Annual Report 2022

Annual Report
2022

Contents
Editorial 5
Johannes Blum, President, Mission 21 5
Jochen Kirsch, Director, Mission 21 7
“Thanks to education, we determine our own
futures” – the theme for our 2022 campaign.
International development cooperation 8
International co-workers – serving all over the world 8
People to people: helping each other and staying
together in crisis situations 10
Peru: a race against time 12
South Sudan: taking up challenges, celebrating successes 14
Account for donations
IBAN CH58 0900 0000 4072 6233 2
Indonesia: taking a public stand for peace and tolerance 16
Tanzania: tools for a new life 18
Bolivia: inspiring work for effective prevention 20
ZEWO certification
Mission 21 has been certified
by ZEWO (the Swiss Certification
Service for Organisations of
Public Utility which Receive
Donations) since 2 December 2014
Gender justice 22
Committed to achieving gender justice at multiple levels 22
EduQua label
Mission 21 has held the
EduQua certificate
(the Swiss Quality Label for
Further Education Institutions)
since 6 November 2015
ACT Alliance
Mission 21 has been a
member of ACT Alliance
since 10 October 2018
Cover image: Confident despite the lack
of rain: a girl from the High Andes in Peru.
Photo: Golda Fuentes
Publication details
2022 Annual Report of Mission 21
Published by: Mission 21,
Marketing and Communication Department
Responsible: Johannes Blum, President, Mission 21
Edited by: Christoph Rácz
Photos: Mission 21, or used with permission
(if not specified).
Designed by: bom! communication AG, Basel
Printed by: Gremper AG, Basel
Publication date: July 2023
Girls attending Machaqa Amawta’s course at a school
in El Alto (Bolivia).
Mission 21’s international
programme and project work is
supported by the SDC.
2

International community of learning 24
Mission 21’s Youth Network 24
Enriching encounters – face-to-face and online 26
Continuing dialogue for a partnership on equal terms. 28
Access to sources is key 30
Donations 31
Three examples of churches that take on valuable
commitments: Küttigen, St. Gallen and Zurich 32
Mission 21’s Youth Network together with Church
Council Member Barbara Hirsbrunner (Graubünden)
in Davos at the 2022 Synod.
Photo: Miriam Glass
Annual Financial Statement 34
Balance sheet and operating statement 34
Origin and appropriation of funds 36
Transparency and trust 37
Organisation 38
Organisation chart of Mission 21 38
Governing bodies and committees in 2022 /
Brief portrait of Mission 21 39
Disadvantaged young people train as tailors and
dressmakers in Tanzania.
Photo: Adrienne Sweetman
Rita Famos, President of the Protestant Church
in Switzerland, conveys her message of greetings
to the 2022 Synod.
Photo: Séverine Fischer
3

A spirited exchange: Youth Ambassador Faraja
Bosco of Tanzania and Youth Delegate Salome
Hengartner of Switzerland.
Photo: Miriam Glass
4

Editorial by the President
Other people’s perspectives
make it sound better!
I’ve never forgotten the words spoken to me by an African priest from the Democratic Republic
of the Congo: “The world is like a piano that has white and black keys. If we only play the
white keys, or only the black ones, the music is incomplete. But if we stand together and play
all the keys, Jesus gives His blessing – and it sounds good.”
Johannes Blum
On those occasions when things don’t sound so good, we Europeans are quick to voice our
criticisms – especially when it involves judging others. We, too, practice self-criticism – but
rather more so when it relates to mistakes made by previous generations. We tend to overlook
our own mistakes. To bring these back into focus, it helps to get other people’s perspectives.
The activities we undertake at Mission 21 open up opportunities for us to do this. Thanks to
dialogue among many different cultures, we have shared opportunities to get to know ourselves
– and each other – better.
Once the coronavirus pandemic was over, we were at last able to experience exceptionally
intensive dialogue again during face-to-face discussions at the 2022 Synod. “Live, heal, share
– Together for our world” was the motto for our exploration of human vulnerability in the
Biblical stories, reminding ourselves of how God Himself showed His own vulnerability –
above all, in the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
Help does not mean offering the consolation of future times that will be better in some way,
nor does it mean denying or suppressing a need or an illness. Sincere comforting and solidarity
require the comforter to risk becoming close, to share and communicate their own
vulnerability, and to offer active support. Genuine dialogue also requires us to be humble, to
admit our own weaknesses and thus to abandon any attitude of superiority. The encounters
during the Synod offered plenty of opportunities to learn, and to exchange ideas and experiences
on equal terms.
Mission 21 intends to step up this dialogue following the 2022 Synod. As the Board of
Mission 21, we aim to hold regular online meetings where we devote more attention to the
concerns of our partner churches and organisations. Alongside the opportunities to participate
in Mission 21’s network, it is important to focus on pressing issues in our partner countries
– such as poverty, lack of education, inadequate healthcare, war, and persecution. Very
special attention should also be paid to the concerns of women and young people. This should
make it visible – at every level – that the concerns and needs of people on the ground are
addressed through grass-roots dialogue as part of our day-to-day project work.
In all these ways, we want to maintain the impact of a dialogue that involves many voices
and opens up many perspectives: and by taking this approach, we aim to lay the foundations
for Mission 21 to take effective action on four continents – as we strive for a more just world.
The present Annual Report offers information about this wide-ranging and varied work.
Prof. Dr. med. Johannes Blum
President of Mission 21
5

Relationships with lasting impact:
a delegation from our Nigerian partner
organisations visited Indonesia in 2013.
Photo: Jochen Kirsch
6

Editorial by the Director
Learning with each other and
striking out in new directions
2022 is now behind us: it was a difficult year, not only for us here in Europe, but also – in
particular – for our partner churches and organisations in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The war in Ukraine, conditions imposed due to the coronavirus, and the effects of climate
change that are evident everywhere: these factors created – and still are creating – problems
that are especially acute for people who are already on the margins of society: those who are
neglected by the political and economic establishments.
Jochen Kirsch
Domestic violence – directed against women and children in particular – has increased greatly
throughout the world (including in Switzerland) due to the measures taken to combat
the coronavirus. The high plateau of the Andes is threatened by a famine due to months of
drought resulting from climate change. And in the fragile environments of Nigeria, Cameroon
and South Sudan, existing conflicts are being exacerbated because energy and food prices
have risen sharply on account of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
We, as the worldwide community of Mission 21, are therefore focusing our attention deliberately
on those very people who are otherwise forgotten. We enable their voices to be heard,
and we empower them by creating opportunities for them to develop their lives according
to their own needs.
With this goal in mind, the promotion of educational opportunities for women and girls
in particular was a key focus of our work in the year now ended. So that people in what is
known as the Global South are better able to confront the consequences of climate change,
Mission 21 supports them by providing ongoing training in agroecological farming methods,
promoting afforestation projects, or building energy-saving cooking stoves. And through our
international Youth Ambassadors Programme, we strengthen reciprocal learning, cohesion
and solidarity among young adults both from Switzerland and from various countries in
Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Especially in view of the increasing discord in this world, we are exploiting the enormous and
unique potential available to us as the international community of Mission 21: we learn from
one another at eye level, and we work together to develop new ways of making our shared
lives more sustainable, peaceful, and just – at both local and global levels.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your contributions and for all your support!
Rev. Jochen Kirsch
Director of Mission 21
7

International development cooperation
International co-workers
Serving all over the world
As an international community of more than 70 partner churches and
organisations, we again devoted our united efforts last year to around
100 projects aimed at bringing about a peaceful, just and inclusive
society. Our international co-workers are key links in our worldwide
network. These specialists are sent out at our partners’ request, to
serve (for example) as doctors or teachers in various projects. At local
level, Mission 21 also employs native experts with proven track records;
as Coordinators, they help to ensure that the programme work on
the ground is undertaken in accordance with the principles of good
governance.
Costa Rica
Peru
Bolivia
Chile
“Even as I gain more experience, I want
to keep my mind open, listen, and learn.”
Erik Nijland, Cochabamba, Bolivia
In Latin America as elsewhere, climate change is making it more
challenging for the population to eat a healthy and sustainable diet –
especially in the barren highlands of the Andes. This makes Erik
Nijland’s work all the more important. Erik, who was born in the
Netherlands, is our “Theme Officer Food Sovereignty and Climate
Change” in Latin America. He has been coordinating projects in this
field since March 2021. Erik Nijland made his first visit to Bolivia in
1980, since when he has worked for non-government organisations in
various Latin American countries and also for the European Union
in the development cooperation sector. Eric, a Bolivian national, has
lived with his wife in the city of Cochabamba for the last three years.
Our international co-workers
As at 31 December 2022, a total of 14 international co-workers
were working on behalf of Mission 21 in various partner countries
throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America.
We’d like to introduce you to three of them on this double page.
Jens Marcus Albrecht, Tanzania, Mbozi (until March 2022)
Gabi Baumgartner-Brandner, China, Hong Kong*
Tobias Brandner, China, Hong Kong*
Angel Román Dollinger, Costa Rica, San José
Simone Dollinger, Costa Rica, San José
Daniel Gloor, Malaysia, Sabah
Luzia and Dirk Illiger, Tanzania, Isoko
Yakubu Joseph, Nigeria, Abuja
Meliani Yeni Kurniawati, Asia, Jakarta
Togho Lumumba Mukong, Cameroon, Bafoussam
Erik Nijland, Bolivia, Cochabamba
Adrienne Sweetman, Tanzania, Mbeya
Guliba Florence Hakim, South Sudan, Juba
Emery Munfu Mpwate, Tanzania, Dar es Salaam
(until 31 Dec. 2022)
* Official designation: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of
the People’s Republic of China
8

