Dear Members,
We hope that the arrival of spring and the longer days bring you joy and energy for the second quarter of 2008, during which we hope you’ll be full of enthusiasm for your association. The highlights of the first three months of 2008 are summarized here, and we hope you enjoy reading them.
Of course, please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information, if you have ideas for activities and/or fundraising, or if you’d like to receive a print copy of QUE PASA.
Our contact information is:
12 rue du Diorama
, 1204 Geneva
, Tel. 022 321 82 86 ,
info@casa-alianza.ch
On behalf of the entire Casa Alianza team, enjoy the read!
New Field Mission for the Executive Director of Casa Alianza Switzerland!
From January 17 to February 1, 2008, Marjorie traveled to Honduras and Nicaragua—an opportunity to reconnect with the Casa Alianza teams in both countries after a year and a half, as her last visit had been in May 2006.
While the two Casa Alianza offices are functioning quite well, with consistently motivated professionals and dynamic, dedicated teams, the reality on the streets—where children live in distress and poverty—remains as harsh as ever. The need for funding on the ground is constantly felt: there are so few financial resources available compared to the monumental task at hand. Casa Alianza is active on all fronts, from caring for street children to the core of the residential program—which focuses on family and social reintegration—to advocating for change and raising awareness within society, and more.
In addition to the residential program, Marjorie was able to spend time with the street educators, as well as with the social workers involved in family reintegration, visiting families and the various program beneficiaries.
We always return from these field missions with the same spirit of generosity and desire to help our colleagues there. The two Committee members, Eliane Hauri and Emmanuelle Werner—who went on vacation to Guatemala and also visited Casa Alianza—would certainly agree!
A members’ get-together in pictures!
On February 21, many of you came to Philippe Vollenweider’s home to hear travel stories and share field experiences from Marjorie, who visited Nicaragua and Honduras, and from Eliane and Emmanuelle, who traveled to Guatemala.A selection of about ten photos per country was shown on a large screen, allowing us to put faces and images to Casa Alianza’s programs.The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and the members in attendance expressed a desire to see this type of event repeated, as it allows us to truly share concrete updates on our programs in the field.
The Plan-les-Ouates Forum
The municipality of Plan-les-Ouates organized a wonderful project: a forum on development cooperation titled “Solidarity in All Its Forms,” which took place on Friday and Saturday, March 7 and 8, at the Espace Vélodrome.
The forum was structured around three main themes: an exhibition featuring associations and projects supported by the municipality of Plan-les-Ouates, aimed at raising public awareness of development cooperation issues; a conference and a coffee-and-conversation session allowing associations, residents, and elected officials to meet and discuss shared challenges; and cultural, artisanal, and culinary activities offering festive moments for the attending public.
Casa Alianza was present throughout the two-day event, and the organization was able to raise its profile during this highly rewarding outreach initiative. A thousand thanks to all the volunteers who gave their time to this event!
Our Annual General Meeting
It was held on Thursday, April 3, in the Zazie Sadou Room at the Maison des Associations. About twenty of us gathered to present the activities of 2007 and the financial reports to our members and friends.
Laurence Roth presided over this eleventh General Assembly, which took stock of 2007—a year with mixed results, since, of course, the cause remains as inspiring and noble as ever, but it is always difficult to raise funds and ensure the continued existence of our Geneva chapter.
Fortunately, with all the positive energy from our new members, our loyal supporters, and a Committee that’s back in full swing, we’ll do everything we can to carry out some great projects this year.
We hope the annual report will follow and be available in mailboxes and online before summer!
A New Committee Member!
The 2008 General Assembly approved Emmanuelle Werner’s candidacy as a new Committee member! We welcome Emmanuelle, who will be working on the Committee to address the specific issue of representing Casa Alianza at the United Nations and engaging in lobbying and advocacy to defend children’s rights.
And on a happier note, we congratulate her on her wedding, which took place on April 12!
The newlyweds of Casa Alianza Switzerland...
Following Emmanuelle’s example, we also congratulate Laurence, our president, who got married in March, and Philippe, our secretary, who got married in January!
Long live the newlyweds!
Don’t forget the Casa Alianza Volume 2 compilation!
It needs your support and word-of-mouth to sell! We’d like to remind you that this CD, featuring 12 tracks by up-and-coming artists from the Swiss music scene who lent their voices to support street children, is priced at 25 CHF. There’s always someone celebrating a birthday, a farewell gift for a colleague, or plenty of other occasions to spread the word about this CD with a humanitarian mission!
Would you like to get more involved?
We always need our members’ time and ideas to support street children. If you’d like to become an active member, you can:
- Join a team at Casa Alianza Switzerland. Please email info@casa-alianza.chou or visit the website (www.casa-alianza.ch).
- Help with stuffing envelopes? For our mailings, we’re looking for a few people who are available to help with stuffing envelopes. Please sign up at info@casa-alianza.ch
- If you have ideas for activities, please contact us by writing to info@casa-alianza.ch.
Thank you for your support!
Editor of Qué Pasa No. 7: Marjorie Granjon.
