ROKPA Times June 2017 - Annual Report 2016

ROKPA TIMES
Annual Report 2016
No. 2 / June 2017 / Volume 37

© Lea Wyler
Editorial
Dear friends of ROKPA,
Our volunteers at the Soup Kitchen in Johannesburg hand out
peanut butter sandwiches, soup and fruit to the nearly 100
hungry visitors in the pouring rain. It is dusk and I observe and
take photographs. Since I approach and ask for permission
before photographing, it doesn’t take long before I am in
conversation with some of the beneficiaries. Willingly, they tell
me their often very sad life stories.
Most of them are young men from Zimbabwe, who came to
South Africa with the hope of earning money to support their
families back home. It is now the end of November, and one of
the men tells me, in despair, that he will not be able to get any
presents for his children this Christmas. He spends his days
looking for work and food. Many tears flow that evening, and it is
very hard for me to say goodbye.
This was just one of the countless moving encounters on my
project trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe. There is still much to
be done, but for many people, the ROKPA projects are making a
vital, and sometimes lifesaving difference.
Shortly before, I had visited our projects in the Tibetan areas of
China. Yangzom, my translator and assistant – herself a ROKPA
Child from the earliest days – had gathered all the information
on a donated laptop. A quantum leap into the current century as
until now, the majority of the data was written down by hand.
We have travelled together for many years and she has helped
me to better understand the nuances of this completely different
culture, and thus to help more efficiently.
As I write these lines, I am in Kathmandu. Here, the consequences
of the earthquake are still very visible everywhere,
although it has already been two years. However, construction is
progressing very diligently – also with us (see page 3 for more
about this). With our new earthquake-proof building, we can
continue to help longer and better where the help is needed.
I have the privilege to regularly visit our ROKPA projects around
the world and to steer them in the right direction. Everywhere I
go, I learn not only of the great need but also of the gratitude of
those whom we support.
This gratitude I am passing on to you. For these individuals, your
help turns their world 180 degrees! In your support of ROKPA as
a donor, a volunteer or in any other way, you are changing the
world for the better. I would like to thank you personally for
your help. Nothing goes without you – and with you, anything
is possible!
Yours,
Lea Wyler
Co-Founder and President ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
CONTENTS
Editorial 2
Build with us for Nepal’s youth 3
A better life for nearly 4’200 children thanks
to education 4
With vocational training to an economically
independent life 5
Medical aid for people in need 6
In battle against hunger 7
ROKPA in numbers 8 – 9
How you can help 10
ROKPA Office 11
Your donation helps 12
Imprint
Editorial team: Corinna Biasiutti / Caterina Meier-Pfister /
Daniela Reinhard / Romano Renner / Thomas Stettler / Tina Zaugg
Copy editing: Liane Brand (www.lianebrand.ch) / Meenu Bhargava
English translation: Kaja Kurczewska
Graphic design: Renée Reust / Staša Lampret
Cover picture: © Lea Wyler
Text: © ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
Print run: 7,000 copies (German edition)
Printed on Recycling Paper, produced
according to the rules of „The blue Angel“

