Kam For Sud shortly
A bridge between Switzerland and Nepal
Kam For Sud is a Swiss NGO, founded in 1998 in Ticino by a group of people who believe in concrete solidarity among human beings and the value of intercultural work based on mutual respect, equal dignity and friendship. It is a non-profit organization working in Nepal for a sustainable development, in the field of education, vocational training, health, ecology, fair and social entrepreneurship, and childhood protection.
For a true collaboration in both directions
Kam For Sud is committed alongside its Nepalese partners in the elaboration of development projects and shared solutions. In Switzerland, Kam For Sud offers training and awareness-raising activities about international cooperation and sustainable development, and promotes Nepalese art, handicrafts and culture: cooperation and solidarity do not only refer to material goods.
Kam For Sud is a platform for meeting, for sharing, for a human and professional enrichment, a bridge between peoples and cultures that aims to lead skills, goods and values both ways, drawing where these are abundant and bringing them to where they are needed and required.
Friendship and collaboration...
Kam For Sud is not an association for “aid to the poor”, but a group of Nepalese and Swiss friends working together for a better world, an association that in a joyful but serious and professional way works to increase the “gross domestic happiness” of the planet.
...become a work philosophy
After having seen the medium-term failure of many initiatives born of the best intentions but not sufficiently anchored in local realities, we have been convinced that for an international cooperation project to be successful, horizontal relationship among partners are decisive. This means equal dignity, equal value, different experiences but the same consideration for all and the same, passionate involvement by all. No sense of superiority, even well disguised, by those who bring financial resources or cutting-edge technology; no sense of dependence or inferiority by those who are materially poorer. Not least because it appears clearly that it is not material poverty that makes people most unhappy….
A daily contact between two countries
To ensure the smooth running of the projects, Rajan Shrestha, local coordinator, is committed full time in Nepal, accompanied by Saroj Shrestha, Binod Timalsina and Singha Bahadur Tamang in the management, administrative and accounting work. Rajan is constantly in contact with the coordinator in Switzerland, Silvia Lafranchi Pittet, who personally checks on the progress of the projects with regular visits, and works directly with the admin responsible Ivana Bernasconi Spinedi and the shop manager Luisa Soldati. A number of consultants in Switzerland are also called upon as issues arise.
Our members and the Kam For Sud Bazaar and Boutique are the driving force that allows us to work
Two pillars represent the essential motor that allows Kam For Sud to function: the valuable annual contribution of the members and the Kam For Sud Bazaars and Boutiques in Locarno and Lugano, run by Luisa Soldati with Petra Tomasini, Antonella Bonzanigo and their respective groups of volunteers. Together they generate the income we need to cover the NGO’s operating expenses, allowing us to allocate the whole donations to projects in Nepal.
Two sister committees
Kam For Sud is also registered as a Nepalese NGO since 2008. The local committee, composed of seven professionals active in different fields, support the operational staff by monitoring the progress of projects. In Switzerland, a similar committee consisting of five professionals with different expertise meets regularly to monitor and discuss activities. All important strategic decisions are made by the two committees by mutual agreement.
The annual meeting
Balances and accounts, the progress of current projects and the planned activities are presented and discussed at the annual meetings attended by the NGO’s members.
Civilists and volunteers
Occasionally volunteers or civilists are selected and involved in specific programs, either in Nepal or in Switzerland, for a limited time.