Dear Members,
Snow and winter have settled in Geneva, so now is the perfect time to check out this new issue of the Casa Alianza Switzerland E-newsletter—whether you’re curled up by the fireplace or snuggled under the covers.
Of course, as always, please feel free to contact us for more information, if you have ideas for activities and/or fundraising, or 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!
Pecha Kucha in Geneva
Pecha Kucha: this means “chatter” in Japanese. This event concept, created by architects in Japan, is designed to share one’s interests, passions, and favorite things. Anyone can come and talk about whatever they want—from their latest vacation to the major challenges of the 21st century—no matter the topic.
The original and mandatory format involves commenting on 20 photos, 20 seconds each! A short and engaging presentation—and thus the perfect opportunity for the Executive Director to talk about Casa Alianza at Geneva’s first Pecha Kucha event, which took place on October 20 at La Fumisterie.
A very enjoyable evening and a great opportunity to raise awareness!
The 2010 Casa Alianza Golf Tournament
On October 22, we held our now-annual golf tournament. This year’s event was a resounding success, with about fifty people participating, raising nearly 7,500 CHF in proceeds for the organization!
Everything went off in a joyful and cheerful atmosphere under a sunny sky, thanks to the Cologny Golf Club and Gerald Crompton, the event’s organizer. A huge thank you to Gerry!
Universal Periodic Review of Honduras
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council that involves reviewing each country’s human rights record. During the review, only other states may question the state under review and/or issue recommendations. NGOs have observer status.
On November 4, Honduras appeared before its peers to report on the human rights situation in the country.
Casa Alianza Switzerland seized this opportunity to advance children’s rights and advocacy, reaching out to some twenty permanent missions and securing meetings with 12 of them.
These meetings represent a unique opportunity to pressure governments to address questions and recommendations to Honduras during the review regarding issues that are important to us: children’s rights, extrajudicial executions of minors, migrant minors, commercial sexual exploitation, etc.
In total, 44 delegations took the floor during the review. Twenty-one of them addressed questions and/or recommendations to Honduras regarding issues related to children’s rights.
Of the 12 permanent missions we met with, 10 addressed issues directly related to children’s rights, which Casa Alianza considers a successful advocacy effort.
Another memorable “one-of-a-kind” evening
Six months of preparation, 5 organizers, 31 raffle prizes, 240 guests, 42 volunteers, and nearly 35,000 CHF in proceeds: here are a few figures to sum up a wonderful evening that took place on November 12 at the Salle du Faubourg (Saint-Gervais).
Some of you were there, others heard about it, but everyone agrees that the evening was unforgettable. The band Patchwork set the dance floor on fire with their costumes and timeless hits. Philippe Chevrier delighted our taste buds. And the volunteers were impeccably professional!
These charity events are important, both for raising awareness of Casa Alianza among potential new members and volunteers and for raising funds.
A short article appeared in the Tribune de Genève on Tuesday, November 16, and photos from the event are available on the Casa Alianza website (www.casa-alianza.ch).
Thank you to the five organizers: Laurence Bagnoud-Roth, Sybille Dawance, Alexandre Goossens, Mayra Sarasin, and Marie Weisz—and thank you to everyone for your help, your presence, and your generosity!
www.give-me-hope.com
This online retailer offers a partnership program to NGOs. When a consumer visits the site and makes a purchase from a wide selection of products, Give Me Hope donates 10% of the purchase price to charities that the consumer selects from a list of four organizations.
The organizations rotate every three months, and Casa Alianza will be among the next NGOs supported, from December 14, 2010, to March 14, 2011.
The most recent organizations supported were Carrefour Prison, Terre des Hommes Switzerland, Make-A-Wish, and Voix Libres.
With the holidays approaching, we can only encourage you to do your shopping at www.give-me-hope.com
!
Our website in Spanish!
The Casa Alianza Switzerland website is now available in Spanish!
Thanks to the work of Spanish-speaking volunteers, our colleagues in the field and at headquarters will be able to access our website’s content and follow the work of Casa Alianza Switzerland more easily. The long-term goal was also to reach the Spanish-speaking community in Switzerland.
A huge thank you to Carolina Perez for her translation work.
Uni-Mail Photo Exhibition
If you’re strolling through the Plainpalais neighborhood or want to show a friend photos of Casa Alianza’s work, stop by the Uni-Mail lobby from December 13 to 23, 2010, for a photo exhibition.
This initiative to raise awareness among Geneva students was made possible thanks to the efforts of Milène Hauri.
Spread the word!
News from Casa Alianza in Guatemala (La Alianza)
You may recall that in the last newsletter, we informed you about the reopening of a center for girls who are victims of trafficking in Guatemala.
Pierre-Yves Binz, a member of the Committee, visited the center last September. He reported that a comprehensive team is currently being assembled: several educators, a psychologist, a social worker, a lawyer to handle legal cases, and a national director. The center is expected to open its doors before the end of the year.
Would you like to get more involved?
We always need our members’ time and ideas to support street children. Please feel free to:
- Join a Casa Alianza Switzerland team by emailing info@casa-alianza.ch or visiting the website www.casa-alianza.ch.
- Come help us with our mailing campaign.
- Contact us if you have ideas for activities.
Thank you for your support!
Que Pasa No. 12 edited by Marjorie Granjon and Milène Hauri.