France
Switzerland
Germany
Austria
South Korea
Palestinian
Territories
Japan
India
Taiwan
Hong Kong
Nigeria
Ghana
Cameroon
South
Sudan
Malaysia
Indonesia
DR Congo
Tanzania
“Thanks to my work as a teacher in a
village, I have learned how important
interfaith peace work is.”
South Africa
Meliani Yeni Kurniawati, Jakarta, Indonesia
In South-East Asia, Mission 21 is active in collaboration with
over a dozen partner churches and organisations. Since January
2022, Meliani E. M. Yeni Kurniawati has been our Asian Regional
Coordinator for projects in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia.
In this role, she can rely on a team of eleven other members who
help to implement the programmes on the ground. As well as
advising and supporting our partners, Meliani Kurniawati develops
collaboration with them. The programmes focus on multiple
impact areas: interfaith peacebuilding, food sovereignty, economic
empowerment, and overcoming gender-based violence.
After graduating from Hartford International University in the
USA, Meliani Kurniawati worked first as a teacher and then,
since 2015, for international NGOs.
“We want to join forces to improve
people’s quality of life.”
Yakubu Joseph, Abuja, Nigeria
Peacebuilding is one of the focal points of Mission 21’s work in
Nigeria. In his role as Coordinator for Mission 21 since October 2015,
Dr. Yakubu Joseph has provided support for our partner organisations,
has been responsible for quality assurance, and has advised
partners in other African countries on peacebuilding, safety and
security. Yakubu Joseph holds a doctorate in geography and was a
research assistant in the Department of Geography at the University
of Tübingen (Germany). He also holds an MA in International Peace
Studies and an MSc in Sociology. In 2023, moreover, his expertise is
playing a key part in the campaign that draws attention to education
on food sovereignty in Nigeria.
Various international
co-workers send out
circular letters twice a
year with information
about their work. We
post these letters on
our website.
9

International development cooperation
People to people:
helping each other and staying
together in crisis situations
First the pandemic, then the war in Ukraine together with droughts, floods and political crises:
life is becoming more fragile for many people in our partner countries. This makes it all the
more impressive to witness the efforts of our partners to empower disadvantaged people – for
each other, and with each other – so they can stand on their own two feet.
In terms of project work, the fact that our partners
have faith-based backgrounds is an opportunity:
they have exceptionally strong roots
in civil society, and most of them work with a
holistic approach to bring about societies that
are peaceful, fair and inclusive – in keeping with
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 of the
UN’s 2030 Agenda. Mission 21 also integrates
work relating to education, health, gender justice
and food sovereignty into its commitment to
SDG 16, so we refer to “SDG 16+” in this context.
Our church partners are present in regions that
lack government structures or where access is
difficult, such as Kwango province in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DR Congo). The
health programme there reached over 80 000
people through twenty health centres operated
by our partner church.
With droughts and over-population on the
increase and food becoming more expensive,
there has been an enormous upsurge in malnutrition
among children. Women from our
partner church have addressed this threat by
starting to provide regular support for one hundred
children suffering from particularly severe
malnutrition – despite the difficulties presented
by transport and communications. As well
as distributing urgently needed food and medications,
they have provided seeds and offered
training courses so the mothers themselves can
grow plants that are rich in nutrients.
“Triple Nexus”: a holistic approach
Last year brought huge challenges for our partners
in north-east and central Nigeria, where
the people were hit by devastating floods. Our
partners had already set up emergency relief
teams which were quickly able to support 27 000
victims of the flooding. These people are also afflicted
by violence and poverty so – to strengthen
their autonomy – they were given opportunities
for interfaith vocational training as well as food
and medicines. This approach opened the way
for them to come to terms with their trauma and
Continuing education is the key to economic empowerment for women
in Indonesia and Malaysia. Photo: Ueli Knecht
regain trust across ethnic or religious divides.
In these contexts, the holistic “Triple Nexus”
approach proves to be effective: thanks to a combination
of humanitarian action, long-term development
cooperation and peacebuilding, the
people affected are able to bring about sustainable
change in their living conditions.
The consequences of climate change are
also evident in the Andean highlands of Peru
and Bolivia, where there was no rainfall. The
Mission 21’s
projects
10

project region near Lake Titicaca remained dry
for ten months. When the rain finally came, it
was too late for the next harvest and hundreds
of the livestock farmers’ animals died of thirst.
Our partners responded quickly and were able
to step up their activities to improve food sovereignty
within a short period. You can read more
about this on the next page.
Persistently opposing violence against women
In South-East Asia, our Christian, Muslim
and interfaith partners sent out a strong message
against gender-based violence. Thanks to
cross-border interfaith collaboration between
Indonesia, Malaysia and Hong Kong, female Indonesian
migrant workers affected by violence
were able to find refuge in women’s homes as
well as legal support, so new prospects were
opened up for them. In East Timor, our partner
church supported around one hundred families
with members who perished as a result of labour
migration.
One ray of hope is the new law on combating
sexual violence that has been passed by the Indonesian
parliament (read more on pages 22-23).
While the consultations on this law continued
for many long years, Mission 21 persistently
drove our advocacy work ahead, together with
our partner organisations and in collaboration
with political bodies and a wide-ranging
network in civil society. To boost the impact
of awareness-raising work in the faith-based
communities, Mission 21’s partners jointly established
an interfaith advocacy platform for
women’s human rights.
Courageous partners take action against
corruption
Our Asian partners also come together to take
action against abuses of power and corruption,
as well as the related illegal destruction of the
environment. Through their networks, they are
able to reach millions of people in Indonesia
alone. The committed involvement of our partner
organisations is all the more remarkable
given that these issues are often sensitive and
subject to taboos in religion-based institutions,
where they can also trigger conflicts. Dr. Laode
Syarif, Executive Director of the Partnership
for Governance Reform in Indonesia, also expresses
his appreciation of these efforts: “As a
former commissioner of the Indonesian Corruption
Eradication Commission, I was highly
impressed by Mission 21’s good governance
This link will take you to the
to the detailed appreciation
of Mission 21 by Dr. Laode
Syarif, Executive Director of
the Partnership for Governance
Reform in Indonesia.
Contributions to projects and
programmes in the global South
Education CHF 2 204 638
Health promotion CHF 467 255
Food sovereignty and
economic empowerment CHF 586 747
Overcoming gender-based violence
CHF 464 011
Peacebuilding CHF 211 154
Emergency relief and reconstruction
(humanitarian action)
CHF 297 000
Parched land – the High Andes in Peru after months of
drought. Photo: Golda Fuentes
We align our work with the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) on the UN’s 2030 Agenda – in particular, SDG 16+:
Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies.
workshop. (...) The organisers and participants
seemed to have a genuine interest in good governance
and environmental protection. Their
sincere and serious approach was evident in the
opinions they expressed during the workshop
about the importance of protecting the environment
and eliminating corrupt practices.”
In Asia, Africa or Latin America: person-to-person
solidarity, for one another and
with each other, is what makes such successes
possible – even in crisis situations. By working
consistently in this spirit of solidarity, we play
our part in attaining the Sustainable Development
Goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda, including
Goal 16+ in particular.
Katharina Gfeller
Head of International Relations
11

International development cooperation
Climate justice worldwide
In their efforts to promote food sovereignty, our partners apply agroecological
methods not only in Latin America but also in Africa and Asia.
In Tanzania, for instance, a tree-planting project is under way in Mbarali
District. Most of the people there are farmers – agriculture is almost the
only economic activity. This project focuses mainly on training women
to plant and grow neem and moringa trees in tree nurseries. These
species withstand heat and dryness, and they also provide the families
with opportunities to earn income. Afforestation should improve the
microclimate, reduce soil erosion and raise the groundwater level. The
long-term goals are to improve nutrition for the population and establish
sustainable approaches to the environment.
Likewise, the project undertaken by our partners in Nigeria provides
further education for the rural population on agroecological methods
and seeds, and measures to promote afforestation are also implemented
– our 2023 campaign focuses on this project (see page 33).
“Asia as part of the Education impact area” is a cooperation programme
that combines various steps to combat the consequences of climate
change with measures for disaster preparedness and prevention. Both
in Indonesia and the Malaysian part of Borneo, floods have increased
in frequency and severity – while deforestation and the advance of
industrialised plantation are leading to even more destruction of the
environment. For a long time now, Mission 21’s partners have been
working with the village communities to adopt a sustainable approach
to natural resources. As a new feature in 2022, various partners were
trained to improve their understanding of the concerns and needs of
people in their regions.
This should provide effective support so these populations will be
better equipped to cope with crises.
Two farmers from the commune of
Picaflor survey the parched soil.
Photo: Golda Fuentes
An impressive film
about the drought in Peru
We carried a detailed
report on this project
work in the March 2023
issue of begegnen, our
magazine for donors.
Peru
A race against time
The rural population in the Andean highlands is being hit particularly hard by
the consequences of climate change. An exceptionally long period of drought last
year made their plight painfully obvious. Together with its partners on the
ground, Mission 21 consistently endeavours to train people on agroecological
methods and provide support for extra water storage tanks and judicious
irrigation techniques.
12

