ROKPA_Annual Report_2021_EN

No. 2 / June 2022 / Volume 42
Annual Report 2021

GREETINGS FROM LEA WYLER
Editorial
Dear ROKPA Friends
Last year, we launched two wonderful new projects. Both grew
out of the pandemic-related emergency in Nepal. Both have
shown that our help is needed beyond the pandemic and have
been expanded into long-term ROKPA projects.
Since last summer, the Mobile Clinic has been traveling to the
most remote villages in Nepal, bringing medical care where there
is none. Many of our patients suffer from diabetes, asthma or
blood pressure problems and do not know how to treat these
complaints. ROKPA’s Mobile Clinic provides care free of charge
and improves the quality of life by educating people about
nutrition and hygiene to prevent disease.
The Start-Up Project, in turn, was a response to the many
families in Kathmandu who have had to beg all their lives or
who lost their small but regular income due to the pandemic
measures. Each month, up to 20 people – mostly women –
receive seed capital to start their own small businesses. With
their sales cart financed by ROKPA and coaching from our
team, the beneficiaries will be able to provide for their families
independently in the future. The concept is a success and is
now applied in all our project countries to help more people who
urgently need our assistance.
Turn to the next page to find out how the Start-Up Project has
fundamentally changed the lives of Suntali, Naomi, Ruvimbo
and Tarisai.
I thank you for your loyal support.
Yours,
Lea Wyler
Co-Founder and President of ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
CONTENT
GREETINGS FROM LEA WYLER 2
A LOOK BACK – This was our 2021 3
A LOOK BACK – 2021 Achievements & Impact 4
NEWS – We invite you to the ROKPA Apéro 5
ROKPA IN FIGURES 6 – 7
BACKCOVER – A heart for the homeless 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
Patronage members
Thomas Bär / Christine Egerszegi / Josef Estermann /
Marc Forster / Trix Heberlein / Philipp Keel / Cyril Koller /
Charles Lewinsky / Ellen Ringier / Roger Schawinski /
Emil Steinberger / Niccel Steinberger / Franz Steinegger /
Sandra Studer / Andreas Vollenweider / Christian Wenger
Zurich Headquarters team
Melanie Ewing (General Manager & Finance) /
Daniela Fadel (Administration) /
Katrin Faerber (Communication & Marketing) /
Dikey Ghung (Donor Relations & Projects) /
Kan Kouame (IT Support) / Corinna Biasiutti (Senior Consultant)
ROKPA online
www.rokpa.org
www.facebook.com/ROKPA.org
www.instagram.com/rokpa_international
Photo: © ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
Imprint
Editorial team: Katrin Faerber / Dikey Ghung / Lea Wyler / Melanie Ewing
English translation: Kaja Kurczewska
Copy editing: Claire Twigger
Graphic design: Renée Reust / Manuel Bassi
Cover picture: © Tal Siano
Print run: 6,550 copies (German edition)
The names of the beneficiaries have been changed by the editorial team.
Printed on recycled paper manufactured in accordance
with the rules of “The Blue Angel” eco-label.

A LOOK BACK
This was our 2021
Suntali came to the ROKPA Soup Kitchen in Kathmandu because she was looking for help
and a hot meal for her two children. During the lockdown, Suntali and her husband both
lost their jobs. The family of four was left with nothing from one day to the next. Since
Suntali was born with only one hand, she could not find other work and was desperate.
In March 2021, Suntali received funding
from ROKPA for her own food cart. The
Start-Up business went well, and within a
short time she built up a loyal clientele. In
the meantime, she was able to support her
family with her independent income and
even rent a small store. Here she would
like to run a fast-food restaurant in the
future. Suntali continues to use the cart
with which she started her business to sell
vegetables in front of her store. The
Start-Up has changed the lives of Suntali
and her family from the ground up. Her
children can go back to school and Suntali
is proud of having her own income.
Photos: © Tal Siano, ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
In Zimbabwe, Naomi, Ruvimbo and
Tarisai started a small sewing studio
with ROKPA’s support. The three
women sew school uniforms, dresses
and various accessories. During the
pandemic, they made cloth masks and
sold them in their neighborhood. Naomi
and Ruvimbo are both widowed and
have to take care of their families alone.
Tarisai has a disabled daughter who
attends ROKPA’s Day Care Center in
Chitungwiza. The women are happy
that they can earn their income
independently with the sewing studio
and thereby feed their families.
3

