Overview of Kam For Sud
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 practical solidarity among human beings and the value of cross-cultural work based on mutual respect, equal dignity and friendship. It is a nonprofit organization working in Nepal for sustainable development, in education, vocational training, health, ecology, fair and social entrepreneurship, and child 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 on issues of 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, sharing, human and professional enrichment, a bridge between peoples and cultures that aims to lead skills, goods and values both ways, drawing where these are found in abundance to bring them to where they are needed and required.
Friendship and collaboration...
Kam For Sud is not an “aid to the poor” association, 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 persuaded that for an international cooperation project to be successful, it must arise from a horizontal relationship among partners. Which 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, on the part of those who bring financial resources or cutting-edge technology; no sense of dependence or inferiority on the part of those who are materially poorer. Not least because it seems clear 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 engaged full time in Nepal, joined by Saroj Shrestha, Binod Timalsina and Singha Bahadur Tamang in management, administrative and accounting work. Rajan is in constant 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 secretariat manager Ivana Bernasconi Spinedi and store manager Luisa Soldati. A number of consultants in Switzerland are also called upon as issues arise as they arise.
Our members and Kam For Sud Bazaars and Boutiques are the driving force that allows us to work
Two pillars constitute the indispensable motor that allows Kam For Sud to function: the valuable annual contribution of 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 association’s operating expenses, allowing us to allocate the whole donations to projects in Nepal.
Two sister committees
Kam For Sud has also been registered as a Nepalese NGO since 2008. The local committee, composed of seven professionals active in different fields, accompanies the Nepali operational staff by monitoring the progress of projects. In Switzerland, a similar committee consisting of five professionals with diverse expertise meets regularly to monitor and discuss activities. All important strategic decisions are made by the two committees by mutual agreement.
The annual meeting
The budget and income statement, progress of current projects and planned activities are presented and discussed at the annual meetings attended by the association members.
Civil servants and temporary volunteers
Punctually some volunteers or civilians are selected and involved in individual programs, either in Nepal or Switzerland, for limited periods.