Newsletter engl. - ipa-project

July 2011
International Project Aid, Bederstrasse 97, 8002 Zürich, Phone +41 (0)44 381 20 24, Fax
+41 (0)44 381 20 25, email: info@project-aid.org, www.ipa-project-aid.org; for UK see p. 9
Dear sponsors, dear members!
It is the aim of IPA to
give children and young
adults in Albania and
Cameroon the chance to
build their own future
together with the help of
Swiss students.
A win-win situation
This is a win-win situation: People are
taught how to help themselves, and the
Swiss students who take part in the projects gain experiences for life.
IPA demonstrates convincingly how to be
successfully active in poor countries.
Foundations, institutions, church parishes, enterprises, service clubs and private sponsors help to finance a large variety of projects, mainly in the field of education – always with the aim to improve
the living conditions of the local population.
To support and accompany the work of
IPA as chairman of the board is both an
honour and a pleasure for me. I congratulate IPA on its 10th anniversary and I
hope that the organisation will always find
generous sponsors and motivated young
adults in the years to come.
Martin Haab
Chairman of the board of IPA
10 Years of IPA
2001-2011
What does development cooperation
mean for IPA?
Help for self-help
Cooperation with local partners and
the integration of both the native
population and Swiss youth are the
corner stones of IPA’s strategy.
Wherever IPA operates, people are not
only in need, but often their lives are in
danger. When children and adults in the
Waza-Logone plain in North Cameroon
drink polluted water from dirty pools, their
lives are in danger. The building of a water pump can save lives.
In mountain villages in Albania, basic
medical care is missing and people who
fall ill may die. In first aid stations which
are equipped with medicines and dressing material, nurses and doctors can offer
help. When children can’t go to school
because the school building in their village is in ruins, they are deprived of their
right to be educated.
Above all IPA offers people who are most
in need, and lack the bare necessities,
development cooperation. Once a water
pump has been installed, a first aid station equipped or a school renovated, the
population no longer depends on IPA, but
are able to lead an independent life with
dignity.
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This is the reason
why IPA projects
are realised together with local
partners who are
familiar with the
situation and have
the necessary connections. Very often the local population is involved,
too. Having acquired the knowSmall loans strengthen the
how the villagers
economic circuit (above: hoare able, once a
ney production in Albania)
project has been
completed, to maintain, for example, a water pump, and to repair it if necessary.
Members of IPA staff examine each project on site and discuss it with the locals
before they look for a sponsor. They also
check and supervise it for some time after
its realisation.
The tagline “help for self-help” explains
and justifies the focus of many IPA projects in the field of education. The building
of a vocational school in Kousseri in Cameroon for example enables young adults to
get training in a particular profession. This
improves their chances of leading an independent and self-determined life as adults.
A relaxed atmosphere during a lesson in embroidery at
the vocational school in Kousseri
Low administration costs and a great deal
of voluntary work (almost 50 per cent is
unpaid work) make it possible for almost
all the money donated by sponsors to be
spent on the projects. Transparency in financial matters is absolutely essential for
IPA. The costs for each project (including
salaries) are published in detail in every
project’s budget, in every project’s final
statement and in every annual financial
statement.
Formative experiences for young adults
Right from the beginning IPA has been
working closely together with young Swiss
adults (see also pages 3 and 4). They get
the chance to actively take part in development work at a comparatively young age,
to gain formative experiences and finally to
enjoy the fact that helping others is possible if you try hard enough.
Our favourite projects 2001
to 2011
Why Albania and Cameroon?
Albania:
In 1993 Pietro Tomasini, a Swiss highschool teacher, met Bujar Dudumi, an Albanian colleague from Gjirokastër, at his
school. Dudumi told him about the disastrous situation at his school and asked for
help. In May 1994 Tomasini flew to Albania
for the first time. Back in Switzerland he
founded the charity organisation “Partner
for Gjirokastër” together with a fellow
teacher, Nicole Delavy. Assisted by students, they organised the first transports of
clothes and various kinds of school materials to Albania.
