ROKPA Times November 2018 - With ROKPA to independence

ROKPA NEWS
New ROKPA Executive Board member
ROKPA welcomes two new employees at
our Headquarters in Zurich
In January 2018 Melanie Ewing took over from Romano
Renner as the Head of Finance for ROKPA. She was born
in Scotland and studied Accounting and German in
England. She did further training at the consultancy firm
Ernst & Young. Her curiosity brought her to Switzerland,
where she has lived since 2004. Ever since then it has
been her dream to bring her experience to a charitable
setting, so she’s excited to be working at ROKPA. She
appreciates ROKPA’s method of providing aid in a
goal-orientated and unbureaucratic way and also values the close collaboration
within the ROKPA Team.
This year the executive committee at ROKPA INTERNA-
TIONAL grew to six when we welcomed a new board
member. Dorje Tarap was born in the Tibetan areas of
China, grew up in Scotland and Nepal and now lives in
Switzerland. He comes to us with invaluable knowledge
of the Himalaya region and of the cultural values of the
people there. In addition he has a degree in Bioinformatics
and has worked in the healthcare industry for over 15
years. ROKPA is excited about working with him and
wishes him a great start.
Earnings from
Wal-Ro dolls have
topped 100’000
Swiss francs
Marlis Lüscher (center) and her hardworking
team have been making Waldorf dolls
exclusively for ROKPA (hence the name
Wal-Ro dolls) since 2010.
The group of 15 women based in the
Valais mountains dedicate thousands of
hours each year tirelessly working on
these unique dolls. Now, thanks to loyal
and new customers, they have hit the
mark of 100’000 Swiss francs.
We at ROKPA are thrilled and would like
to extend our heartfelt thanks to all
involved for their invaluable contribution.
In July 2018 Evelyne Plüss began her role of Donor
Relations Manager on the departure of Caterina Meier-Pfister.
After studying Political Science she did an
internship in the area of migration at the Federal
Department of Foreign Affairs, after which she worked
for an international organisation in Bolivia and then as a
youth development project manager for a Swiss foundation.
She lived in Kenya for the past five years where
she worked for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and also as
coordinator for South Sudan with a German NGO. Now back in Switzerland she is
pleased to be able to support the ROKPA Team in this exciting position.
Season’s Greetings
The entire ROKPA Team would like to wish you a very happy Christmas and all
the very best for the New Year. We hope to be able to count on your continued
support in 2019.
■ Are you looking for Christmas
gifts? Visit the Wal-Ro online shop
at www.rokpa.org/walro
All proceeds from the sale of Wal-Ro
items go via ROKPA to disadvantaged
children in the Himalaya region.
Photos: © Robert Bösch, Melanie Ewing, Marlis Lüscher, Gabriel Peisker, Evelyne Plüss
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