seiler (Ecolint), Tradimage and TrisaTrisa,

the members of our committee and our volunteers for the time that they generously donate to the Sagarmatha project,

the sponsors and other donors for for their loyalty,

all those who are not mentioned here but who made a donation to our association as well as those who tirelessly work to help the Children of Sagarmatha orphanage and thereby enable it to maintain its activities.

Thank you for 2014

A great big thanks to:

During the Easter 2014 visit of the International School.

A year of transition

The main event in the 2014 calendar was the completion of the new building at the Sagarmatha home. The children were able to move in during August 2014 once the bedrooms had been furnished. We can remember a time not so long ago when all of the children were living in three cramped dormitories and we cooked using kerosene. With this in mind, we are delighted to have succeeded in building new premises to give the children a better quality of life.

For this project – as is also the case when managing the orphanage’s finances – we worked in close collaboration with the French association Sagarmatha Aide aux Défavorisés, founded by Francis Laune when the orphanage was opened in 2002. I am very pleased with this collaboration, which has once more proven to be extremely worthwhile.

Major changes have taken place at “Children of Sagarmatha”: eight young people – Bhupendra, Kiran, Iswori, Manita, Ram Gopal, Suman, Top Bahadur and Yamuna – left to return to their families or to pursue further

education outside of the orphanage. We would like to wish them all the best for the future. Meanwhile, we were pleased to welcome seven more children: Chhiring, Dendi, Dolma, Ningma, Pasang Lamhu, Pemba and Prakash. In 2013/2014, several new members of staff were appointed: an accountant, a nanny for the younger children, a cook, a kitchen assistant and a supervisor for the older children. We have been able to find sponsors for all of the new children, and we are very grateful to them.

2015 will present us with new challenges. Since 2014, donations from sponsors have only covered two-thirds of Sagarmatha’s expenditure. Rather than increasing donation amounts – and risk losing sponsors – we will instead carry out targeted appeals to foundations and other institutions in order to raise the necessary funds. We would like to thank the “Fondation de bienfaisance de la Banque Pictet” which has already responded to our appeal.

We would also like to thank everyone who has helped us to continue our work supporting the children of Sagarmatha, and especially our committee members and volunteers.

We are looking forward to sharing our new adventures in 2015 with you.

Sylvie Nahum,president

Swiss Organization Sagarmatha – Annual report 2014 1

Message from the president

A new home for the childrenBy Anne Kerisel, committee member

In August 2014, around 20 teenagers from Sagarmatha were able to move into the orphanage’s new building. The construction of the new building, designed in line with the latest health and safety standards, had begun the previous year. It provides a comfortable and safe place to live for the children, who will share their large, light new bedrooms with one or two others. The building also features a fully equipped kitchen, a modern, bright dining hall, an infirmary, individual desks for quiet study, staff lodgings and a guest bedroom.

This two-storey building occupies a surface area of over 600 square metres. In the mornings and evenings, the children gather in the large ground-floor hall to study, play and eat. The bedrooms are located on the upstairs floor.

The children are delighted to be living in this modern, pleasant space, as three of the young residents explain:

Diksung Sherpa: “The new building has given the SASS orphanage and our large family a new identity, and we all feel responsible for taking good care of it.”

Ramesh: “For us older children, we can have our own bedroom and desk which lets us study in peace and quiet.”

Madan: “Before, 7 or 8 of us were squeezed into each bedroom. The kitchen was very small and the dining room was uncomfortable. The new building is much nicer. It gives us a better place to study and so we will be able to do better at school. Thank you to all of our sponsors!”

As you can see, the new building has changed the lives of the young people at Sagarmatha, and we are proud to have contributed to this project.

2 Swiss Organization Sagarmatha – Annual report 2014

2014 at a glance

The new building has changed the lives of the young people at Sagarmatha, and we are proud to have contributed to this project.

2014 International School of Geneva tripBy Olivier Revaz, committee member

On 11 April 2014, around 15 students from the International School of Geneva (La Châtaigneraie campus) flew to Nepal, in the company of several adults.

Saturday 12 April: The journey went smoothly. Upon our arrival in Kathmandu, we went to the Children of Sagarmatha home to deliver the equipment we had brought with us.

Sunday 13 April: We set up the infirmary (installing the examination table, a cabinet, a desk and medical equipment). A group of students went to visit the city (Durbar Square) with some children from the orphanage

Monday 14 April: A party was held to celebrate Nepalese New Year. We spent the day at the Sagarmatha home to work on our respective tasks. A group of students took some children to Boudhanath for a walk. These trips let the children from the orphanage explore the city of Kathmandu and the valley.