A LOOK BACK
2021 Achievements & Impact
10,360
Food packages distributed
534
Children and teenagers
at school
Providing needy families with basic foodstuffs,
fresh vegetables and fruit.
Support through school fees, school materials and
school uniforms for one school year.
9,015
Medical treatments
39,100
Hot meals for the needy
Free medical care and education provided
by our specialist teams in Nepal.
Regular food distribution for the poorest.
158
Start-Ups financed
Assistance in starting up a business of one’s own,
coaching and support on the way to independence.
321
Trees planted
Reforestation of destroyed agriculture with macadamia and
fruit trees, providing a sustainable source of food and income.
Photos: © Tal Siano, ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
4

NEWS
We invite you to
the ROKPA Apéro
We have been waiting for this moment for
a long time: at last, we can welcome you
to an evening with exciting insights into our
projects, followed by an apéritif.
This event will bring you double joy:
Andreas Vollenweider will accompany the
evening on his harp.
The ROKPA Apéro will take place on
Friday, September 2, 2022 at 6:00pm
at the “Karl der Grosse” Kulturhaus
right next to the Grossmünster church in Zurich.
The event is free of charge and will be held in German.
Your relatives and friends are also welcome!
Register now via events@rokpa.org
or +41 44 262 68 88
Let’s Go to Nepal:
Volunteering in
the ROKPA Soup Kitchen
Our Soup Kitchen in Kathmandu
is open from December to
March. 400 meals are
distributed to street children
and homeless people every
day. We are looking for
volunteers to help with the
preparation of food and the
distribution of meals, prepared to commit themselves to an
assignment of at least 6 consecutive weeks. Are you interested
in a different kind of break? Volunteering in our Soup Kitchen is
a unique experience and offers the opportunity to help others.
All information can be found on our website at:
What you can do / Volunteering and Donations in Kind
Photos: © ROKPA INTERNATIONAL, Christoph Däppen
30 years of ROKPA Euskadi
ROKPA Euskadi celebrates 30 years of fundraising
for ROKPA projects in Tibet and Nepal.
ROKPA Euskadi has been providing long-term
support for a project to grow medicinal herbs in
Tibet and for a kindergarten in northern Nepal.
ROKPA Euskadi also responded to the
emergency appeals after the earthquake in
Tibet and Nepal and to the serious Covid
emergency situation in Nepal, and brought
urgently needed help to those affected
through regional appeals for donations.
Alistair and Nerea took over ROKPA’s representation in Euskadi in 2010. ROKPA’s
vision and the sustainability of its projects motivated them to take on the volunteer
work. Besides their professional activities, they regularly send newsletters and
organize fundraising events.
Whenever they reach their limits, they remember Akong Rinpoche’s quote,
“Only the impossible is worth doing”. The pair do what is possible, “And one day
we may even be able to do the impossible!”
Emergency aid
for refugees
from Ukraine
When more than two million Ukrainians
fled across the Polish border within a few
weeks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, our
colleagues from ROKPA Poland knew they
had to act. For the first time in ROKPA’s
history, a ROKPA Representative initiated
an emergency relief project in its own
country. ROKPA Poland assesses the
needs of refugees on the ground and helps
where help is needed most. In collaboration
with existing local organizations,
ROKPA Poland helps women and children
with food and medical care. We thank you
from the bottom of our hearts, dear
donors, for your quick and generous
support.
5

ROKPA IN FIGURES
ROKPA in figures
Project expenditure by focus
In 2020, the trajectory of the global pandemic was different
across all ROKPA project countries. We continued to adapt
our project activities to the changing local situations and
remained focused on our mission to help where help is needed.
The need for emergency relief continued in this second
year of the pandemic, accounting for 14% of total project
expenditure (2020: 13%). As expected, the need for support
with Food/Living Costs and Medical Care was also high, allowing
new, longer-term medical projects to be developed. These two
areas made up 39% of total project expenditure.
Project-related costs include costs that are spread across several
projects and were slightly lower than in 2020.
Education is and remains the most important way out of
poverty and therefore once again accounted for almost nearly
a third of total project expenditure in 2021. At the beginning
of the year, ROKPA established Start-Up Projects to help
impoverished people build an independent future (more details
on page 3).
Total project expenditure (100 %): CHF 1,192,413
Previous year: CHF 1,154,478
Number of projects: 45 / Previous year: 43
31 % Education
22 % Food/Living Costs
17 % Medical Care
14 % Emergency aid projects
14 % Project-related costs
2 % Other
Project expenditure by country
In 2021, Nepal and Zimbabwe accounted for three-quarters of
project expenditure (2020: 71%). There was huge demand at
the Drop-In Centers in Zimbabwe. A total of 6,012 people with
various medical needs were helped in the year. Food distributions
in Zimbabwe and South Africa increased by around 10% compared
to the previous year. In addition to emergency relief in these
countries, ROKPA also focused on establishing sustainable project
activities. In Nepal, new initiatives like the Start-up Project and
the Mobile Clinic were launched, alongside the ongoing projects.
Nepal therefore accounted for a larger share of project expenditure
in 2021: 4% higher than in the previous year.
Total project expenditure (100 %): CHF 1,192,413
Previous year: CHF 1,154,478
Number of projects: 45 / Previous year: 43
41 % Nepal
34 % Zimbabwe
11 % South Africa
10 % India
4 % Tibetan Areas of China
6