Project contributions for
food sovereignty and economic
empowerment
Total: CHF 586 747
In Africa:
CHF 306 747
The sun blazes down from the sky, the soil is
parched, the fields are already barren and lying
fallow. The consequences of climate change
are clearly visible in the high Andes of Bolivia
and Peru: because no rain fell for months,
nobody was able to sow crops last year. Catastrophic
crop failures are likely in 2023 for
staple foods such as potatoes, quinoa or beans.
The water shortage prompted the government
of Puno region (on the Peruvian side of Lake
Titicaca) to declare a state of emergency at the
end of 2022.
In the village community of Picaflor, the absence
of rain is also making people very worried
about the future. But some of them are
also beginning to gain hope – including Reyna
Huaraya Mamani, a 42-year-old small farmer. Although
she too lost her harvest from the fields,
support from CEDEPAS Centro (Mission 21’s
local Peruvian partner organisation) has enabled
her to build a greenhouse – and she has
also received help to construct a well and a water
storage tank. Last year, this support meant
that she could grow and harvest vegetables using
economical drip irrigation: at an altitude of
well over 4000 meters, she was able to serve her
daughters carrots, beetroot, lettuce, onions, tomatoes
and spinach – and she even managed to
surprise them with a few fruits such as strawberries
and papayas.
Advice and support
“The experts from CEDEPAS Centro really have
trained us well,” Reyna Mamani says. “We’ve
learned how to make compost and natural fertiliser
from kitchen waste and plant residues.
What’s more, they showed us how we can grow
the vegetables organically, so we no longer
need expensive chemical products.” Last year,
CEDEPAS Centro provided advice and support
with the construction of greenhouses for
Reyna Mamani’s family and 31 other families
in the community of Picaflor – so over one hundred
residents were reached.
The experts in our partner organisation
view comprehensive and sustainable training
as a key issue here. The small farmers ought to
concentrate on providing their families with a
healthy diet. They should be able to understand
how agroecological methods have a long-term
impact on soil fertility and the quality of plants,
fruit and vegetables. And they should also
learn to anticipate the consequences of climate
change, and adapt their agricultural practices
so they can still harvest healthy food for their
families from climate-friendly farming.
Network for agroecological farming
As well as CEDEPAS Centro, six other organisations
are active in the Southern Andes together
with Mission 21. Here in the Altiplano region
around Lake Titicaca, their training and support
activities reached almost 3000 people in
2022. They helped villagers to built key infrastructure
such as greenhouses and irrigation
systems.
This urgently needed support is available
both in the La Paz region of Bolivia and in the
Puno and Cusco regions of Peru – because the
problems don’t stop at national borders, and of
course, the same applies to the consequences of
climate change. Lake Titicaca, the largest lake
in the Andes, is also under severe threat of environmental
pollution from both the Peruvian
and Bolivian sides. This makes it all the more
important for Mission 21’s partner organisations
to highlight the importance of protecting
water and regulating the use of this valuable
resource so it is distributed fairly in the event
of water shortages.
Time is pressing
But the goal of ensuring long-term food sovereignty
for the population is challenging – and
climate change is advancing. This is why the
food sovereignty project in the Andean region
is due to be expanded, in collaboration with the
local partner organisations. Even more families
are to be trained on agroecological methods,
and additional funds are needed to build adequate
water storage and economical irrigation
facilities.
Christoph Rácz
Communication Team Leader
In Latin America:
CHF 280 000
0 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60%
13

International development cooperation
South Sudan
Taking up challenges,
celebrating successes
Despite the persistent challenges in South Sudan, the project for the
midwifery school has been a success: 125 midwives have already completed t
heir training and are now serving communities and medical organisations.
And the seventh cohort of students will begin their training in May 2023 –
in Juba, the capital city.
Amid the political, economic and humanitarian
challenges facing South Sudan, the importance
of qualified medical specialists cannot be
underestimated – especially when it comes to
caring for mothers and infants. South Sudan
has one of the world’s highest rates of maternal
and infant mortality: one child in every ten dies
before their fifth birthday, and one out of every
hundred pregnant women dies in the course of
pregnancy and birth.
To play a part in improving the health of
mothers and children, our partner organisation
PRDA established a school for midwives in the
town of Leer in 2005. Although the premises in
Leer were destroyed during the turmoil arising
from the civil war in 2013, it was possible to reopen
the school “in exile” in northern Kenya.
It has also been supported by Mission 21 for
many years. Six cohorts have passed through
the school since it was founded: a total of
125 midwives have completed the three-year
training and are now serving communities at
various locations in South Sudan. At the most
recent graduation ceremony on 3 December
2022, 24 graduates celebrated their important
milestone.
aspiring midwife has to assist at a minimum of
fifty deliveries during their training. This gives
them the ability to help women in a variety of
health situations in their communities. The
midwives can also contribute to the livelihood
of their own families. Given the urgent need for
midwives in South Sudan, many graduates obtain
employment with international organisations.
More training places in Juba
Last year was exceptionally important for the
midwives’ school: with the help of numerous
donations and a major anniversary collection
A video post from
South Sudan depicts
the graduation ceremony
on 3 December
2022 – as graduates
express their gratitude
and self-confidence.
Training is challenging
Nyanagun Tut Kuol is among the midwives who
celebrated their graduation back in 2019. She
recalls that training while the school was based
in Kenya was no easy matter: “After a year, we
had to relocate because of the conflicts – and
from then on, we studied in the Kakuma refugee
camp. That was also a tough experience. But we
made it – we successfully completed our training,
and now we’re making an important contribution
in South Sudan!”
Graduates from the midwifery training
course gain a broad professional background.
Thanks to training placements in different hospitals,
they also acquire technical skills and extensive
practical experience. For example: every
14

Aspiring midwives during their training in Kakuma
(Kenya) Photo: Silvano Yokwe
Healthcare for vulnerable groups of the population
The school for midwives operated by our partner organisation
PRDA is a good example of how education can be combined
with improved healthcare. Through their work, the trained midwives
pass their medical knowledge on to hospitals and other
healthcare facilities. Mission 21 is also providing education and
support in Tanzania. Dr. Luzia Illiger, a gynaecologist, has been
working on behalf of Mission 21 at the hospital of our partner
church in Isoko since 2021. Her key responsibilities include
training local doctors, nursing staff and midwives. In the DR
Congo and Cameroon, our Mission 21 personnel join with local
partner churches and organisations to provide important basic
care services for the population in rural areas. In the DR Congo,
for instance, some 80 000 people benefited from access to
basic medical care thanks to our partners.
campaign by the SDW Foundation, the groundbreaking
ceremony for the long-awaited new
school building in Juba (the South Sudanese
capital) finally took place. The school is to be inaugurated
in 2023. The new cohort – the seventh
– is due to commence training in May 2023 in
the newly constructed school for midwives. The
application process for the 2023–2025 cohort is
fully under way.
With support from Mission 21, full financing
for the training of 30 midwifery students will be
possible. Another 15 students will receive support
for part of their training, and will pay the
remainder themselves. The relocation to Juba
will enable some of the midwifery students in
the new cohort to pay their own training fees. In
spite of the challenges that still confront South
Sudan, the midwifery school project sends out a
glimmer of hope that contributes to healthcare
for the community and also empowers women.
Séverine Fischer
Communication Team
Post-natal care for
mothers is also an
important element of
the training.
Photos: Silvano Yokwe
Project contributions
for healthcare promotion
Total: CHF 467 255
In Africa:
CHF 467 255
0 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 % 70 % 80 % 90 % 100 %
15

International development cooperation
Indonesia
Taking a public stand
for peace and tolerance
Haryono (far left)
has actively championed
interfaith peace
for many years.
In Indonesia, religious diversity repeatedly gives rise to tensions. Social media
play no small part in stoking hatred and mistrust. Mission 21’s partner organisations
empower young people who actively advocate dialogue and peace.
Almost 4000 people were reached
directly
The “Interfaith collaboration for peace
and justice” project is part of the Asian
Cooperation Programme. To carry out its
peacebuilding work in Asia, Mission 21
Fitri Maulida
collaborates with four partner organisations.
In 2022, this work directly reached 3,703 individuals of whom
around 52 percent were young people. Project activities include
interfaith youth camps, interfaith basic and advanced training
for teachers, campaigns to promote tolerance and pluralism
in public life, vocational training courses with an interfaith
approach for women, activities to empower young peace ambassadors,
and also studies and publications on diversity and
interfaith dialogue.
Fitri Maulida is 21 years old. She lives near the
city of Cirebon on the Indonesian island of Java.
Like many of her friends, this Muslim student
spends a lot of time on social media. She is interested
in IT and firmly believes that social media
reflect “all aspects of human life in its diversity”.
But on the other hand, she is aware: “Social
media can be a channel for spreading one-sided
stories and biased messages about race, religion
and social groups.”
Fitri wants to take action to buck this trend.
This prompted her to attend a workshop conducted
by the Islamic Fahmina Institute in
2022, where she learned how to develop content
for social media – such as videos, text and infographics
– that will contribute to tolerance and
dialogue in Indonesia, a country characterised
by multiple faiths and cultures.
Preventing radicalisation
Fitri Maulida’s interest in interfaith dialogue
and her communication skills put her in a position
to send out a message advocating peaceful
coexistence in Indonesia. This is precisely the
objective of the Fahmina Institute. This organisation
opposes religious fundamentalism, and
campaigns for tolerance, democracy, education
and justice in Indonesia.
16

Project contributions
for peacebuilding
Total: CHF 211 154
In Africa:
CHF 128 154
In Asia:
CHF 83 000
0 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 % 70 %
Haryono (third from left) attending a workshop
on interfaith dialogue.
As a partner organisation of Mission 21 since
2019, the Fahmina Institute receives support
from us for its peacebuilding activities. This
work aims to encourage people to develop
peaceful relationships based on equal rights
across religious divides, to work together in
order to prevent violent conflicts, and to disempower
fundamentalist groups.
Integrating young people
It is not easy to achieve these goals in Fitri’s environment.
Radical groups are active in Cirebon
and the surrounding area. As in the whole of Indonesia,
people from different cultural and religious
backgrounds live together in this region.
The majority are Muslims, and there are also
minorities such as Christians or Buddhists. This
diversity is protected by the constitution. Nevertheless,
it is repeatedly threatened by radical
groups. Conflicts are especially frequent in connection
with permits for religious buildings, and
violent attacks also occur. Social media play no
small part in fuelling hatred. Fitri Maulida also
observes these developments, and she wants to
take action to oppose them.
Training of young people who take a public
stand for tolerance and peace is one of many
activities undertaken by the Fahmina Institute,
within the scope of Mission 21’s project work.
There are also visits by interfaith groups to various
places of worship, publications, festivals and
leisure activities for young people from different
cultural and religious backgrounds.
300 young adults participate regularly as activists
for interfaith peace in and around Cirebon.
In 2022, these activities reached a total
of over 1,500 individuals, of whom around one
third were adolescents and young adults
where most children and young people are educated.
The approach to religious diversity adopted
by these teachers has an impact on society.
Haryono is one young person who can testify to
this. Now aged 28, Haryono also has his home
in Cirebon, where he attended a Muslim boarding
school. “My teacher was very open towards
other religious groups,” he recalls. This left its
mark on him, and he was worried when people
from the region were repeatedly unmasked as
terrorists.
“My teacher was very open
towards other religious groups.”
Haryono has been active in the interfaith
network of Mission 21’s partner organisations
for many years. Together with the Fahmina Institute,
he is currently engaged in activities to
prevent radicalism in four villages; he organises
cultural activities and tree-planting campaigns
with mixed interfaith groups.
Connecting with other activists and partner
organisations of Mission 21 – such as the GKP
(Pasundan Christian Church) and the Jakatarub
interfaith youth network in Bandung – creates
solidarity, and generates encouragement
thanks to positive news. Recently, for example,
an article circulating on social media reported
on a mosque, a Buddhist temple and a Christian
church in close proximity in the village of Weru,
with an account of how people there live together
in harmony. The author: Fitri Maulida.
Miriam Glass
Communication Team
Training teachers of religion
Another key focus is training for teachers of religion,
especially in Muslim boarding schools
17