Tuesday 15 April: A puja (Buddhist ceremony) was held to celebrate the imminent completion of the new building. This is an important tradition for Nepalese Buddhists. The students were free to join in as they wished. Some preferred to play with the children or go out for a walk instead.

Wednesday 16 April: We attended an interesting conference given by Jean-François Cuénod, the director of Swiss development projects in Nepal.

Thursday 17 April: Everyone worked on various projects, such as making the film, taking photos, carrying out medical consultations and preparing crafts workshops for the children.

Friday 18 April: The group set off for Nagarkot, along with around 15 young people from Sagarmatha. These excursions aim to offer the


2014 at a glance

children an experience outside of the orphanage. In the evening, we discussed various topics with the Sherpa family, such as storage in the new building, the purchase of a new library, updating the website, and the facilities in the new building.

Saturday 19 April: Return from Nagarkot. Visit of Bhaktapur and arrival at the orphanage in the early evening.

Sunday 20 April: The students and supervisors carried out work in the orphanage. Orphans who needed urgent dental treatment were taken to the Shechen monastery for consultations with local doctors.

Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 April: We spent these two days at the orphanage where everybody worked to fulfil specific tasks, such as interviewing the Sherpa family and giving medical treatment to children

Saturday 26 April: The group arrived back in Geneva. We were all tired but happy to have experienced this unforgettable adventure!

The full report and a photo gallery are available on our website at www.sagarmathasuisse.ch. A DVD filmed during the trip can be ordered from the Swiss Organization Sagarmatha for 15 CHF.

A lesson in nonviolenceBy Lara Debard, Université de Lyon

15 hours on a plane. Exhausted and impatient, we finally land in this new world. I have left a world of organisation and stress for a messy, serene one. What I notice over and over, and while observing the new landscapes, is the gentleness of this country, in complete contrast to ours.

At the airport, a bus is waiting to take us onto a sort of highway where cars, motorcycles, scooters and buses threaten to crash at any given time. And don’t forget the cows in the middle of the road taking a nap! However, despite the din of the honking horns, people sit calmly in their cars. I did not see a single Nepalese arguing. They manage to keep their cool and respect each other. Is it due to religion? Of good sense? Or culture?

What I will remember from this trip, is that I admire their nonviolence, even though there are so many other things to say about my trip. Where we come from, it is difficult to not get annoyed about silly things… In contrast, for the Nepalese, simplicity and mutual respect, even when disagreeing, come naturally.

Zen chaosBy Alice Ramazzotti, International School of Geneva

Nepal is a very surprising country. There are constant reminders of the great disparity between the rich and the poor, as well lots of misery and poverty. But everyone is always smiling! Everyone stays cheerful, which is a wonderful contrast with the sad landscape.

I was able to see how a very poor family lived, plunged in terrible misery and living in a room with no furniture. But smiles were always present! In sharp contrast with the cruel reality of life. Even deprived of everything, the children of this family were determined to finish their studies so they could then help their family.

I also saw this same spirit in the children at the orphanage. After a lot of suffering, the children go through life with a smile and an extraordinary will to live! They are all determined to work hard to improve their situation and to help others. Some of them also have the surprising dream of opening themselves an orphanage to help improve the future of the destitute.

All the texts written by the students of the International School of Geneva following their trip in 2014 are available on our website: www.sagarmathasuisse.ch


2014 at a glance


2014 at a glance

Welcoming new children at Sagarmatha orphanageBy Charlotte Gaillard,

International School of Geneva

While we were in Nepal, from the 11th to the 26th April 2014, we spent time every day at the Sagarmatha Orphanage. During our stay, we were very luck to see the arrival of two new children at the orphanage.

The first one was a beautiful little girl named Dolma who wore a little pink dress and had two pigtails. She arrived at SASS on the 16th April. She came as her mother is dying of cancer and her dad had been electrocuted. The first time I saw her, she seemed lost. “Small Dolma” (as they call her!) was looking around, looking at people and seemed so unsure of what was going on. It was absolutely heart-breaking to see this beautiful little girl, who had just left her parents, seem so confused as to what was going on. But… on the next day, Small Dolma was smiling, playing with the other kids. I was so pleasantly surprised to see that she had been so well included. All the other kids

included her in their games and tried to make her feel at ease. She seemed so happy and comfortable that one could think Dolma had been there forever.

