ROKPA Times November 2020 EN

ROKPA TIMES
Health
No. 3 / November 2020 / Volume 40

Editorial
Dear ROKPA friends,
Are you well?
What do we exactly mean by that question? Is being “well” being
free from illness, having enough funds in our bank account or
getting out of bed on the right side, for example? According to
the World Health Organization, health is "a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity".
When we talk about health in developing and emerging countries,
we first think of physical health issues such as malnutrition,
HIV or malaria. Mental and social well-being is often
forgotten. Yet the people we help in Nepal, South Africa and
Zimbabwe are exposed to enormous psychological stress: they
grow up in difficult family situations, experience violence and
financial hardship, suffer an impairment, are discriminated
against, rejected or persecuted. On top of all this comes the
COVID-19 pandemic, which causes the already shaky framework
of life to fall apart completely.
The extent to which physical and mental health are interlinked
and influence each other is shown by the story of Hemraj and by
the two destinies related in this issue of the ROKPA Times: one
is the case of Libulele, a seven-year-old deaf boy who lives with
11 family members under one roof in a township in Cape Town.
The other is Mwika, a young woman who fled with her family
from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Zimbabwe, was
diagnosed with breast cancer, suffered a rollercoaster of emotions
and finally lost her fight.
We can help together – both you and us! Not only with a
donation, but also by supporting each other, listening to each
other and taking time for each other. Despite and because of
everything that concerns us at present, I wish you from my heart
a wonderful Christmas season and all the best and much love for
the coming year.
Stay healthy and thank you for continuing to support our work –
we need you more than ever!
CONTENTS
Editorial 2
ZIMBABWE – Hope and determination: Mwika 3
NEPAL – Helping where help is needed: Hemraj 4 – 5
SOUTH AFRICA – Hearing with the heart: Libulele 6
ROKPA INTERNATIONAL – A new chapter begins 7
BACK COVER 8
ROKPA INTERNATIONAL Executive Board
Lea Wyler (Co-Founder and President) /
Peter Fanconi (Vice President) / Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche /
Dorje Tarap / Gelong Thubten / Andreas Vollenweider
Imprint
Editorial team: Andrea Hefti / Evelyne Plüss / Lea Wyler
Translation: Kaja Kurczewska
Copy editing: Claire Twigger
Graphic design: Renée Reust / Staša Lampret
Cover picture: © Luke Younge
Print run: 7,100 copies (German edition)
Yours,
Lea Wyler
Co-Founder and President of ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
Photo: © Tal Siano
Printed on recycled paper manufactured in accordance
with the rules of “The Blue Angel” eco-label.

zIMBABWE
Hope and
determination: Mwika
Mwika (26) and her husband Gideon flee the Democratic Republic of Congo for
Zimbabwe. On arrival, they and their two young sons, Gloire (3) and Aristote (5),
are housed in a refugee camp in the east of the country. Escape from their homeland
is not the only fate awaiting the family: when a painful blister develops on
Mwika's chest, their lives are changed forever.
The young woman is examined in several hospitals, but none of the doctors can make
an exact diagnosis or recommend treatment options. After a first biopsy, a second one
is necessary, but the family cannot afford it.
Loss of health and security
Through Samye Dzong Harare (meditation center founded by Akong Rinpoche),
Gideon contacts ROKPA's Zimbabwean branch, which pays for the cost of the second
biopsy and refers Mwika to a cancer specialist. The cancer specialist considers her
condition to be urgent. The doctor also notes that Mwika is pregnant. This is another
challenge on top of the already difficult general situation.
Mwika is included in a cancer study by a Zimbabwean university. As a result, she is
at least regularly examined and part of the treatment costs are also covered. ROKPA
covers the remaining costs for chemotherapy and scans.
Mwika (pictured back in a light blue On August 19, around two weeks
dress) and her husband Gideon with the after the death of her mother, little
baby and their two sons Gloire and Lhamo takes her first steps.
Aristote.
The end is a beginning
Mwika's condition deteriorates: she is
dehydrated, can hardly eat anything and
therefore has to stay in hospital for
several weeks. There she gives birth to a
healthy girl named Lhamo, Tibetan for
goddess. ROKPA provides baby food as
she is not allowed to breastfeed her
baby because of the chemotherapy. Mwika
is worried: “What will happen to my
children if I am no longer alive?” But she
knows one thing: “Without Buddhism
and ROKPA I would have died already. I
pray daily for all those who contribute to
helping the poorest”. And Gideon adds,
“We are so grateful. You have given us
hope.”
Unfortunately, medical support is not
always enough to get well again. While
ROKPA is trying to organize a place for
her in a nearby hospice, Mwika loses her
fight against cancer on July 30, 2020.
ROKPA continues to support the family
and ensures that the children can attend
school and stay healthy despite all they
have gone through.
Thank you for your continued support!
Donate now
for Medical Care
Photo: © ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
Payment reference: No. 8150
Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG
IBAN:
CH73 0483 5045 5090 1100 1
BIC/SWIFT: CRESCHZZ80A
Postkonto: 80-19029-5
IBAN:
CH54 0900 0000 8001 9029 5
3