International development cooperation
Tanzania
Tools for a new life
Tanzania has an exceptionally large number of children living with albinism. As
well as suffering from the intense sunlight because of their pigment deficiency,
they often experience discrimination on account of their condition. Thanks
to our partner church in Tanzania, children and young people who are excluded
because of albinism or other impediments can gain access to education.
Grace Mwakatobe* also found refuge here, and the opportunity to determine
her own future.
* Name is known to the
editorial team.
A training building at
the Kyela Centre.
Photo: Adrienne
Sweetman
Grace Mwakatobe was already in the fourth
form at school when she learned that her father
and mother were still alive. She grew up in an orphanage,
believing that her parents were dead.
“I learned that they had disowned me because of
my albinism. And that hurt,” she says.
Before long, she became better acquainted
with her parents for the first time. She lost her
financial support after primary school, so she
had to leave the orphanage. She moved in with
her parents – who were far from delighted about
this. From them, Grace experienced what many
people with albinism are forced to suffer in Tanzania.
Neglected, abused, beaten
Lack of education and stubborn popular beliefs
lead many people in Tanzania to regard witchcraft
or curses as the causes of this pigment
disorder. The result is that people with albinism
are often stigmatised, discriminated against and
mistreated. This has far-reaching consequences
because so many people are born with albinism
in Tanzania – more, in fact, than in any other
country.
Grace’s parents did not treat her like a daughter.
“They showed me neither love nor interest.
My father only brought fruit from the market
for my two sisters. If I wanted a piece too, I got
into trouble.” Her father not only neglected
her: he also insulted and beat her. When
Grace was ill, he even wished her dead. Her two
sisters were the only ones who showed her any
affection.
A cousin refused to stand by and watch the
abuse, so she took Grace into her home. Against
all the odds, Grace began to build a new life for
“I’d given up hope of
ever attending school again.”
herself. “I’d given up hope of ever attending
school again. So I opened a little shop and sold
fried pastries.” Now she was earning her own
money – but without education, her prospects
were still poor.
Access to education for vulnerable children
and young people
But at this point, Grace and her cousin learned
of a special offer of education: in the town of
Kyela, the Moravian Church in Tanzania operates
a training centre that opens up access to
education for orphans as well as children and
young people with disabilities. The centre currently
offers one hundred training places. For
many years, the Moravian Church has been
a partner church of Mission 21, which has
Education opens the door for people to determine their own futures
In addition to the Kyela Centre, the Moravian Church operates six more training
centres in Tanzania, opening up access to education for disadvantaged children
and young people. In 2022, a total of 1,183 young people (including 497 women)
were studying at the training centres. The centres also help to promote inclusion
by accepting disabled students: in 2022, 39 students with disabilities were able
to complete their vocational training.
Education is one of the focal impact areas of Mission 21’s work. Through various
projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, we endeavour to give particularly
vulnerable and marginalised groups of the population an opportunity to shape
their own lives.
18

supported the training centre since it was
founded 20 years ago.
“The Moravian Church wanted to dedicate itself
to caring for the region’s most marginalised
people. As well as people with HIV/AIDS, these
include children and young people with disabilities,”
according to Johannes Klemm, Programme
Officer for Tanzania and Team Leader Africa at
Mission 21. “It’s not easy to cope with going to
school in Tanzania: there are often more than
a hundred children sitting in one classroom.
Students with restricted vision or hearing and
cognitive or physical impairments often find it
almost impossible to manage.”
Training and support
Things are different at the Moravian Church
training centre. The students (about fifty per
cent of whom were women in 2022) receive
better support; care is taken to ensure that they
can catch up on gaps in their knowledge, and the
groups are smaller. At the Kyela Moravian Vocational
Training Centre (Kyela VTC), they can
complete two-year vocational training courses
as electricians, mechanics, tailors or carpenters.
There is also a driving course, and computer
training is offered.
The centre provides additional support for
young people to cope with their personal situations,
because they have often been living in
disadvantaged circumstances and have been
subjected to discrimination or abuse. Many of
them are suffering from trauma and malnutrition
as the result of their experiences. Now, at
the training centre, they get regular meals and
receive individual medical care as well as psychosocial
support. To give the graduates a good
start in the world of work after their training,
they receive a set of tools or a sewing machine
as a graduation gift. This gives them a good basis
for building up their own business.
Grace was still hesitant about applying for a
place, but her cousin nevertheless registered her
behind her back. Grace was promptly accepted.
She is now training to be a dressmaker – and
she’s delighted: “The training will help me. Once
I’ve completed my studies and I’m earning money,
I’d like to open a large kitenge shop.” These
colourful wax print fabrics, used to sew traditional
garments, have taken Grace’s fancy. She
radiates more confidence than before. Thanks
to education, she has found the courage to go
her own way into the future despite adversity
and injustice.
Samuel Rink
Communication Team
Project contributions
for education
Total: CHF 2 346 012
In Africa:
CHF 1 235 281
In Asia:
CHF 635 081
In Latin America:
CHF 334 276
In Europe:
CHF 141 374
Education is opening
up new opportunities
for Grace.
Photo: Adrienne
Sweetman
With the help of a
scholarship, Lisnawan
Wulan completed her
training as a nurse.
Photo used with
permission
0 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60%
19

International development cooperation
Strengthening self-confidence through
play: girls at a school in El Alto.
Bolivia
Inspiring work for
effective prevention
Violence against women and children is a huge problem in Latin America –
especially in Bolivia, where exceptionally large numbers of women are killed, and
children are maltreated and abused. Gender justice has a very specific meaning
here: enabling women and children to lead lives free of violence. Machaqa Amawta,
our partner organisation in Bolivia, is deeply committed to achieving this aim.
“Vivir con dignidad” –
an impressive
music video from
Machaqa Amawta
For many years, gender justice has been a key
transversal theme for the Machaqa Amawta
foundation. Mission 21 has been supporting
a project aimed at stemming genderspecific
violence since early 2021, alongside the
support it provides in the area of food sovereignty.
Mission 21’s Bolivian partner organisation
can already point to some impressive results
for 2022. Machaqa Amawta was present in
15 schools in the Department of La Paz, where
it carried out prevention and awareness-raising
work. It was able to reach around 1000 children
and young people in 2022.
Furthermore, about 1000 adults working in
various functions received training on sexualised
violence and were made more aware of
this issue: they included teachers at public and
special schools, experts from the government’s
Plurinational System for the Comprehensive
Protection of Children and Adolescents (SIP-
PROINA), and about 360 parents.
High level of violence against women and
children
The level of violence against women and children
is exceptionally high in Bolivia. This country
has one of Latin America’s highest rates
for this type of violence. In 2021, for example,
around 8500 cases of sexual violence, abuse and
rape were recorded.
Machaqa Amawta’s work also takes account
of this high rate of violence. As part of the prevention
work undertaken at schools, children
and adolescents are given the opportunity to
describe their problems in a confidential setting.
A total of 27 girls and young women as
well as six boys and young men who suffered
sexual violence confided in the organisation’s
specialists, from whom they received guidance
and support. It was possible to break the spiral
of violence in 17 of these 27 cases. Thanks to the
efforts of the staff, the victims were able to build
up their sense of self-worth and overcome the
trauma they had experienced; it was also possible
to strengthen the affected families’ resilience
in relevant cases.
Trust on the part of the indigenous population
Another 107 children and young people reported
other types of physical and psychological
violence they had suffered. They too were given
appropriate guidance and support. The large
20

numbers of school students affected by violence
highlight the importance of Machaqa Amawta’s
prevention work. To take one example: teachers
practised different methods for early recognition
of violence-related issues in the course of
tuition, so these problems could be addressed
and prevented. Parents were involved in order
to establish a protected environment within the
families. Authorities were trained on professional
methods of counteracting violence.
The foundation’s employees enjoy the trust
of the indigenous populations of the region who
speak Quechua and Aymara, both in the sparsely
populated rural areas and in the peripheral
zones of the urban centres of La Paz and El
Alto. Machaqa Amawta has been working
to improve people’s living conditions since
2005, and it also receives support for this work
from Mission 21. The objective is always to empower
people, whether through educational
work, training in agroecological farming, or by
strengthening village communities to improve
political participation.
Empowering the frequently marginalised indigenous
population – with a particular focus
on women and girls – is also a key element of
collaboration with the other organisations involved
in the project. Over the years, Mission 21
has joined forces with carefully selected partner
organisations in Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica and
Peru. Together, we work persistently towards
the goal of putting an end to gender-based violence.
This work also includes ensuring protection
against persecution for people who do not
choose a clear gender identity, or one that differs
from their biological identity, as well as empowering
these individuals in their development.
Videos and social media
Activities by the six partner organisations in our
Latin American partner countries were made
Project contributions
towards overcoming
gender-based violence
Total: CHF 464 011
In Africa:
CHF 52 820
In Asia:
CHF 280 490
In Latin America:
CHF 130 701
Leidy Marquez (right) of Machaqa
Amawta leads a prevention workshop
at a school in El Alto.
Overcoming sexualised
and gender-based
violence
The endeavour to achieve
gender justice is a common
theme that runs through all
Mission 21’s projects. Efforts
to counteract violence against
women and children are
particularly important in this
context.
Especially in the Latin American
countries, gender-specific
violence is a widespread
problem that is also structural.
Our project partners in Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica and Peru show great
persistence in their diverse efforts to combat violence and discrimination
against women, girls and sexual minorities. They focus on prevention and
awareness-raising, and they offer guidance and support for those affected.
In 2022, they empowered a total of about 7000 individuals through
this work.
Domestic violence is also a pressing problem in Indonesia, Malaysia and
Hong Kong two of our project countries in Asia. Moreover, many young
women experience exploitation and abuse as migrant workers. Our
partners and Mission 21 are jointly taking action to strengthen women’s
rights and provide protection for women who suffer violence. As well
as their preventive work, the project partners provide secure places of
refuge, a varied range of counselling services, and support for disadvantaged
girls and women in remote regions.
Women in South Sudan, Nigeria and Cameroon also suffer gender-specific
violence, in particular as the result of armed conflicts. Our local partner
churches link the empowerment of women with peacebuilding. One
example is the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC), which offers
support in the two areas of overcoming trauma and reconciliation.
even more difficult and challenging by the coronavirus
pandemic and the resultant protective
measures. On the one hand, restrictions on leaving
home and lockdown measures led to more
poverty among the population; and on the other,
there was an upsurge in aggression and violence.
Despite this background, there are some
encouraging signs from our partners.
Machaqa Amawta in particular is making use
of modern communication channels and media
to raise awareness about violence, and to send
out signals of strength: they released an impressive
music video in connection with last year’s
international campaign titled “16 Days of Activism
Against Gender-Based Violence”. Women
and girls of all ages, from diverse backgrounds,
both with and without disabilities, sing and rap
their demands for respect and a life in dignity:
“Vivir con dignidad” has been viewed thousands
of times on various channels, and is a testament
to energy and creativity in the fight for gender
justice.
0 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 % 70 %
Christoph Rácz
Communication Team Leader
21