Cameroon:
Gabriela Landolt, an IPA member of staff,
had lived for six months in the WazaLogone floodplain region of North Cameroon while she was studying ethnology.
There she got into contact with an ideal
local project partner. The first journey to
Cameroon took place around Christmas
2004 and soon afterwards the first projects
were realised.
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Komsi, North Albania
SDC as a partner
The conditions in
a school from
years 1-9 with an
integrated
high
school were precarious. Thanks to
a
considerable
sum of money offered by SDC the school was thoroughly
renovated and equipped, for example with
a computer room (where computer
courses were given), a novelty in the
mountains of North Albania in those days.
Sara Sara, North Cameroon
100 tons of
rice
Further education courses, a
powerful motor
pump and a
particularly motivated group of
rice
farmers
made it possible
to achieve a sensational result in the cultivation of rice: in an area of 17.5 hectares,
100 tons of rice were produced in the first
year.
Digue, North Cameroon
Clean drinking water at the right moment
This water pump
has saved the lives
of many locals. Before it was installed,
1,000 people had to
drink polluted water
from the river Logone. The installation of the pump
was
completed
shortly before a
cholera epidemic broke out. There was
not a single case of cholera in the village.
Zojz, North Albania
Saving a life
A first aid station
which is neither
equipped with furniture nor stocked
with medicines is
called an “Albanian
absurdity” by the
locals. Helped by a
group of supporters from England,
IPA changed one into a properly equipped
first aid station. A few days later a boy with
a serious allergy was admitted and his life
was saved.
Kousseri, North Cameroon
Young prize winners
So far the biggest
IPA project is the
building of a vocational school. It had
barely been started
when the state offered 5 hectares of
land to build it on. So
far the students have
had the possibility to
choose from three
different courses. More are planned. Twice
already the young dressmakers have won
the first prize for their work at the International Day for Women in Kousseri. We are
happy to share their joy and pride!
Lezhë, North Albania
Psychological assistance
Private tuition, psychological
assistance and talks with
families: with unprecedented commitment
some
teachers looked after a group of children who, because
of problems within
their families, were
insufficiently
integrated at school and
fell behind. Given new self-confidence and
good results, the children were able to
continue their school careers.
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Logone-Birni, North Cameroon
A region begins to
flourish
The IPA savings bank
grants loans at fair
terms. Within a year
hope and confidence
for the future have
returned to the village
and its surroundings.
Fields are made fertile again, herds are
growing in number
and handmade products are sold. It is not
surprising, therefore,
that a second savings
bank somewhere else
is planned and already financed.
Gjirokastër, South Albania
Supplementary
lessons for orphans
Those children
who are not
able to fulfil the
required expectations at school
take private lessons, provided
their
parents
have the necessary money to pay for them. This, of
course, is not so easy for orphans. Those
who were given supplementary lessons
soon caught up with their school mates.
“The junior project is more than just a
hobby”, says Simone Steckholzer, a 23
year old medical student. “It is a passion.”
Simone was a member of the junior team
in 2006/07. She says: “With IPA there is no
question where the money goes – into the
projects.”
Every year in early summer a new junior
team is formed which consists of eight or
nine high school students from Zurich.
Most teams realise two projects in their
free time and, of course, unpaid. A trip to
Albania gives them the opportunity to
broaden their horizons and is usually the
highlight of their involvement with IPA.
There they stay with host families. Getting
into close contact with Albanian people
and their culture is one of the most important learning processes in the course of
the project year. The trip to Albania also
gives the juniors, under the guidance of
Nicole Delavy, the possibility to accompany the whole project from beginning to
end. Once the team has been formed in
early summer, its members take specific
training courses which prepare them for
their task.
The team members have the possibility to
choose the project they want to realise
from a number of options. What are the
criteria for this choice, in what way can it
be expected to have a long-term effect,
and how can it best be realised?
How young adults commit
themselves to IPA
IPA juniors
An impressive performance
During the last ten years ten different
junior teams have realised sixteen different projects, and in doing so broadened their horizons.