© Peter Fanconi
Gazing together into the auspicious future:
Peter Fanconi with ROKPA Children (Kathmandu, April 2017).
Build with us for Nepal’s youth
ROKPA wants to go higher. Four stories high, to be exact.
Since January 2016, the construction for our earthquake-proof
building in Kathmandu is in full swing - planning, stonewalling,
carpentry, brick laying and fitting. It is scheduled to be
completed by the spring of 2018 – the Akong Rinpoche
Memorial Center.
With this multifunctional building, existing ROKPA projects will
grow in scope and a new one will be implemented. The ROKPA
Hospitality Training Center will provide young people from the
poorest local families with a vocational education. An education
in the areas of cooking, service or housekeeping increases their
chances for finding steady employment. Tourism is an important
employer in Nepal and qualified professionals are needed. The
acquired skills equip the young people with the necessary tools
that enable them to earn a regular income and allow them to
provide for themselves and their families. Help to self-help is
vital for ROKPA. Our conviction is that help is only sustainable
when it enables the indigent people to stand on their own two
feet for the long haul.
ROKPA has been applying this approach for a long time. With
the Women’s Workshop and the Guest House, we have been
running two «social businesses» in Kathmandu for many years.
These have given education and jobs to the poorest of the
poorest in the region. The leadership of both projects is in the
hands of former ROKPA Children and local employees. The
concept has proven valid – the Women’s Workshop today is
completely self-reliant, thanks to the sales of its sewing and
weaving products.
In this reporting year, the costs of the ROKPA Children’s Home
were partially covered with the profits from the Guest House.
With the completion of the new building, both projects will grow
– the Guest House will receive seven additional rooms, and the
number of education and job positions in the Women’s Workshop
is expected to be doubled.
Our long-acting goal is to finance more ROKPA projects with
the profits from the social businesses, to further support
poverty stricken people. Always there, where help is most
needed. I invite you wholeheartedly to visit us in Kathmandu
and to take part in this unique project.
Peter Fanconi
Vice President ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
Partners of the Hospitality Training Center
In EHLsmile, an association of former students and
teachers of the prestigious École hôtelière de Lausanne
(EHL) (www.ehlsmile.org) and the esteemed Nepali
Global Academy of Tourism & Hospitality Education
(GATE) (www.gate.edu.np), ROKPA has found two
competent and experienced partners on hand with advice
and help with the planning and implementation of the
Hospitality Training Center. We are extremely proud of
these partnerships combining international standards with
local know-how.
3

© Lea Wyler
ROKPA strives towards making sure at least half
of the beneficiaries are female.
A better life for nearly 4200 children thanks
to education
Here in ROKPA we are convinced that education is one of the
most efficient means to enable poverty stricken people a
sustainable, economically independent life. In the Tibetan
Highlands, it is also possible to preserve Tibetan culture at the
same time.
For years, educational programs have been one of ROKPA’s main
pillars. In 2016 in the Tibetan Highlands, we supported nearly
4200 children and students from the poorest parts of the
population. They are mainly children of farmers and nomads,
many orphans and semi-orphans. When they find a job, they can
secure the existence of their family and more generally, enable
the Tibetan areas of China access to modern society. The many
years of development work have shown that the advancement of
young women influences the entire community and strengthens
the position of a woman in society. This is why ROKPA strives
towards making sure at least half of the beneficiaries are female.
Our educational projects in the Tibetan areas of China encompass
primary, secondary and middle schools, colleges and
monastery schools.
Tibetan standard language as a success factor
With the engagement in Gansu, ROKPA provides the youths with
a higher school education and at the same time, promotes the
Tibetan standard language. It is the requirement for communication,
and for the preservation of local culture and knowledge.
The supported school educates 2500 girls and boys between 12
and 22 years of age, among them 120 ROKPA Children. Alongside
the obligatory secondary school, a good education on the
middle school level is also offered. The students are encouraged
and challenged, as the choices of their further education and
their future profession depend on their results of the exams.
Promotion of higher education with scholarships
Increasingly, a Bachelor’s degree is a requirement for employment
with a steady income. Therefore, ROKPA provides gifted
young people this opportunity. In the reporting year, 250
students were supported. Full or partial scholarships have been
awarded for courses in Tibetan language, Tibetan medicine or for
a lectureship. In the meantime, the first generation of well-educated
young people is now working as lecturers, doctors, in
businesses or in administration. It is especially very gratifying
that former beneficiaries have come together to start their own
scholarship projects using their own income, and are thereby
carrying ROKPA’s fundamental ideas forward.
4