NEPAL
Helping where help is needed:
Hemraj
Hemraj as a little boy with his mother.
I am Hemraj. When I was little, my
mother carried heavy baskets of stones
to various construction sites. She had to
work for us both to survive because my
father died prematurely. She carried me
as a baby in a cloth wrapped to her
chest, with the heavy basket on her
back. So I was always with her. She had
asthma and was afraid she would not
live long. What would become of me
then?
Mummy Lea heard about her fear, her
burden and our hunger, and took me in
with ROKPA when I was three years old. I
was so lucky! I became part of the ever
growing ROKPA family. Akong Rinpoche
and Mummy gave me love and support.
Through ROKPA I was able to complete a
Master’s degree in Business Administration
and become a manager in the ROKPA
Guest House. I became part of a large
family, and received love and support for
myself and for my mother's ongoing
medical problems. Thanks to you, dear
donors, my life became good and meaningful.
From the health crisis to the
economic crisis
After my childhood and youth spent in the
Children's Home and the first years of
working in the Guest House, I ventured
into independence with my café "Chocolate
Wheels" (like Mummy, I love chocolate!).
The business is up and running and
my wife is also working. But now the
pandemic is here and the situation in
Nepal is devastating. Because of the
lockdown, more and more people are
losing their jobs. Many have no savings
and can no longer afford food, rent,
clothing and medicine. Besides people’s
physical needs, which can no longer be
provided for, psychological problems are
accumulating. Our country lacks any
strategy for dealing with the pandemic.
People do not know whether they will
have anything to eat the next day. On top
of this is the fear of contracting the virus.
The already high suicide rate in Nepal
continues to rise.
I want to do something!
My friends have also lost their jobs and
want to get involved. Like some of them,
before the pandemic I was obsessed with
the idea that I didn’t earn enough, didn’t
have enough, didn’t experience enough.
The lockdown period shook my innermost
being and I finally understood how rich I
was, that I had enough and that the time
had come to change my life. The moment
had come to give back some of what I
had received more than enough of at
ROKPA.
And so I started an emergency aid
project, initially supported by people from
abroad whom I met in the Children's
Home and Guest House and who have
Photo: © ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
4

Hunger is now all the greater.
"Now I have finally found my calling."
Hemraj Dangal
Photos: © Hemraj Dangal
since become my friends. Every day our
volunteers here distribute food to hungry
people in different places in Kathmandu,
and this with the help of my mother,
who used to go hungry and was a
beggar herself. She shows us where the
poorest people often sleep in the
winding alleys, where families have lost
hope and are hungry. She knows what
hunger and hardship are. And she feels
the need to give something back,
because she too is alive thanks to the
help of others. And so the cycle closes:
the hardship of one indirectly leads to
the survival of another!
The project
People who have been particularly hard
hit receive parcels of rice, lentils and
other staple foods. Beneficiaries include
homeless people, single parents,
workers, the unemployed and those with
disabilities. I am entrepreneurial,
communicative and well connected in
the area. I have been able to arrange
with some grocery shops that the goods
are packed directly in the shop and for
those in need to pick up the goods
directly from there.
This means there is no need for storage
space. To protect the volunteers, we
have taken out COVID-19 insurance for
them. In the event of infection, 100,000
rupees are paid out, which is around
CHF 1,000. This sum can save their
lives.
I received the “ROKPA seal of approval”!
My project recently became part of the
ROKPA Emergency Food Program. We
are now making common cause. And
here, too, we have come full circle: I, the
former ROKPA child and aid recipient
Hemraj, have become a project assistant
who helps where help is really needed.
Thank you for supporting many people
today, just as you supported my mother
and I back then. All of them have
become important multipliers for
ROKPA.
I am proud to be part of the ROKPA
team and to be able to feed people.
With your help I can change someone
else's life in these difficult times. Every
Swiss franc counts!
Hemraj Dangal
People with disabilities
particularly suffer in a crisis.
Donate now
to the ROKPA food program
Payment reference: No. 8750
Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG
IBAN:
CH73 0483 5045 5090 1100 1
BIC/SWIFT: CRESCHZZ80A
Postkonto: 80-19029-5
IBAN:
CH54 0900 0000 8001 9029 5
5