Because the roads in the countryside and in the mountains of Albania are in bad condition, long walks to the
project sites are necessary.
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Hard work for the juniors in Albania
Once they
have
arrived in Albania they
have
to
work hard.
First of all,
different
p l a c e s
have to be
inspected
The junior team 2010/11
where projects in the educational and medical fields
could be realised. Problems of the local
population are discussed and possibilities
for solutions evaluated. Facts are registered and photos taken. Further steps in
the project work are: getting into contact
with the local partners; working out a
budget; giving a detailed description of the
project; raising the money needed, and
finally, completing the project. The performance and the stamina of the juniors
are impressive. Thanks to their commitment, school buildings in Albania have
been renovated and first aid stations properly equipped again.
The interview
“A chance to get something
done”
Leonie Gossner, how did you get involved
with IPA?
In our school in Zurich-Wiedikon the IPA
junior project was presented to all fourthyear students (year 10). This gave me the
idea to join the team. After a talk with
Nicole Delavy, the leader of the team, I
was accepted.
The junior team 2010/11 has decided to
renovate a school and a first aid station.
You had the opportunity to travel to Albania during the spring holiday. What were
your impressions?
I entered a different world. It was extremely interesting. What impressed me
most was the hospitality of the Albanian
people. I stayed with two host families who
both welcomed me like their own daughter. I also enjoyed meeting nurses and
teachers, those people who still need help
or who have already had the luck to benefit from IPA.
How did the poverty in the country strike
you?
I had seen a lot of photographs of Albania
before, so I knew what I had to expect.
What shocked me nevertheless was the
big number of dilapidated houses, not only
in villages, but also in towns. This reminded me of the misery in developing
countries, but Albania is in Europe, a mere
two hour flight away from Switzerland.
What does your commitment to IPA mean
for you?
It is a chance to get something done. As a
young person it isn’t so easy to do something on your own. Thanks to IPA, now I
can.
Can you imagine doing development work
after your time with IPA?
Absolutely, but not as a full-time job. I
don’t know yet what I will do after my final
exams. I’m playing with the idea of becoming a teacher.
Leonie Gossner is a
member of the junior
team 2010/11. In
connection with this
year’s junior project
(the renovation of a
primary school and a
first aid station in
Raps, South Albania)
the seventeen-yearold college student from Zurich visited
Albania last spring.
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School classes and environmental work
Cooperation with school classes
“The best thing I have done during my whole time at school”
IPA invites school classes to realise
projects in Cameroon and in Albania –
with big success. The students have a
thrilling experience and classes become teams.
project, always supported by an IPA expert.
In this way lessons become reality: the project suggestion of the local partner has to
be translated from French into German;
costs estimated by the workmen have to be
summed up in a correct budget; and without a good team spirit a benefit concert
can’t be organised. Lots of questions must
be answered, too. What’s the best way to
inform potential sponsors? How can you
design a vivid description of the project,
and how can you present it effectively to an
audience?
Decisions must be made and tasks must be
fulfilled. Ideally, each student contributes
their strengths and more and more they
feel that they are a team, not simply a
school class.
The joy and pride of having achieved
something lasts for a long time
Why do people in other countries have
such hard lives? What can I do to change
this? A large number of young people in
Switzerland ask such questions, but can’t
find any answers. At the same time, politicians who have a special interest in education point out the importance of school lessons which train interdisciplinary skills
which have practical uses.
IPA cares for the worries of young people
and connects them with the principles of
modern teaching. This is possible because
IPA members of staff are not only people
involved in development work, but are also
active teachers. The result is called cooperation with school classes. Starting from
the third year of secondary school, Swiss
school classes have the opportunity to
plan and realise a project together with
IPA.
The students choose their own project and
act as project managers. They not only do
the work, but also take responsibility for the
Experience shows that the cooperation
with school classes often exceeds all initial
expectations. Fund-raising campaigns, for
example, often bring in between CHF
20,000 and 70,000 so that the students’
chosen project can be financed and realised.