© Francesca Pfister
From street child to pastry chef and businessman: Prakash, grown up
in the ROKPA Children’s Home, at work in the ROKPA Bakery.
With vocational training to an economically
independent life
Vocational training plays a vital part in the economic
development and the poverty alleviation of a country. For
individuals and their families, it offers an opportunity for an
independent life.
Since the 1990s, ROKPA Children’s Home has been offering a
home to former street children and trainee positions and paid
employment for their mothers in the Women’s Workshop. The
children are raised to be self-confident people and are prepared
for the job market. The Guest House was opened a few years
after the Workshop. It offers comfortable rooms, a small
restaurant and a bakery. Meanwhile, the profits co-finance the
Children’s Home. The ROKPA Children from the first generation
have taken over the leadership of the projects in Kathmandu,
and the next generation is already standing by. They receive an
education, remain on site for a while before moving on, to build
something of their own.
Puja came into the ROKPA Children’s Home as a young girl.
Now, she is graduating from housekeeping, and alongside this,
she is working as a maid in the Guest House. In this way, she is
collecting practical experience and is able to participate in the
cost of her education.
Prakash und Jeevan grew up in the Children’s Home, and now
work at the ROKPA Bakery. They bake croissants, breads and
cakes for the guests or for the other restaurants in the area,
and the bread rolls for the ROKPA Soup Kitchen. As small
business owners, they deliver drinking water orders on a bicycle.
And they manage to do all this alongside with studying for a
college degree!
Saru is the youngest in the Women’s Workshop. She was 15
when she arrived at ROKPA and already too old to be enrolled in
school. Now, she is receiving training to become a seamstress,
which will enable her to have an independent life.
Rebuilding the Dhanmale Lower Secondary School
• The school, massively damaged in the 2015 earthquake,
was rebuilt in 2016. At the same time, ROKPA installed
single gender sanitary facilities – an important protective
measure for pubescent girls.
• In order to promote and sustain local businesses, materials
such as mud brick, wood and stones were purchased
from the region.
• Due to the high construction activity in Nepal, qualified
labour was scarce. This required additional expenditures,
because the local workforce had to be trained.
• As a replacement for the dried-up water source, a new
one was opened up for 5 villages.
• The school now has room for 240 children of primary
school age.
5

© Lea Wyler
In efforts to build up and expand the basic medical care in remote areas:
The Tibetan doctors and at the same time our delegates on site (f.l.t.r.): Palden, Droni and Yangzom.
Medical aid for people in need
Each of the 4 ROKPA project countries struggles with issues in
the field of medical aid. In South Africa and Zimbabwe, AIDS
remains one of the biggest health risks. Alongside financial
support of the drug treatments, ROKPA also supports self-help
groups here. In the Tibetan Highlands, the great distances and
the depletion of Tibetan medicinal plants has led to a precarious
medical situation. ROKPA supports village clinics in
remote regions and finances a project for the preservation of
the traditional medicinal plants. Also in Nepal many people
cannot afford a doctor’s appointment. With its Medical
Outpatient Clinic, the ROKPA Soup Kitchen offers a lowthreshold
entry point for the sick and injured.
Preservation of medicinal plants in Traditional
Tibetan Medicine
Since 2008, ROKPA has been running a project in the Tibetan
areas of China aiming at the cultivation of traditional and
endangered medicinal plants. As a part of the project, medicinal
herbs from bought or gathered seeds are being planted in large
quantities and sold, with the particularly endangered species
cultivated in protective conditions.
In 2016 within the framework of the project, for the first time,
packaged medicinal herbs were sold to local hospitals and health
resorts. Due to a larger harvest compared to the previous years,
the project managers bought a larger tractor which replaced
the previous mini tractor. During the summer months, six people
work on the land rented by ROKPA.
One of the major challenges is the irrigation of the fields: The
pipes of the irrigation system get damaged in the cold winter
months with temperatures far below the freezing point and must
be repaired. In the dry summer the water often goes out completely.
Construction of a new well, which will also provide water
in the summer, is urgently needed in order to achieve better
results at harvest.
Medical Outpatient Clinic in Kathmandu, Nepal
The Medical Outpatient Clinic in Kathmandu is a vital part of the
ROKPA Soup Kitchen, and is operated from December to March.
Both projects are led by Margrit Stahel and with the help of
many other volunteers. In winter of 2015/16, a female doctor
and trained nursing staff treated around 1,000 individuals,
including more than 200 children. Almost half of the cases
involved wound treatment and burns, and colds and diarrhea
were among the most common diseases. 77 people had to be
transferred to the hospital. This is a significant part
of the medical expenses of this project.
6