The second one was an adorable little boy by the name of Dendi. Dendi was brought to the orphanage as his dad was physically handicapped and his mother could no longer afford to pay everything for him. He had not showered in a while and he suffered from chicken-pox, which caused him to scratch himself a lot. He also seemed sad at first but, just like Dolma, he was welcomed warmly by the other kids.

It was so beautiful to see how quickly both of them were included. All the other kids at Sagarmatha orphanage did the best they could to include them and make them feel like they were home. I also felt like it was very enriching to see both of them arrive as we are reminded of the path of every child here at Sagarmatha. All the children started off by leaving their parents and coming to the orphanage. It’s only when seeing the arrival of Dolma and Dendi that I was actually able to realize what every child had been through, each of them with their own heart-breaking story.


2014 at a glance

This experience, for the teenagers from Ecolint who are blessed with a more privileged life, enables them and the children, as well as us the organizers and those who came with us, to share and exchange. Sharing laughter, tears, songs, dances, cuts and scrapes, sadness, moments of tenderness, handshakes, with stars shining in their eyes and brilliant smiles… is to experience life to its fullest. With everything to gain and nothing to lose.

For me, getting involved in Sagarmatha, is making a committment to what is good in life, what is grand and generous, for us and for others. This experience enables us to actively participate in slowly changing the course of life and bring a wonderful human touch, with joy and happiness to all those who participate in it. It is a joyous experience!

I can only urge you to take part in this enriching experience, as much for you as for others.

Discovering Sagarmatha - diving into the human experienceBy Cathy David-Raphoz, member of the committee

50 children, abandoned due to the circumstances of their life, and later taken in to become a family with a mother, father and son along with the others who run the place, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles (you, us), all driven by the same energy, wanting to bring love, support and the necessary structure for the development of the children and help them achieve the independance and self-sufficiency adulthood expects of them.

My role as aunt has evolved to become one of sponsor, of family sponsorship with my children and husband, of young Dolma who arrived in April 2014. Is it not a wonderful coincidence to later discover we were both born on the same day? But you know, all the children of Sagarmatha are in a way our children - an indestructible bond has been created, a bond made of love, care and concern for them.


2014 at a glance

Helping the children of Sagarmatha enter the world of workBy Catherine Christ Revaz, committee member

Since 2013, Children of Sagarmatha has been confronted with a new challenge; almost ten young people, most of whom had arrived at Sagarmatha in 2002, have finished school aged 18.

A few years previously, we were already planning to give these children our full support – from school through to employment. Anticipating our future needs, Francis Laune, founder of the Sagarmatha home, and Olivier Revaz, a committee member, contacted the Lausanne Hotel School in 2009 in order to set up a restaurant training programme in Kathmandu. Unfortunately, this project never made it to fruition.

Since 2013, the Swiss Organization Sagarmatha committee has taken the gamble of financing college study – two years of preparation for university – for this group of school leavers. According to SASS, our local partner, merely having completed school education is no longer enough to be able to find work in Nepal. College education is therefore an advantage.

With the support of the Human Salmon Foundation, eight young people from SASS have been able to start college. One of these students has even started an MBA course at a university in Kathmandu. We would like to give our heartfelt thanks to this foundation for its support of our work in 2013/2014.

Yet many issues still remain unresolved. In particular, we do not know whether we will continue to have the necessary financial resources in future to be able to fund two years of college education for all future school leavers.

Furthermore, some teenagers at Sagarmatha have greater difficulty in school and thus will not continue to college level. Do alternative training options exist for the less academic children who would benefit from following a more vocational path? How can we develop our network in Nepal so that we can help these children as well?

It is clear that the issue of helping young people enter the world of work will remain a pressing concern in years to come.

Chhiri, one of the children who received a college scholarship.

8 Swiss Organization Sagarmatha – Rapport annuel 2014

Accounts 2014

Bilan au 31 décembre 2014Actif CHF

Actif circulant

Caisse 0.00

PostFinance 12-648345-6 17’609.31

UBS 228-108612.40N -12.15

Total de l’actif circulant 17’597.16

Actif immobilisé

Actif immobilisé 0

Total de l’actif immobilisé 0

Total de l’actif 17’597.16

Passif

Fonds étrangers

Passif transitoire 0.00

Total des fonds étrangers 0.00

Fonds propres

Capital 17’597.16

Total des fonds propres 17’597.16

Total du passif 17’597.16

Comptes de profits et pertes de l’exercice 2014Produits 2014 (CHF) 2013 (CHF)