Gender justice
Committed to achieving gender
justice at multiple levels
Together with our partner organisations and partner churches, Mission 21
campaigns for gender equality across the globe. All our programmes and projects
should help to strengthen gender justice. “Gender Justice” is one of the three
key themes that define the profile of Mission 21’s work, alongside “Religion and
Development" and "Interfaith and Transcultural Peacebuilding”.
Employees of Mission 21
in Basel decked out in
orange to symbolise
their solidarity with the
“16 Days of Activism
Against Gender-Based
Violence” campaign in
this group picture posted
on social media.
Photo: Samuel Rink
The long-term effects of the pandemic, conflicts,
climate change and soaring prices made women
throughout the world more vulnerable in 2022,
accompanied by an upsurge in violations of
their human rights. Backlash tendencies can be
observed in our partners’ political contexts. In
Latin America, for instance, religious fundamentalist
movements opposing the right to abortion
are gaining strength. Indonesia’s parliament
passed an important law in April to combat sexual
violence – a milestone in efforts to halt sexualised
violence in that country. Mission 21 has
been actively involved in advocacy work for this
law, together with its partners on the ground.
This makes it all the more shocking that in De-
cember 2022, the same parliament passed a law
that criminalises sexual activity outside marriage
and also restricts freedom of opinion.
Mission 21’s commitment to gender justice
continues to be important. To emphasise this
commitment, "Gender Focal Points" were introduced
in all our departments in 2022: these are
employees with particular responsibility for the
issue of gender in their departments. The Women
and Gender Staff Unit works with the Gender
Focal Points to support the departments with
implementing gender mainstreaming, maintaining
Mission 21’s global Women and Gender
network, and with knowledge management on
this issue.
22

Strengthening knowledge and expertise
on the ground
Another important instrument in 2022 was the
Fund for the Advancement of Women (to be
known as the Gender Justice Fund from 2023 onwards,
see the box): Mission 21 uses this fund to
support the regional cooperation programmes
with promoting gender equality in their contexts.
The fund is also intended to support pilot
projects with new approaches, partner organisations
or work on topics that will empower the
programmes to strive for gender justice in the
long term. Some of these projects are financed
each year from collections taken on the World
Day of Prayer in Switzerland.
In 2022, the Fund for the Advancement of
Women financed training for female leaders
and managers in Tanzania, Cameroon and Peru.
Support was also provided for a new organisation:
the Neema Sisters Women’s Self-Help
Group in Nairobi, which helps female refugees
from South Sudan to generate their own income
independently. In Nigeria, the fund supported
a workshop where disadvantaged women
learned how to make reusable sanitary towels
for their own use and for sale.
Instead of the global advocacy training
courses staged in Basel and Geneva until 2021,
development of human and organisational
capacities for gender justice was integrated
more directly into the cooperation programmes
in 2022, and this process will continue in 2023.
Mission 21’s 2022 campaign focused on education
for girls and young women in Indonesia.
It highlighted the structural violence and patriarchal
norms that cause Indonesian women to
suffer severely from domestic violence and early
marriage, and from exploitation or abuse as migrant
workers – all the more so because violence
Gender Justice Fund
The Fund for the Advancement of Women was renamed as the
“Gender Justice Fund” at the start of 2023. Mission 21 continues to
regard the advancement of women as a central factor in achieving
gender justice. With conflict sensitivity in mind, however, more
consideration should also be given to male roles and images as well
as gender diversity. The change of name is intended to make it clear
that society as a whole is responsible for efforts to bring about
gender justice, and that this is not merely a “women’s issue”.
is a taboo subject. “Respect not Exploitation!”
was the title of our course to make young people
in Switzerland aware of the situation of girls
of their own age group in Indonesia, and in our
own country.
Effective collaboration and public events
In connection with the 2022 Synod, Mission 21
offered direct insights into its work for gender
justice at the “City Talk – Networking Gender
Issues Around the World” on 8 June in Chur.
This event specifically addressed the people of
Chur, encouraging them to take part in the international
women’s network. Over 120 people
responded to the invitation.
From 25 November until 10 December 2022,
thousands of organisations all over the world
again called on people to actively combat violence
against women. In collaboration with
cfd, the feminist peace organisation, Mission 21
participated in this international campaign:
“16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence”.
young@mission21, our youth network,
aligned its annual “JointAction” to the campaign’s
theme, and published posts on social media.
As happens every year, many of our partner
organisations also gave their committed support
to the campaign.
Advisory body becomes more international
For many years, an advisory body has supported
Mission 21’s work for gender justice. At the
start of 2023, an “Advisory Board” replaced the
existing “Specialist Commission for Women and
Gender”. The members of the Specialist Commission
acted as advocates for Women and Gender
issues at Mission 21 – some of them for many
years. They supported and helped to develop
our networks and our work with their inputs
and contacts. They were farewelled with sincere
thanks for their important commitment (see the
QR code).
The establishment of the successor body – the
“Advisory Board on Gender Justice” – means that
the partner organisations are now integrated
more closely. The women’s delegates from the
supporting organisations on four continents
(the “Continental Assemblies”) will become
members of the Advisory Board as well. International
experts will also broaden the Board’s
worldwide network. The new Advisory Board is
another cornerstone of Mission 21’s persistent
work to achieve gender justice.
Appreciation of the
Specialist Commission
for Women and Gender
More about advocacy,
gender mainstreaming
and empowerment
Dr. Barbara Heer
Head of the Women and Gender Administration
Departement
23

International learning community
Exchange
Mission 21’s
Youth Network
As an international learning community, Mission 21 promotes the understanding
of global relationships. In Switzerland, we carry out educational
work and open up scope for exchanges across cultural and religious
divides. In doing so, we focus particular attention on young people. We
support disadvantaged children and young people across the globe, and
we create opportunities for young adults to encounter one another at
eye level, to dismantle prejudices and benefit from impetus that will empower
and encourage them to act in solidarity. One example of this is
our Youth Ambassadors Programme – and in 2022, we were able to bring
the second phase of this programme to a successful conclusion.
Costa Rica
Peru
Bolivia
Chile
“My hope is that
all women will have
a safe place,
wherever in the world
they happen to live.”
Karen Mamani, Bolivia
Karen Mamani, a Bolivian national, had
already trained as a social worker when she
came to the UBL – the Latin American Biblical
University in Costa Rica – in 2016. Here,
at the age of 25, she was able to continue her
studies at the university of her choice thanks
to support from Mission 21. The UBL suits her
extremely well because it offers her ecumenical
openness, a commitment to gender
justice, and a high degree of awareness about
Latin America’s ethnic diversity. She devoted
her fullest efforts to her studies here and
graduated with a Bachelor’s degree after two
years; she is now working to gain her Master’s
degree. In the meantime, she herself is
working at the UBL, where she is responsible
for projects and communication; she engages
in advocacy for environmental protection
in Costa Rica, and continues to be active in
Mission 21’s network.
“Encounters with people from different
cultures, and exchanges about
life and faith: that’s what makes
Mission 21 so attractive to me.”
Janine Schweizer, Switzerland
Janine Schweizer took up her first position as a pastor at Davos
Platz in November 2021. As a student of theology in Basel,
Berne and Arusha (Tanzania), she developed a great interest
in the intercultural and feminist aspects of the subject. Janine
developed her commitment to Mission 21 as a participant in
the first Youth Ambassadors Programme of young@mission21.
She was involved in the work of the European Continental Assembly
as secretary to its Board; she now serves on this Board,
and also as a women’s delegate.
24

France
Switzerland
Germany
Austria
South Korea
Palestinian
Territories
Japan
India
Taiwan
Hong Kong
Nigeria
Ghana
Cameroon
South
Sudan
Malaysia
Indonesia
DR Congo
South Africa
Tanzania
“I’m passionately committed to
youth – especially as regards
access to education, and to encouraging
young people to lead
environment-friendly lives.”
Halim Pratama, Indonesia
31-year-old Halim Pratama is an engineer, entrepreneur and politician
who lives in Malinau, North Kalimantan, in the Indonesian part of the
island of Borneo.
He has been a committed participant in Mission 21’s work for several
years. He is currently the Youth Coordinator for the Asian Continental
Assembly, and is involved in the young@mission21 network. Halim is
convinced that young people should be given more of a say in the
community. Young adults, in particular, can tackle important changes
and encourage an environment-friendly lifestyle. He participates in
Mission 21’s network in order to promote these aims.
“Globalisation concerns all of us to some extent.
Throughout the world, we can learn from one
another – younger people can learn from older
people, and vice versa.”
Faraja Bosco, Tanzania
Faraja lives in the town of Tukuyu, in the Mbeya region. She studied mathematics
and statistics, and graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science.
Faraja, a member of the Moravian Church, heard about the Youth Ambassadors
Programme and became an enthusiastic participant in the 2019–22 cohort. Her
encounter trip to Switzerland and the return visit to Tanzania by the Swiss
Youth Ambassadors broadened her horizons and prompted her to take on social
commitments. She is in the process of founding an interfaith youth group that
aims to develop a "young perspective" on solutions for pressing social issues.
25