SOUTH AFRICA
Hearing with the heart: Libulele
Libulele Simani is seven years old and deaf since birth. He
lives with his family in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, one of the
largest slums in the world. Being deaf is not his only misfortune:
his grandmother and uncle, who have been feeding the
family up to now, have been unemployed since the lockdown.
The nationwide curfew has pulled the rug out from under the
feet of the family of 12 – but especially of Libulele.
South Africa has fallen into a deep crisis. Not only because of
the health consequences of the coronavirus, but also because of
its economic ones. Libulele's grandmother worked as a home
help, her uncle was a performance artist. Both have lost their
jobs.
The beginning of an education crisis
Since schools were closed at the end of March, all children have
had to stay at home for the foreseeable future. Libulele is no
exception. He is increasingly losing his connection to school, as
he lacks paper and school supplies. He doesn't want to play
outside as children of the same age bully him because of his
deafness. In addition, the 12 family members live together in a
very confined space. The tensions between them are growing.
Libulele often feels sad and hopeless.
The “Izandla Zobomi” project (Hands for Life)
Together with UNIMA SA, the South African Association of
Puppetry, ROKPA, and therefore YOU, are helping around 100
families who have been plunged into crisis because of COVID-19.
The Simani family is one of them. First and foremost, physical
well-being was taken care of and food was distributed. Libulele's
uncle says: "When Libulele saw the food packages, he was
overwhelmed. He could not believe that people were coming to
help."
Libulele is happy. Not only can he study again, he can now also
draw and do crafts.
Food for the body and the soul
Children need something to do, but many families cannot afford
pens and notebooks. Therefore, in addition to food, learning and
craft materials were distributed as well as craft ideas for the
whole family.
Handicrafts help develop children’s fine motor skills, while joint
activities in turn strengthen cohesion in the family. Violence can
thus be reduced. This project also strengthens the sense of
community within the township: the approximately 100 families
work together to make dolls and wooden figures which are sold
locally and internationally.
A food package for a family
contains flour, rice, beans,
vegetables, pasta, powdered
milk, tea, salt, soap,
bandages, detergents and
cleaning products.
Photo: © Luke Younge
6

ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
A new chapter begins
stories. But this also has to do with the
joy of working in a team and making a
difference together. It carries us forward!
…and what are you most looking forward
to now?
Corinna: I can use my time more
freely. There are many little things that I
have wanted to do for a long time and
now I can. But I am also looking forward
to continuing to be part of the ROKPA
team as a senior consultant.
What is your personal contribution to
ROKPA?
Melanie: My nature enables me to
facilitate a common way forward in a
variety of situations: for example, here in
Switzerland there are accounting standards
that are not necessarily the same
in our project countries. It is important to
find the balance between them.
Evelyne: I lived in Kenya for a little
more than four years. This experience
helps me to understand the situation on
site and to reconcile our standards and
the requirements of our benefactors with
the conditions in the project countries.
After all, we all have the same goal: to
help!
Change in management as of
September 1, 2020
After seven years, Corinna Biasiutti
(pictured middle) has resigned as
General Manager. She joined ROKPA as a
volunteer in 2011 and took over the
management in 2013. Melanie Ewing
(Finance, pictured left) and Evelyne Plüss
(Donor Relations & Projects, pictured
right) are already part of the ROKPA
team and have been Co-General Managers
since September 1, 2020.
Corinna, what made you laugh during
your time at ROKPA?
Corinna: Lea's humour! In general,
humour was always present and important
in the team – even if we are sometimes
confronted with very challenging
What does the world urgently need now?
Melanie: Solidarity, empathy and more
balanced prosperity.
Corinna: With the COVID-19 pandemic,
we are witnessing for the first time
something that affects the whole world.
And a gap is already opening up again. In
many countries, people's living conditions
have already become worse, and this will
ultimately threaten our world peace. We
are now all called upon to act together.
Evelyne: And we should not forget: at
some point the situation will improve for
us: after all, we have a stable social
network that absorbs a lot. But it is
crucial that we continue to think of the
people who will feel the consequences
for years to come.
Good luck and here's to a new
chapter at ROKPA!
Photo: © ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
Merry Christmas!
We hope that you can enjoy the winter time despite the current situation.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best and
good health for the coming year.
7

ROKPA for
Helping where
help is needed.
Sustainably,
40 years.
Colorful through the
crisis
On March 24, 2020, all schools in Nepal closed until further notice and the children
have been at home. Now it is even more important that they are kept busy. Being
creative helps the children in the Children's Home to be focused, gain self-confidence
and process thoughts and experiences.
Rupa with her dream garden.
How you can donate
Photos: © ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
Ranjit with his canons.
Sarita's impressions of the current
environmental situation
Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG:
IBAN: CH73 0483 5045 5090 1100 1
BIC/SWIFT: CRESCHZZ80A
Postkonto: 80-19029-5
IBAN: CH54 0900 0000 8001 9029 5
By SMS:
GO ROKPA + amount (up to CHF 99) to
number 488 (E.g. GO ROKPA 30)
You can help in the following ways
For Medical Care
Project No. 8150
• Sponsorship: Support a theme that is particularly close to your heart or gift
a sponsorship.
• Buy a handmade Waldorf doll for your loved ones: www.rokpa.org/walro
• Support us as an IT volunteer – For more information call +41 44 262 68 88
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and
share our posts in your network.
Thank you very much for your generous support!
For Food/Living Costs
Project No. 8750
For Education
Project No. 8100
For Urgent ROKPA Projects
Project No. 8000
In Switzerland all donations to ROKPA are
tax-free.
ROKPA INTERNATIONAL | Böcklinstrasse 27 | 8032 Zurich | Switzerland | Telephone +41 44 262 68 88
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