© Lea Wyler
In battle against hunger
ROKPA contributes to food costs in schools, because sufficient and
healthy nutrition is by no means self-evident in our project countries.
The right to nutrition is a fundamental human right. In spite of
this, millions of people worldwide suffer from hunger. Many
children are affected – with fatal consequences: Severe
malnutrition often leads to stunted development or death. This
is why ROKPA is committed to nutrition projects for the
poorest in its project countries.
concentrate on learning. ROKPA also pays for food support for
needy nuns and monks, as monasteries in the Tibetan Highlands
make an important contribution to the preservation of Tibetan
culture and have to sustain themselves. They are reliant on
outside help. In the reporting year, thanks to ROKPA donations,
over 400 nuns and monks could be provided with food.
Nutrition for body and soul in the ROKPA Children’s Home,
Nepal
Each newly admitted child in ROKPA Children’s Home is greeted
with a joint meal. With this, the boys and girls are not only
physically strengthened but also experience emotional security at
the same time. An important element of each meal in the
Children’s Home is rice. In the reporting year, an average of 15
kilograms of rice have been prepared for the nearly 60 children
– every day. Rice is so beloved, because it creates a long lasting
feeling of satiety. Many of the children suffered from hunger
before they came to the Children’s Home, and it is a feeling they
are never to experience again. ROKPA Children’s Home makes
sure of that.
Food subsidies, Tibetan areas of China
Food security through «Low-Input Gardening», Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is in a persistent economic and political crisis. The
unemployment in the population is rising and hunger is spreading.
Here, ROKPA Support Network Zimbabwe offers help in
need with the Food Security Project. Poverty stricken people
learn how to grow enough food for their family in spite of modest
means. They are trained in biological cultivation methods and
balanced diet. The offer is aimed at the poorest, especially
parents of children with disabilities. In the past year sixty people
were trained. Additionally, programme officer Winnie Mtapure
visits the participants at least once a month at their homes. She
answers not only questions about gardening, but she also gives
advice to the often overburdened mothers. This way, the project
contributes to both physical and mental health of the long-suffering
families.
Lack of nutrition limits productivity. In 2016, ROKPA financed a
total of 38 primary, secondary and monastery schools’ food
subsidies for school children coming from the poorest families.
In this way, they can leverage their intellectual capabilities and
7

© Tal Siano
Education is the key to a self-determined future.
ROKPA in numbers
Project expenses by focus
This graphic shows the emphasis of the main themes in the work
of ROKPA in all project countries for the year 2016. As many
ROKPA projects combine different themes, they were allotted to
the area which accounts for the larger share.
In the „Other“ category, all projects were considered which do
not contain a clear component in the main topics. These include,
for example, support for cultural concerns or cost of living for
individual beneficiaries. The project support expenses include
cross-project costs.
8 %
Project support expenses
11 %
Reconstruction Nepal
17 %
Akong Rinpoche
Memorial Center
7 %
Other
37 %
Education
13 %
Medical support
7 %
Food
Total Project Expenses (100%):
CHF 1’959’013 / Previous Year: CHF 1’664’700 Number of Projects: 88
8