International community of learning
Youth Ambassadors deep in discussion at the 2022
Youth Summit. Photo: Miriam Glass
Enriching encounters –
face-to-face and online
young@mission21, our youth network, continued its encouraging development in
2022. Personal encounters were the highlights of the second Youth Ambassadors
Programme: the international ambassadors engaged in exchange firstly in
Switzerland, and then in the partner countries. Through these encounters, they
experienced learning processes in transcultural understanding and joined
together to seek solutions for pressing issues of our times. The digital JointAction
took place during autumn, in cooperation with the international “16 Days of
Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” campaign.
young@mission21
By the end of May 2022, the time had finally
come: after multiple delays due to the coronavirus
pandemic, 18 Youth Ambassadors from
14 countries were able to travel to Switzerland
and meet up with the Swiss ambassadors. Their
arrival was followed by two weeks of intensive
activity that involved a wide variety of encounters,
new perspectives, plenty of challenges and
joys – as well as some new questions.
When young adults from four continents exchange
views on issues such as the environment,
social injustice, gender roles or gender-based
and sexual diversity, the discussion is bound to
trigger interest and astonishment, incomprehension
and debates – as well as developments
and new realisations. The young@mission21
team provided support for these processes with
great care and professionalism so as to encourage
a profitable learning process. The goal was
to empower the young people to adopt new
perspectives, reflect on their attitudes, broaden
their horizons and – in the transcultural sense –
to go on to transmit what they had learned back
in their own contexts.
At the same time, the young@mission21 team
themselves were able to practice the “balancing
act” of keeping the diversity of the group in
mind while meeting the participants’ individual
needs. In their role as hosts, the Swiss Youth
Ambassadors also discovered new perspectives.
26

All the participants demonstrated their passion,
openness, tolerance and brotherly love to make
this a memorable and moving time for everyone.
Questions about the future at the Youth Summit
“The future is now!” was the theme for the Youth
Summit which took place during the exchanges
in Switzerland. Mission 21 organised workshops
with school classes in preparation for the Youth
Summit. The school students and the international
Youth Ambassadors engaged in lively discussions
on issues of concern to them as young
adults, and they exchanged experiences with
each other.
At the Youth Summit itself, the young adults
addressed topics that motivated them, which
they also discussed in groups; they went on to
draw up personal action plans which they would
put into practice at a later stage to bring about
change in their own contexts. This involves
sharing the experiences they gained during the
two-week exchange in Switzerland with young
adults in their own contexts – so, as “agents of
change”, they themselves initiate learning and
solution-finding processes.
The network is growing – and is triggering
change
The direction of the exchange was reversed in
summer: the Youth Ambassadors from Switzerland
visited Mission 21’s partner countries
including Costa Rica, Indonesia and Tanzania.
They were hosted in these countries by the
Youth Ambassadors who they already knew
from their time in Switzerland. They learned
about Mission 21’s projects and partner organisations,
and gained insights into the realities
of different lives. These encounters and impressions
also provided the Swiss Youth Ambassadors
with stimulating food for thought. They
became aware of new perspectives and began to
change their perceptions.
The participants considered and analysed
their experiences as well as the questions raised
in follow-up workshops. After a four-year project
phase, the 2019–2022 Youth Ambassadors
Programme was concluded with the presentation
of certificates attesting “Intercultural and
Transcultural Expertise”. These certificates were
issued jointly by the Lucerne Institute for Communication
& Leadership (IKF) and Mission 21.
We were able to implement the first Youth Ambassadors
Programme thanks to valued support
from the Mercator Foundation Switzerland.
The network that was initiated is now being
developed and strengthened. The Youth Ambassadors
will participate in the next programme
(2023–2025) as alumni. On their own initiative,
they also organise online discussions about topics
that impact them, and they act in their own
contexts as multipliers to promote societies that
are peaceful, fair and inclusive.
JointAction – encouraging action in the
digital sphere
Each autumn, young@mission21 organises a
“JointAction”: a digital campaign on an important
issue that gives young people opportunities
to express their views and empower one
another. In 2022, we took part in the international
campaign: “16 Days of Activism Against
Gender-Based Violence”. Ahead of this event, we
conducted a survey on the issue of gender justice:
fifty young people from twenty countries
participated and contributed some strong comments.
JointAction
against gender – based
violence
These statements were published and shared
on social media together with additional content
during the JointAction, on a daily basis in
parallel with the “16 Days” campaign. In these
ways, young people were able to learn that this
issue also motivates others, as they encouraged
one another to stand up for gender justice.
Barbara Grass
Team young@mission21
Logo for
the 2022
JointAction:
“against
gender-based
violence".
Exchange and continued education
in the young@mission 21 international
youth network
30 Youth Ambassadors (including 16 women)
completed the two-week
exchange in Switzerland during June.
Over 160 participants made their contributions
to workshops at the Youth Summit or
to the issue of global justice.
Almost 60 000 people were reached
through social media – more than 60% of them
Switzerland.
27

International community of learning
Ongoing dialogue for
a partnership on equal terms
“Discoveries of a different kind” was the title for the extensive educational programme
that Mission 21 presented again in 2022. Highlights included events and
courses on globally relevant aspects of development cooperation and the worldwide
church, peacebuilding, and the critical reappraisal of the intertwined history
of mission and colonialism.
Online or in-person: Mission 21’s Education
Team offered a diverse range of educational
events that constantly opened up new perspectives
on globally relevant topics. “Dialogue International”,
for example, is our series of online
events where specialists from our international
network and our partner organisations had
the chance to speak. The three talks explored
post-colonial readings of the Bible, examined
“(Anti-)racism in Different Religions”, and the
issue of sexualised violence against women. Curated
and moderated by Mission 21, these dialogues
with experts from Africa, Asia and Latin
America offered exciting exchanges of views
that transcended social, cultural and geographical
boundaries.
The two in-person events on the educational
programme also opened up new scope for
fruitful discussions. “PeaceArt – Art as a Bridge
between Cultures” was the title of a symposium
where impressive presentations, workshops and
discussions demonstrated how art (including
the performing and visual arts as well as physical
artworks) gives rise to creative settings for
dialogue and encounter, generating an understanding
that goes beyond established categories
and stereotypes.
The second in-person event, in Chur’s town
church, offered scope for encounters where
women from all over the world presented stories,
music and poetry depicting power, resistance,
courage, and their visions of gender justice.
Thanks to this format, participants at the
event were able to see and hear the elements
that link the realities of life for women across
the globe.
Taking a critical look at cooperation
At the end of August, the international Online
Summer School focused on power imbalances
that exist in international cooperation between
funding organisations on the one hand, and
partner organisations that carry out the projects
or local civil society on the other. “Decolonize
Aid!” was the title of an event when specialists
from Pakistan, Uganda and Colombia shared
their experiences. They reported on the sort of
humanitarian and international “aid” that falls
short of its goals because it does not do enough
to leverage the skills and knowledge of the local
population. Instead, Western “experts” have
implemented concepts that were “cooked up” in
the headquarters of globally operating NGOs –
but which actually failed to take the local context
into account.
Together with participants from all over the
world, the Summer School reflected on this
supposed imbalance between “helpers” from
economically affluent nations and “recipients
of help” from less wealthy countries. The participants
also discussed potential solutions for
collaboration on equal terms: local ideologies
geared to justice should provide inspiration,
and local partners should have scope for acting
on their own initiative. It was seen as especially
important to decolonise language and images at
all levels of development cooperation.
Ira Imelda of Indonesia
speaking at the “City
Talk” in Chur.
Photo: Samuel Rink
28

Mission 21 was able to reach a total
participants with its
of 3060
educational offerings in 2022.
934 experts and interested participants
attended a total of 14 events, including the
symposium on peacebuilding, the “City Talk”
on gender issues, and the International
Summer School.
123 courses were conducted at the Mission
House in Basel and at locations in various
communities, providing 2126 adults
and young people with information and
inspiration for their own endeavours.
Critical reappraisal of history
Three webinars in the “Mission Colonialism Revisited”
series continued the critical and transparent
reappraisal of the intertwined history of
mission and colonialism in 2022. This series of
events aims to enable a nuanced exploration of
the complex, interconnected history of mission
and colonialism so as to draw conclusions for
Mission 21’s current work.
It should give rise to a process of learning
and action for cooperation with our partners in
Africa, Asia and Latin America, and for addressing
the problems of discrimination and racism
in society as a whole. The mistakes of the past
should be avoided, while more emphasis should
be placed on the positive aspects of historical
mission work.
Dialogue and partnership at eye level
Our efforts to achieve Mission 21’s goal of contributing
to peaceful, just and inclusive societies
– and to sustainable development in keeping
with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal
16+ – are underpinned by constant reflection on
whether we are doing the right thing, and how
our work can achieve the best possible impact.
Viable relationships on equal terms with our
partners in African, Asian and Latin American
countries are essential for this purpose.
The international learning community that is
a living reality at Mission 21 plays an important
part here. Forums for virtual discussion such
as the Summer School and the webinars enable
participants from all over the world to exchange
views on burning issues of international cooperation
in a global community. By continuously
engaging in dialogue, we move closer to our goal
of partnership on equal terms – the foundation
for peaceful and just relationships across the
planet.
Claudia Buess
Education Team
“FriedensKunst”
(PeaceArt) symposium
in the Mission House
with Volker Küster and
Anina Jendreyko.
Photo: Séverine Fischer
Mission 21 also makes a wide range of educational content
available after the events themselves have taken place.
Both the series of webinars and the Summer School can
be accessed on our website (“Videos and presentations”).
29