Source of funds
Individual donors and foundations continue to be the main
sources of funds for ROKPA projects, accounting for 85% of
donations. Donations in 2021 increased compared to the
previous year. 52% of total donations were from individual
donors, up from 42% in 2020, reflecting the positive response
to emergency appeals for people suffering from the effects of
the pandemic, as well as two bequests.
Total donations and sales income (100 %): CHF 1,813,461
Previous year: CHF 1,496,909
Number of donors: 1,821 / Previous year: 1,809
52 % Individual donors
33 % Foundations
10 % Worldwide network
3 % Companies
1 % Public sector
1 % Church communities
Use of funds
Total project and operational expenses amounted to
CHF 1,512,015 in 2021 (2020: CHF 1,479,454). As
mentioned above, projects were expanded and/or adapted
to meet people’s changing needs. In 2021, 79% of funds
were channeled into projects (2020: 78%).
ROKPA always strives to keep fundraising and administrative
costs as low as possible.
Voluntary work
It is only thanks to the commitment of our many volunteers that
our projects can be implemented efficiently.
Volunteers at the Headquarters
Hours
7,024
Persons
26
For example: the volunteers who support fundraising and donor
relations activities at our Zurich Headquarters represent the
equivalent of 0.5 full-time positions. The total volunteer effort
in 2021 was equivalent to 4.5 full-time positions. The work of
the permanent team at the Zurich Headquarters was equivalent
to 3.5 full-time positions. The volunteer commitment corresponds
to an equivalent of CHF 380,632 (calculated at an hourly rate
of CHF 40).
Honorary work by the Executive Board
Unpaid overtime by employees
Total voluntary work
2,219
273
9,516
6
6
38
Volunteers
Andrea Widmer / Annemari Korhonen / Bea Schmutz /
Carina Waser / Claire Twigger / Dikey Ghung / Elisabeth Weiss /
Eric Willimann / Georgios Mazarakis / Henriette Levy /
Kaja Kurczewska / Kan Désiré Kouame / Käthi Ruckstuhl /
Liane Brand / Manuel Bassi / Marco Cerri / Margrit Stahel /
Margrit Unholz / Marlis Lüscher / Michael Krieger / Rita Schöpfer /
Rita Straub / Sandra Hopfensitz / Staša Lampret /
Teresa Weidmann / Tereza Konate / Tommi Schmutz
7

ROKPA for
Helping where
help is needed.
Sustainable,
over 40 years.
A heart for the homeless –
A new ROKPA project
Before Charlotte leaves the house in the morning, she packs
food packages with homemade sandwiches, fruit and drinks.
On her way through the suburbs of Cape Town, she sees
starving homeless people every day, begging at traffic lights or
searching rubbish bins for food. The sight breaks Charlotte’s
heart. That’s why she has decided to always carry small food
parcels with her on the road. She distributes these directly from
her car or hides them by the rubbish bins, which are searched
for leftovers. In winter, Charlotte also distributes socks, blankets
and vouchers for the emergency shelter.
Photo: © ROKPA INTERNATIONAL
The homeless are very shy and scared. Often they have come to
Cape Town from one of the neighboring countries in the hope of
a better life. Cape Town sees huge immigration and unfortunately
many of the migrants end up on the streets, sometimes with their
whole families. Charlotte’s food parcels help against the everpresent
hunger and the people are grateful for the kindness shown
to them. The joy on the beneficiaries’ faces motivates Charlotte to
keep going every day.
How you can support the ROKPA projects in Nepal, South Africa and Zimbabwe
Credit Suisse (Switzerland) AG:
IBAN: CH73 0483 5045 5090 1100 1
BIC/SWIFT: CRESCHZZ80A
Postkonto:
80-19029-5
IBAN: CH54 0900 0000 8001 9029 5
Donate online at www.rokpa.org
Donation reference
Medical Care:
No. 8150
Food/Living Costs:
No. 8750
Urgent ROKPA projects:
No. 8000
Many thanks for your generous help!
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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