Source of funds
Individual donors and charitable foundations are the main
sources for financing ROKPA projects. The ROKPA network
around the world also contributes an important share with
about a quarter of the donation volume.
Fund allocation
In the year under review, 0.82 francs went directly into the
project work from each franc spent. The proportion of administrative
expenses as well as those for fundraising were slightly
reduced compared to the previous year.
30 % Individual donors
3 % Public sector
35 % Charitable foundations
27 % Network worldwide
4 % Companies
1 % Church communities
82 % Project expenses (Previous Year: 75 %)
10 % Fundraising (Previous Year: 14 %)
8 % Administration (Previous Year: 11 %)
Total Revenue (100%):
CHF 2’746’444 / Previous Year: CHF 3’512’375
Number of Donors: 2’047 / Previous Year: 2’985
Total Project and Operational Expenses (100%):
CHF 2’382’285 / Previous Year: CHF 2’230’746
Unpaid services - voluntary work
Based on an hourly rate of 40 francs, the total 2016 of 15’434
hours corresponds to the impressive value of 617’336 francs.
Not included are volunteer hours spent in the 16 organizations of
the ROKPA network in the various countries.
Volunteers at Head Office
Volunteers on governing bodies
Unpaid overtime by employees
Volunteers at the Soup Kitchen in Nepal
Hours
7’493
1’965
276
5’700
People
47
5
4
14
Total
15’434
70
9

© Corinna Biasiutti
Regardless of the way in which you support ROKPA – your contribution works!
How you can help
It is your support which makes our work possible.
Thank you very much!
Donation | You can donate to ROKPA in many ways: via bank or
Post account, via PayPal or with an SMS donation. A free
donation for urgent ROKPA projects allows us to provide assistance
wherever it is most needed.
Fundraising activities | Do good while doing what you love! You
like running? Arrange sponsorship for a good cause. You are an
artist? Why not let your artwork be auctioned off to benefit
people in need?
Project sponsorship | A project sponsorship offers you the
perfect opportunity to focus on a specific topic which is close to
your heart.
Will | Would you like to be able to continue doing good even
after your passing? With a legacy, you can bequeath a part of
your inheritance to ROKPA and contribute to our work in the
long term.
Make a donation to mark a special occasion | Would you like to
share your happiness with others? Collect donations on occasions
such as birthdays, jubilees or weddings. Per request, we
are happy to provide you with all the necessary information,
including payment slips.
Volunteer work | Are you looking for meaningful involvement?
We are always looking for volunteers for work at our Headquarters
in Zurich, and occasionally also for assignments in our
project countries. You can find all the current information at
www.rokpa.org
Donate as you buy | Combine your online shopping with a
donation for ROKPA – at no additional cost. For more information,
go to www.buynhelp.ch
Spread the news about ROKPA | Tell your friends or business
partners about ROKPA’s work. We will be happy to send you
copies of our magazine ROKPA Times to hand out. Social media
fans can also follow us on Facebook and share the articles we
post there. See facebook.com/rokpa.org
Make a corporate donation | Add ROKPA to your company’s
charity donations list. Many employers double the donations
made by their staff to charitable organizations. You can also
purchase gifts for your customers in the ROKPA Women’s
Workshop at www.rokpaww.org
In memory of a loved one | When a loved one passes away, you
can continue their charity commitment by making a donation to
our ROKPA projects.
Donations in kind | Support our projects also with a donation in
kind. Contact us – we will be happy to provide you with further
information on what is needed on site.
10
For more information on the many ways you can support our work, visit www.rokpa.org under the heading „What you can do“. If
you have any questions, please contact us via e-mail at info@rokpa.org or via phone under +41 44 262 68 88. We are looking
forward to hearing from you!