Ventes (Noel, etc.) 525.00 1’575.00

Dons 40’885.00 61’694.61

Parrainages 17’078.60 10’550.00

Cotisations 50.00 0.00

Produits financiers 8.25 5.05

Total des produits 58’546.85 73’824.66

Aides et charges

Missions Népal 84’488.00 37’558.00

Frais bureau et admin. 1’061.60 332.65

Frais Postfinance, UBS 248.70 250.00

Total des charges 85’798.30 38’140.65

Bénéfice reporté 44’848.61 9’164.60

Bénéfice de l’exercice -27’251.45 35’684.01

Bénéfice à reporter 17’597.16 44’848.61

Le bénéfice cumulé de 17’597.16 est reporté à l’an 2015

Swiss Organization Sagarmatha – Rapport annuel 2014 9

Accounts 2014


A rise in donations

Our association’s profits for the 2014 financial year amount to 58,546.85 CHF.

The capital deferred to the 2015 financial year amounts to 17,597.16 CHF. This amount comprises net sponsorship and donations received in 2014 and will be used to cover the orphanage’s 2015 expenditure.

• In 2014, we paid the following amounts to the Children of Sagarmatha home:

• 36,850 CHF to cover the regular budget (of which 16,850 CHF is from Ecolint fundraising);

• 29,638 CHF for off-budget expenditure (mainly the purchase of equipment for the new building – these funds are from various contributions, including from the Gertrude Hirzel Foundation);

• 18,000 CHF to cover the orphanage’s expenditure for the 1st quarter of 2015 (including the donation from the Pictet Group Charitable Foundation)

As is the case every year, we incurred some administrative costs (banking charges, costs for printing the annual report etc.), which we offset by making a donation of an equivalent amount. Consequently, we can continue to say that all of the contributions paid to our association are allocated to the Sagarmatha budget.

The accounts of the Sagarmatha home were balanced despite increased expenditure in 2014, notably for the recruitment of additional staff, an adjustment of salaries to match the 15% annual inflation in Nepal (which had not been possible in previous years due to a lack of funds), college fees (two years of preparation for university) and additional fees for the new building.

My warmest thanks go to all who place their faith in us and help us to contribute to the existence of Children of Sagarmatha.

Olivier RevazTreasurer

Message from the treasurer


Overview of 2014 revenues and expenses of the Children of Sagarmatha orphanage

FoodNPR 2’464’006CHF 23’245

Support staffNPR 1’454’645CHF 13’723

School and collegeNPR 2’106’092CHF 19’869

Building and vehicules (electricity,gas, fuel, etc.)NPR 919’013CHF 8’670

Miscellaneous (activities, celebrations etc.)NPR 337’056CHF 3’179

AdministrationNPR 129’282CHF 1’220

MedicalNPR 155’708CHF 1’469

Contributions 2014 au budget ordinaire de Children of Sagarmatha* CHF

Contribution Organisation Suisse Sagarmatha (Suisse) 37’021

Contribution Assistance Médicale Toit du Monde (France) 17’659

Contribution Association Sagarmatha Aide aux Défavorisés (France) 16’272

Total contributions à Children of Sagarmatha 70’952

Exchange rate 106 NPR to 1 CHF

*déduction faite des frais bancaires

Accounts 2014

The children of Sagarmatha at 31.12.2014



AccountantMarianne Naegeli

Patricia Bellotto, auditor

VolunteersPatricia Bellotto

Brigitte Caron

Christophe Al Kurdi

Marianne Naegeli

Andrea Plasschaert

Catherine Christ Revaz

Nadine Barreiro

Francis Laune

Anne Kerisel

Cathy David-Raphoz

Olivier Revaz, trésorier

Sylvie Nahum, présidente

Sagarmatha staff at 31.12.2014

Committee members at 31.12.2014

Production of the 2014 reportDesign and layout: Andrea Plasschaert

Proofreading: Anne Kerisel, Sylvie Nahum

Photos: Mike Gorsky, Catherine et Olivier Revaz, Véronique Testard

Contact us

Sylvie NahumPresident of the Swiss Organization SagarmathaChemin des Côtes 26 1297 Founex079 219 42 [email protected]

Olivier et Catherine RevazCommittee membersGrand Rue 231267 Vich022 364 03 94 (domicile)079 244 12 93 (portable Catherine)[email protected] or: [email protected]

Make a donationAccount holder: Organisation Suisse Sagarmatha OSS, 1297 Founex Account number Post Finance : 12-648345-6 IBAN : CH45 0900 0000 1264 83456 Code BIC : POFICHBEXXX

Thank you for your support !

www.sagarmathasuisse.ch

Because every child deserves a future

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Sagarmatha

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