From this, wells have been made, tons of
rice have been produced, and schools
have been renovated. The students realise
that their classroom work has impact in the
real world.
The joy and pride of having achieved
something lasts for a long time because
after the completion of the project IPA visits the classes again and informs them in
detail about it. Now they know that their
hard work has led to a good result and that
their money has arrived at the right place.
“The IPA project was the best thing we
have done during our whole time at
school”, several students of a high school
in Zurich-Oerlikon said when they heard
about the success of a rice-cultivation project they had been working on for a whole
term.
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Environmental work in Switzerland
Working for IPA – stories of
joy and frustration
From the alp to Cameroon
Students help Swiss mountain villages,
generating money to finance projects
abroad.
▪ Albanian hospitality
Hospitality is
one of the nicest traditions
in Albania. A
group of nine
people, for example,
who
simply want to
Tomasini, managing directake a short Pietro
tor of IPA, is enjoying a generous
break in their meal
journey, might
be invited to the nearest house – for a
meal! When IPA went to inspect the installation of a honey production that was made
possible with a small loan, a sheep was
slaughtered for the visitors. Apart from cucumber nothing else was served, so we
really can’t say that we didn’t eat enough
meat that day.
▪ Marching across the “pampa” in North
Cameroon
It’s not only people in developing countries who need help, sometimes mountain
villages and alpine co-operatives in Switzerland can hardly cope with all the work
that should be done. The foundation
“Umwelteinsatz Schweiz” offers them help
by giving young Swiss adults the opportunity to do environmental work in the
mountain areas. IPA frequently accepts
such offers and combines them with projects abroad.
The young Swiss do voluntary work on a
moor or an alp for a week and at the same
time they are engaged in an IPA project.
They see their work as a chance to raise
money among their friends and relatives
for a project in Albania or Cameroon
which they have chosen themselves.
Everybody benefits: the alpine
operative as well as people abroad.
co-
The savannah
of North Cameroon, where IPA
is
active,
is
sometimes
flooded
for
months after the
heavy rainfall in
summer
and
then the villages
can only be
reached on foot.
Managing director Nicole Dela- So off we go…
vy: Close your eyes and carry
but soon we
on!
have to take off
our trainers and roll up our trouser legs. In
the evening we see the result: the skin on
our lower legs has been cut by the blades
of the grass and our toenails are black with
dirt. Back in Switzerland we must have our
blood checked for bilharziosis – luckily so
far always with a negative result.
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▪ Honorary citizen of the village of Dajç
▪ Cancellation of a project
In Albania the heads of village councils
often express their satisfaction with our
cooperation by awarding us honorary titles.
We have, for example, become “Honorary
Friends” of the region of Komsi or the community of Ungrej. The head of Dajç even
pronounced us honorary citizens of his village. The IPA management now has the
right to settle in Dajç after their retirement.
If IPA can continue realising so many infrastructure projects, this might be worth considering…
When we arrived in Sara Sara at 11
o’clock one morning to break the good
news that the new school building could be
financed and erected, the school was deserted. The reason, we were told, was that
this was the day when the village pond
was fished dry. But the children’s help was
not needed for that. So we immediately
called the project off. The news spread like
wildfire and the locals clearly got the message: we also expect absolute commitment to a project on their part too.
▪ Surrounded by all kinds of creatures
▪
When you spend a night
in a small village in North
Cameroon it is not always possible to put up
a mosquito net and then
nights can get extremely
long. Mosquitoes torture
you incessantly. And
think twice about going to the toilet! Spiders and cockroaches populate the walls
of the stinking latrines and in the corners
toads are lurking. Back in your sleeping
bag you may be bitten by a mouse and the
clatter of a marabou’s big beak on a
nearby tree drives you half-crazy.
“Thoroughly rested” you go back to your
project work in the morning.