© Lea Wyler
In addition to the main project countries in the Himalayas, ROKPA also helps
the poorest in Zimbabwe and South Africa thanks to local volunteer initiatives.
ROKPA Office
The ROKPA INTERNATIONAL Headquarters is located in
Zurich. Volunteer ROKPA Representatives run individual
country offices in further 16 countries.
Executive Board | Lea Wyler (President), Peter Fanconi (Vice
President), Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche, Gelong Thubten,
Andreas Vollenweider
Employees | Corinna Biasiutti (General Manager), Daniela Fadel
(Administration), Caterina Meier-Pfister (Donor Relations &
Communication), Romano Renner (Finances), Thomas Stettler
(Communication & IT), Tina Zaugg (Communication & Projects)
Volunteers | Manuel Bassi, Jan Bösch, Liane Brand, Sandra
David Pereira, Bruno Dobler, Barbara Fritzsche, Maya
Helbling, Mery Huber, Lotti Kobler, Tereza Konate, Michael
Krieger, Alexander Krizan, Kaja Kurczewska, Staša Lampret,
Henriette Levy, Ivo Loretz, Marlis Lüscher, Georgios Mazarakis,
Nina Meisser, Minh Pham, Claudia Povel, Abigail Quinones,
Esther Reichenbach, Käthi Ruckstuhl, Bea Schmutz, Margrit
Stahel, Rita Straub, Margrit Unholz, Elisabeth Weiss,
Andreas Wyttenbach
Board of Patrons | Robert Schenker (President), Thomas Bär,
Walter Bosch, Christine Egerszegi, Josef Estermann, Kurt E.
Feller, Marc Forster, Felix Gutzwiller, Peter Hasler, Trix
Heberlein, Philipp Keel, Cyril Koller, Remo Largo, Charles
Lewinsky, Ellen Ringier, Roger Schawinski, Emil Steinberger,
Niccel Steinberger, Franz Steinegger, Sandra Studer, Andreas
Vollenweider, Christian Wenger
The president of the ROKPA Patronage, Robert Schenker, as well
as Felix Gutzwiller, retired from the patronage by the end of
2016. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them both
warmly for their long term commitment and good collaboration.
Translation (pro bono)| Sian Edwards, Bettina Grieser Johns,
Yael Katz, Elaine Knoerich, Kaja Kurczewska, Susanne Reiche,
Karin Stutz, David Tonge, Translators without borders (various)
11

Your donation helps
Tibetan Areas of China NEPAL Africa
CHF 266.-/year:
For the primary school attendance of a
Tibetan child.
CHF 455.-/year:
For the school costs of a child from the
ROKPA Children‘s Home.
CHF 67.-/year: For the training of the family
of a child with disability in „Low-Input
Gardening“ in Zimbabwe.
© Lea Wyler
Medicine, Healthcare
© Lea Wyler
© Corinna Biasiutti
© ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
© Lea Wyler
© Lea Wyler
Education
© Lea Wyler
© Christoph Däppen
© RSN Zimbabwe
CHF 30.-: For the doctor‘s visit of
10 patients in a practice in the
Tibetan Highlands.
CHF 132.-/month:
For the health costs of 20 children from the
ROKPA Children‘s Home.
CHF 242.-: For doctor‘s visit and
medication for 10 patients in Zimbabwe.
Nutrition
CHF 301.-/year:
As a food subsidy for a nun / monk.
CHF 97.-: For 300 meals for the needy
in the Soup Kitchen in Kathmandu.
CHF 26.-/month: For the nutrition of a child
in the Tirisano Crèche in South Africa.
You can donate here:
Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG:
IBAN: CH73 0483 5045 5090 1100 1
BIC/SWIFT: CRESCHZZ80A
Or find the account information
for your country on www.rokpa.org
In Switzerland, donations to ROKPA are tax-exempt.
Project No. 8100: For education projects
Project No. 8150: For medical projects
Project No. 8750: For nutrition projects
Project No. 8000: For urgent ROKPA projects
Thank you for your support!
SMS donation of
up to CHF 99.–
ROKPA XX
(amount, numbers only)
to 488.
Example for CHF 20.–:
ROKPA 20 to 488
ROKPA INTERNATIONAL | Boecklinstrasse 27 | 8032 Zurich | Switzerland | Phone +41 44 2626888 |
info@rokpa.org | www.rokpa.org | facebook.com/ROKPA.org