History of Kam For Sud

Once upon a time, there was a group of friends with many dreams… (let’s say it right now, “Be careful what you dream: it might come true!”). It all began in 1998 with an organized trip almost by chance, away from the beaten path of tourism, through the hills and mountains of Nepal. An ancient Buddhist women’s monastery, a sacred peak for local Hindu shamans… On the way, we shared labors, satisfactions, thoughts, emotions and reveries; cross-cultural bonds were created that were destined to last. Then someone took the initiative to provide an initial sum of money, others became infected by the enthusiasm, and a few months later the group was named Kam For Sud.

The name was decided by a Nepalese friend and it stands for Kasturi Mirga Forum for a Sustainable Development. Kasturi Mirga in Nepali is the musk deer, an endangered animal because it has a gland that produces the musk used in perfumery, “which wanders around the forests of Nepal unaware that it carries something of great value within itself”; the “Forum” stands for a platform for interchange, horizontal and equal relationships; finally, Sustainability, a central concept that is intended to underlie every Kam For Sud project.

On the 26th of December 1998, with a deed of foundation we decided to formally register the association. Antonio Galli assumed the presidency, Aurora Guggisberg the administrative responsibility and Silvia Lafranchi, who was then living in Nepal, took charge of accompanying the activities on the ground. Dinesh Paudel proposed building a school in his village, Saipu, where until then very few children had had access to education. The first cost estimate was far too optimistic, but perhaps that is what gave us the courage to dare; the rest came by itself, step by step, project by project. When you start such an adventure you can hardly imagine where it will lead, what size it will take. Over the years, enthusiasm has not waned, Swiss-Nepalese friendships have grown stronger, that good work on an equal and trusting footing, sharing aspirations, reflections and strategies, pooling each other’s skills and strengths, has finally shaped the current Kam For Sud. An NGO that today, as then, believes in concrete solidarity among human beings and the value of cross-cultural work based on mutual respect, equal dignity and friendship.