International community of learning
Research
Access to sources is key
The number of researchers working in the Mission 21 Research Archive in
2022 almost reached the pre-coronavirus level again. Key topics were
provenance research and the issues surrounding mission and colonialism.
mission-21.org/
research
Once measures to combat the coronavirus were
discontinued in Switzerland, the number of visitors
to our archives rose almost to pre-coronavirus
levels, and we were again able to welcome
more researchers from foreign countries including
Germany, Ghana, Cameroon, India, China,
Singapore, the USA and Canada.
Two noticeable trends emerge from the topics
that were researched. On the one hand, more
“provenance research” is being undertaken: this
involves tracing the origins of objects stored
in European museums. The sources in the Research
Archive provide valuable clues in this
field. On the other hand, a number of researchers
focused on the Mission as a player in the colonial
context, asking questions such as these:
what position did the Basel Mission adopt regarding
decolonisation in Cameroon, on the
Gold Coast (now Ghana) or in Nigeria? And what
social, cultural and economic consequences did
the activities of the Mission or the Basel Mission
Trading Company have in the mission areas?
Mission 21’s Research Archive was
used by over 1000 people:
459 interested individuals received expert advice via
digital channels, 60 researchers worked with archived
material in the Reading Room and 486 participants
attended one of the 38 archive courses.
The Online Archive, www.bmarchives.org, was accessed by
over 37 000 users; around 63 000 visits were recorded.
Accessible to researchers from all over the world
Mission 21 believes that transparent and academically
correct research into the intertwined
history of “Mission and Colonialism” is of crucial
importance. For this reason, our historical
research archive is accessible to the public so
that this reappraisal can be undertaken from
as many perspectives as possible – and also, in
particular, by researchers from the global South.
Opening up access to the documents (especially
those dating from after 1950) is therefore
a permanent task for the Research Archive. The
documents can be made accessible to researchers
all over the world by publishing the relevant
data on our website: www.bmarchives.org.
Digitisation rescues documents for the future
Original documents must gradually be digitised
to protect them against further damage caused
by their use. Two major projects were completed
in 2022: the Basel Mission’s periodical, “Der
Evangelische Heidenbote” (“The Evangelical
Messenger to the Heathens”, 1828–1954) and the
Annual Reports of the Basel Mission have now
been digitised in their entirety.
We have also set about digitising the records
of the Basel Mission’s activities in Armenia. This
was the first region where the Basel Mission undertook
its work (from 1823 until 1835). We are
delighted that this project has been recognised
and is being funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian
Foundation of Portugal. This foundation’s purpose
is the preservation of Armenian culture
throughout the world. It is only possible to digitise
and provide access to the holdings in our
Research Archive thanks to generous donations
such as this one.
As well as providing support for researchers
(including Mission 21’s own research activities
in connection with the critical re-examination
of history), processing and conserving the Archive’s
holdings and responding to well over
400 enquiries from everywhere in the world,
we staged more than forty events in 2022. By
offering this varied range of services, our Research
Archive plays an important part in our
international learning community by helping
us to achieve a deeper understanding of global
relationships.
Patrick Moser and Andrea Rhyn
Research Team
This photo dating from
1926 shows the British
governor greeting Basel
Mission school pupils
at Kumasi (in what is
now Ghana). Research
Archive of the Basel
Mission and Mission 21,
QD-30.019.0026.
bm archives
30

“Thanks to education, we determine our own
futures” – with our 2022 campaign, we turned the
spotlight on education for women and girls
in South-East Asia.
Picture: Neue Sicht
Donations
Annual Financial
Statement
Organisation
31

Donations
Three examples of churches that take on
valuable commitments:
Küttigen, St. Gallen and Zurich
Vocational training
centre of the Moravian
Church in Tanzania.
Photos: Pascal Bazzell /
photo used with permission
The solidarity of the Evangelical-Reformed Churches with Mission 21’s work is
very important, and is greatly appreciated. It was encouraging to see the increase
in church involvement last year; we were able to count on generous commitment
on the part of church congregations, and from the bazaars as well as the Cantonal
Churches. The continuity and solidarity that we experience as the church’s
evangelical mission institution guarantees our project work in the global South
while in this country, it strengthens identification with international development
cooperation.
“We see it as our mission to ’look beyond our
own back yard’ and to stand up for underprivileged
people in different parts of the world,” according
to church administrator Barbara Becker.
She is responsible for the Pastoral Agency
department as well as the Ecumenism, Mission
and Development Cooperation (EMDC) section
in Zurich. The Evangelical-Reformed Church
Congregation of Zurich gave generous support
to Mission 21’s work last year, for which we are
very grateful.
The church congregation specified that part
of the donations should be used as a contribution
to education for social change. In practical
terms, this means that support went to Evangelical
training centres in Chile and Cameroon
which work to achieve the social inclusion of
dissidents and minorities. Education brings
about social change – and it counteracts fundamentalist
trends that are constantly gaining
strength, especially in Latin America. In this
way, the Zurich church congregation is sending
out a clear signal of its wish to support this
self-perception of mission as an international
learning community. Another partial amount
will be made available as unrestricted funds.
“Mission 21 appreciates being able to put contributions
to use precisely where they are most
needed,” church administrator Barbara Becker
notes.
Bazaars – voluntary work that is highly
appreciated
The magnificent support provided by the Zurich
church congregation is just one example of similar
efforts by many other church congregations.
Bazaars also provide important support for the
activities undertaken by Mission 21 and its part-
32

ner churches and organisations. The bazaar at
Küttigen-Kirchberg is one example: the Küttigen
bazaar group decided to sponsor two of our projects
at the same time: one of them provides support
for disadvantaged people in Tanzania, and
the other one involves an initiative by women in
the DR Congo’s Kwango province. This comment
from Evelyne Wehrli, who is in charge of the
bazaar: “We’re delighted that we were able to
support these two fantastic projects. And I was
deeply moved by what the women in the Kwango
are achieving.” In the remote Kwango province,
around 40 percent of children aged below five
are malnourished. The Women’s League of Mission
21’s partner church in the DR Congo supports
these children and their mothers, provides
help in the form of food and medications, and
assists the mothers so they will be able to feed
themselves and their children independently in
the medium term.
We would like to take this opportunity to offer
our sincere thanks to all the dedicated bazaar
helpers for their commitment – because we certainly
do not take this generous voluntary work
for granted.
Sustainable project partnerships
We also attach great value to the longstanding
project partnerships maintained by the Cantonal
Churches and church congregations with
their partner countries. The Cantonal Church of
St. Gallen is in the process of building up a partnership
with the Moravian Church in Tanzania.
To launch the process, three representatives
from St. Gallen and our Responsible Programme
Officer, Johannes Klemm, visited the partner
church’s projects in October 2022. As well as
obtaining insights into the effective use of their
donations, the group gained some memorable
experiences and discussed ideas and projects
for practical church work.
They witnessed a very young and vibrant
church that is deeply committed to charitable
social work. This is an area that offers great
potential for mutual learning. The women’s
conference for female pastors throughout the
church inspired the delegation to continue collaboration
in the field of “Women in the Church”.
Since unemployment and the lack of prospects
for young people are major issues in Tanzania,
vocational schools are an important part of Mission
21’s work with the Moravian Church. One
possible idea for developing this commitment
would be an exchange with young adults from
Switzerland in work camps. The representatives
of the Cantonal Church were also profoundly
impressed when they attended a singing competition
featuring the province’s best youth choirs.
This event, and other performances by choirs
in the communities, prompted the delegation
from St. Gallen to propose music as a bridge for a
partnership between their church congregation
and the partners in Tanzania: “The group was
deeply moved by so much enthusiasm, coupled
with such memorable songs,” was the comment
from Pascal Bazzell, Worldwide Church Commissioner
of the Cantonal Church of St. Gallen.
The examples of the Cantonal Church of
St. Gallen, the Küttigen-Kirchberg bazaar group
and the Zurich church congregation demonstrate
that the reliable solidarity of church organisations
is an important source of inspiration
for Mission 21’s work. We offer our heartfelt
thanks to everyone involved for their valuable
support.
Jacqueline Brunner
Coordinator of Church Partnerships
Karin Reinhard and
Evelyne Wehrli-Haas at
the Küttigen-Kirchberg
bazaar.
Photo: Céline Rickenbacher
/ photo used with
permission
“Education determines what we will harvest in the future”
2023 campaign
Each autumn, our annual campaign focuses on one pressing issue in
our work. In 2023, we highlighted the topic of education to bring about
ecologically sustainable development in Nigeria. Around 40 percent of
Nigerians live below the poverty line, and are dependent on food that they
grow themselves. However, the use of synthetic fertilisers together with
deforestation and erosion are making the soil less fertile. There is an increasing
shortage of water due to climate change. Together with our partner
churches and organisations in Nigeria, we are carrying out educational
work on the ground to encourage the sustainable use of natural resources
and the protection of the environment. We are communicating this issue to
the church congregations through campaigns to attract participation, and
by offering education; we encourage people to reflect on their own behaviour,
and we motivate them to act in solidarity.
33

Annual Financial Statement
Balance sheet
31.12.2022 31.12.2021
Assets CHF CHF
Cash and cash equivalents 3 392 090.20 4 478 789.89
Time deposits 1 285 970.77 317 997.88
Securities 1 924 715.81 3 240 195.73
Receivables due from third parties 152 072.36 172 159.74
Receivables due from affiliated entities 14 326.62 19 409.96
Prepaid expenses and deferred charges 102 720.88 171 029.01
Total current assets 6 871 896.64 8 399 582.21
Financial assets 37 203.00 37 203.00
Tangible assets 61 872.60 48 481.95
Intangible assets 486 085.99 484 570.09
Total non-current (long-term) assets 585 161.59 570 255.04
Total assets 7 457 058.23 8 969 837.25
Liabilities
Payables due to third parties 215 370.28 158 329.37
Accrued liabilities and deferred income 187 044.10 264 305.79
Total current liabilities 402 414.38 422 635.16
Provisions 221 715.30 252 509.05
Total non-current (long-term) liabilities 221 715.30 252 509.05
Funds with restrictive appropriation 2 588 075.05 3 218 557.07
Total restricted funds 2 588 075.05 3 218 557.07
Disposable funds 2 551 411.61 3 378 995.59
Dedicated funds 1 693 441.89 1 697 140.38
Total organisation capital 4 244 853.50 5 076 135.97
Total liabilities 7 457 058.23 8 969 837.25
The report by the auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers, attests that the
accounts and the Annual Financial Statements conform to the law, the articles
of association and the SWISS-GAAP-FER-21 guidelines.
34