▪ Live ducks and chickens as presents
The gratitude of those
who benefit from a project in Cameroon is
overwhelming. We are
showered with hibiscus
blossoms, pottery, millet, fans made of raffia
or even carpets. Several times we were
given a live duck before we moved on to
the next village. It usually sits, afraid and
Hofer: What to do
protesting loudly, in the Denis
with a live chicken?
boot of the jeep, making a mess. On one of the following days
we can unexpectedly enjoy a surprisingly
appetising lunch.
The old banger, or, saving money in
the wrong place
In 2002 we wanted to
do a particularly good
job: instead of hiring a
car in Switzerland,
which would have cost
a fair bit of money, we
decided to privately
borrow an Albanian’s
car. “It is in perfect
condition”, he had told
us. In fact it had
300,000 kilometres on
Portmann: No
the clock, the brakes Daniel
chance of getting
and the clutch were through. I’d better
on their last legs, the park the old banger
and walk…
headlights didn’t work,
there were no seat
belts, and the backs of the seats were broken. Only the metal frames were left to
lean back against. The positive thing about
that car was that we always had to finish
work before it got dark.
▪ Highlights: awards and prizes
Two awards which members of staff received in Switzerland mark the highlights
in our work. In 2005 it was the Profax prize
and in 2007 the label “Swiss Charity of the
Year”. In both cases the involvement of
Swiss students in our projects was honoured. The two prizes not only brought in a
decent sum of money, but they were excellent publicity for our organisation too.
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What our donors say
“The promotion of educational programmes and professional training has top
priority for us because we hope that they
will enable young people to make a good
start to a successful life. IPA is the ideal
charity organisation to achieve this aim.”
Dr. Kaspar Vitus Cassani, private donor
“In my opinion the work performance during the renovation of the
school was remarkable.”
Daniel Züst, head of the SDC
cooperation office in Tirana
“It was an exciting experience to have a
glimpse behind the scenes of such an organisation. It would be marvellous if all
charities worked as seriously as you do.
I’m really impressed. We will certainly continue supporting you.”
Gabriela Rutz, member of the board of
the Aline Andrea Rutz Foundation, after
a trip with IPA across Albania
“Again and again you are praised
for your vivid reports, your exact
budgets and final statements, and
above all for your great commitment.”
Angela Bruderer, chairwoman of the
board of the Fons Margarita Foundation
“It is simply amazing to see how much voluntary work is done, mainly by the IPA
management.”
Ulrich Hochuli, former president of Lions Switzerland-Liechtenstein
“You are really reliable and credible. Working together with you is a
pleasure indeed!”
Ursula Looser-Stingelin, Foundation H. Looser
well as in Switzerland. Many congratulations!”
Manfred Ferrari, journalist
in a few words
• Swiss organisation for development co-
operation with a branch in Beaconsfield,
UK. Bulletin of ZEWO and supported by
DEZA (Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation)
• Founded in 1994, since 2001 known and
active under the name IPA (International
Project Aid)
• Engaged in transitioning and developing
countries with focus on learning and education
• IPA offers help for self-help, e.g. through
projects in the fields of food production and
water supply as well as the issuance of
micro credits
• The aspect of the IPA brand is the integration of youth in the implementation of
projects. Swiss students thus get the opportunity to gain formative experiences
• School classes and junior-teams define,
plan and execute their projects independently but are supervised by experienced
IPA staff
• All projects are inspected by IPA on location and, following completion, are controlled once more
• IPA has received the Profax prize in
2005, and in 2007 was named “Swiss
Charity of the Year” by Man Investments
Would you like to support IPA?
As a member? Or a donor? Call us, we
would like to tell you more:
01494 67 48 30 or by email:
dianawallacedtw@aol.com.
“… and as always the project was carefully
planned, carried out, completed, and documented.”
Sonja Stucki, private donor
Bank details for donations:
Barclays Bank Plc
Beaconsfield
Sort Code 20-02-06
Account no. 00391522
“The fact that IPA still helps Albania although it is no longer in the headlines has
a great social significance – in Albania as
Would you like to donate online or by
credit card? Go to:
www.ipa-project-aid.org
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