Operating statement
31.12.2022 31.12.2021
Income CHF CHF
Donations 7 653 245.41 8 292 795.20
of which, reserved for specific purposes 2 445 540.62 2 862 814.94
Contributions from organisations 642 325.15 851 426.80
of which, reserved for specific purposes 165 321.70 309 116.87
Contribution from the Swiss Federal
Government (SDC) 2 471 555.00 2 448 000.00
of which, reserved for specific purposes 2 059 629.17 2 040 000.00
Legacies 519 349.45 902 039.82
of which, reserved for specific purposes 1 465.20 0.00
Income from fundraising activities 11 286 475.01 12 494 261.82
Trading income 17 755.45 23 440.10
Income from services 75 188.03 63 796.80
Other income 28 640.81 4 927.53
Income from services rendered 121 584.29 92 164.43
Total income 11 408 059.30 12 586 426.25
Expenditure on services rendered
Programme and project expenditure 9 139 528.03 9 070 941.97
Fundraising expenditure 1 205 740.30 1 417 331.06
Administrative expenditure 2 141 772.10 1 684 722.50
Total expenditure on services rendered 12 487 040.43 12 172 995.53
Operating result -1 078 981.13 413 430.72
Financial result
Financial expenses -445 721.52 -59 977.69
Financial income 62 938.16 298 668.26
Total financial surplus/deficit -382 783.36 238 690.57
Surplus/deficit before changes to funds -1 461 764.49 652 121.29
Surplus/deficit from funds
Allocation to fund capital -4 671 956.69 -5 211 931.84
Use of fund capital 5 322 438.71 5 408 328.46
Change in fund capital 650 482.02 196 396.62
Result before allocation
to organisation capital -811 282.47 848 517.91
Allocation to disposable funds 0.00 -358 590.63
Use of disposable funds 827 583.97 0.00
Result, disposable funds 827 583.97 -358 590.63
Allocation to restricted funds -33 011.38 -591 356.65
Use of restricted funds 16 709.88 101 429.37
Result, restricted funds -16 301.50 -489 927.28
Result after allocation
to organisation capital 0.00 0.00
35

Annual Financial Statement
Origin and appropriation
of funds
Origin of donations
(CHF 7 653 245)
16.2% Cantonal Churches and PCS
50.6% church congregations,
bazaars, collections, events
21.2% private donors
12% foundations and other institutional sponsors
Origin of funds
(CHF 11 408 059)
1.1% miscellaneous income
4.6% legacies
2.6% Basel Mission (Switzerland)
3% EMS/BMDZ (Germany)
67% donations
21.7% SDC
Use of funds
(CHF 12 487 040)
17.2% other administrative expense
incl. Continental Assemblies
and democratic parliament (Synod)
73.2% total programme
and project work
73.2% total programme
and project work
9.6% fundraising
The complete and audited annual financial
statements can be downloaded at
www.mission-21.org/jahresbericht or may
be requested from Daniel Tschumper, Head of
Finance, telephone +41 61 260 22 85.
36

Commentary on the Annual Financial Statement
Core values for Mission 21
Transparency and trust
Last year, we were again able to rely on generous support from church, private
and institutional donors. We would like to offer our sincerest thanks for this great
solidarity and for the trust shown in the sustainable impact of our work.
Here at Mission 21, we are committed to transparent
reporting on our worldwide activities
and on the use of the funds entrusted to us, as
well as to compliance with the ZEWO standards
and the applicable data protection provisions.
Every franc counts towards our urgently
needed programmes and projects. This makes
it very important for us to strive for maximum
efficiency, to evaluate the impact of our work on
a systematic and regular basis, to continue developing
the quality of the services we offer, and
to provide them sustainably.
To achieve this, we apply professional management
methods and aim to ensure that our
work delivers effective and sustainable benefits
for the recipients. We collaborate closely with
our partner churches and partner organisations
on the ground to monitor and report on results
and progress; we are also able to adapt our priorities
and activities to current needs or contexts,
and to provide support at short notice in emergency
situations.
Last year was marked by crises with impacts
that will also create plenty of work for us going
forward. Because of climate change, aspects
such as education and advice on the topic of
agroecology to ensure food sovereignty are becoming
more important. The growing number of
climate-related natural disasters is confronting
us with new challenges, such as taking humanitarian
action in the worst-affected regions.
In 2022, we reached a total of almost CHF
11.3 million from donations and contributions
from private donors, foundations, companies,
the Federal government, cantons and municipalities.
The largest portion of our donation
income originates from our church network in
Switzerland and abroad. Our campaign – which
last year focused on education for young women
in South-East Asia – met with very enthusiastic
support from the church congregations, in the
form of numerous activities such as bazaars,
church services and collections that actually led
to an increase in donation income. We also felt
the financial effects of the numerous collection
campaigns for Ukraine, especially in respect of
income from private donations and large donations.
There was a similar downturn in income
from estates and legacies, and we also had to
post a loss on securities. The SDC supported our
work with a sum of about CHF 2.5 million, corresponding
to a slight increase year-on-year.
The Internal Control System (ICS) is based on
a risk-oriented approach; it ensures the reliability
of financial reporting and compliance with
the legal provisions and recommendations from
experts. The report by the auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers
(PwC), attests that the accounts
and the Annual Financial Statements conform
to the law, the articles of association and the
SWISS-GAAP-FER-21 guidelines. All the Annual
Reports and Annual Financial Statements are
available on our website. We will also be glad to
send the detailed Annual Financial Statement
and Balance Sheet to anyone who is interested
on request.
Gaby Ullrich
Head of Marketing and Communication
In Nigeria, we sponsor
the construction of economical
cooking stoves.
Photo: Yakubu Joseph
Mission 21’s international
programme and project work
is supported by the SDC.
37

Organisation
Organisation chart of Mission 21
CA
Asia
CA
Latin America
Continental Assemblies (CA)
CA
Europe
Mission Synod
with representatives of the partner churches and -organisations
Basel Mission
Supporting associations
Moravian
Church
Evangelical
Mission in the
Kwango
CA
Africa
Board
President: Johannes Blum
Management
Director: Jochen Kirsch
Finance & IT Admin. Dept.
Daniel Tschumper
HR Admin. Dept.
Myriam Pellet
Women and Gender
Admin. Dept.
Barbara Heer
International Relations
Department
Katharina Gfeller
Education Exchange and Research
Department
Magdalena Zimmermann
Marketing and Communication
Department
Gaby Ullrich
38

Governing bodies and committees in 2022
Board
Term of office: four years, with the option
of re-election for two further terms.
Prof. Dr. Johannes Blum
President
Senior Consultant,
Medical Department, Swiss Tropical
and Public Health Institute, Basel
Rev. Karl F. Appl
Vice President
President of the Basel Mission,
Pastor in Dussnang/Bichelsee-Balterswil
Dr. Gerhard Bütschi-Hassler
Self-employed management consultant,
Member of the Church Council of the Reformed
Church of Aargau, Member of the Synod of the
Protestant Church in Switzerland
Rev. Dr. Claudia Hoffmann, post-doctoral
researcher
Coordinator for Religious Issues,
Department of Presidential Affairs of the
Canton of Basel-Stadt,
Assistant at the Faculty of Theology,
University of Basel
Rev. Michal Maurer
Pastor in the Diaspora Community
of Sargans/Mels/Vilters-Wangs
Dr. Roland Plattner-Steinmann
Head of the Church and Community Development
Staff Unit, Reformed Church of the
Canton of Basel-Land;Member of the Board
of the Basel Mission (since 11 June 2022)
Andrea R. Trümpy
Former Vice-President of the Cantonal
Church Council of the Canton of Glarus,
former Mayoress of Glarus
Rev. Frieder Vollprecht
Pastor with the Moravian Societies in
Basel and Berne, co-worker at the House
of Religions in Berne
Rev. Hans-Joachim Zobel
Retired Dean, Evangelical Regional Church
of Baden, Freiburg (Germany)
Management
Rev. Jochen Kirsch
Director
Rev. Magdalena Zimmermann
Head of the Education Exchange and
Research Department, Deputy Director
Katharina Gfeller
Head of the International Relations Department
Gaby Ullrich
Head of the Marketing and Communication
Department
Dr. Barbara Heer*
Head of the Women and Gender
Administration Departement
Myriam Pellet*
Head of the HR
Administration Departement
Daniel Tschumper*
Head of the Finance & IT Administration
Departement
*Members of the extended management
Audit Commission
Term of office: four years
Sibylle Andermatt
Chair
Commercial specialist in the IT sector
Rev. Albrecht Bähr
State Pastor responsible for Social Welfare,
Evangelical Church of the Palatinate
Bernhard Egg
Vice-President of the Church Council of
the Reformed Regional Church of Zurich
In twenty countries throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America, Mission 21 is involved in sustainable development
cooperation and humanitarian action for peacebuilding, education, healthcare, food sovereignty,
economic empowerment and gender justice. Through this work, we play a part in achieving the UN’s Sustainable
Development Goals. This worldwide commitment is combined with programmes for transcultural
exchange and interfaith collaboration, and activities to foster an understanding of global relationships.
www.mission-21.org
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Education determines what
we will harvest in the future
Around 40 percent of Nigerians are dependent on food that they grow
themselves. But the soil is deteriorating and harvests are becoming
more meagre on account of climate change. Together with our partners
on the ground, we support education to bring about sustainable
agroecological farming – to give Nigeria’s small farmers the chance of
a secure livelihood.
Your donation makes a difference!
By donating CHF 100, for example, you can
help farmers like Ladi to harvest enough food
from healthy soil.
Account for donations:
IBAN: CH58 0900 0000 4072 6233 2
Mission 21, Missionsstrasse 21,
CH-4009 Basel
www.mission-21.org