5 PRIORITIES

1. Casa Alianza Celebrates August 1 in Hermance

On August 1, 2013, as part of the Swiss National Day celebrations, Casa Alianza was invited by the Municipality of Hermance to set up an information booth on its fieldwork at the beautiful waterfront.  

The Municipality of Hermance has supported the Association’s activities since 2013 and wanted to give its residents the opportunity to learn about the programs of the organizations it supports. This wonderful day provided Casa Alianza with another opportunity to display a selection of photos taken in the field, showcase jewelry and other artistic items crafted by children participating in the on-the-ground rehabilitation programs, and present the association’s activities. The association’s booth, located across from the festival tent, helped raise the association’s profile.

Thank you to the Municipality of Hermance and to Arnaud Bocquillon for his volunteer support during the event!

2. Casa Alianza Day at the Esery Golf Club

Once again, Casa Alianza organized its traditional golf tournament at the Esery Golf Club on October 4, 2013, followed by a delicious cocktail reception prepared by renowned Chef Dominique Gauthier. This event set records for both attendance and proceeds. In fact, nearly 80 people attended, helping to raise nearly CHF 10,000.

The new format used this year—a Louisiana scramble in teams of four—was particularly appreciated by the competitors, who enjoyed its more social atmosphere. Congratulations to the team of Stéphane Turin, Valérie Chaumet, Pascale Thaler-Fortis, and Yves Omarini, who won the competition!
The atmosphere of the evening was also excellent, and golfers and non-golfers alike came together to enjoy a relaxing time while savoring delicious food. This evening also provided Casa Alianza with an opportunity to showcase the comic book report on violence in Guatemala by Swiss cartoonist Patrick Chapatte, as well as several cartoons by political cartoonists addressing the violence and corruption plaguing Central America.
Once again, the association extends its warmest thanks to the Esery Golf Club and Dominique Gauthier for making this evening possible, as well as to Jérôme Joliat and Gerry Crompton, members of the association’s Board, for their energy in organizing this event. Thank you also to the Maison du Dessin de Presse in Morges for providing the exhibition of drawings.
Finally, we are delighted to announce that next year’s event is already scheduled, and we hope to see many of you at the Esery Golf Club on October 4, 2014!

3. Casa Alianza Switzerland Advocates for Children’s Rights

One of Casa Alianza’s goals for 2013 was to increase our advocacy efforts. And we’ve done just that! This year, we actively participated in coalition groups of NGOs working to promote children’s rights. As a result, we were able to build strong relationships with some of these NGOs and contribute to joint statements, as well as submissions to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, on issues such as birth registration, access to justice for adolescents, and juvenile justice.
Similarly, on October 23, Mexico underwent its Universal Periodic Review before the Human Rights Council. Most of the states present expressed concerns about rising violence, corruption, and the practice of “arraigo” (pre-trial detention). Unfortunately, few countries addressed children’s rights. However, like Switzerland, many emphasized issues related to the rights of women and girls. 
Following this review, the Mexican government announced that it was revising legislation concerning children and adolescents in detention, with the aim of ensuring better social reintegration. It also announced that it is working to provide greater access to health care, particularly for migrants and, specifically, unaccompanied children. Finally, Mexico stated that violence against women and girls is one of its major concerns and that it wishes to eradicate it as soon as possible.

4. Casa Alianza’s Participation in Filmar

This year, the Filmar en América Latina Festival celebrated its 15th anniversary, and Casa Alianza was present for the event. We thus had the privilege of presenting two films: *En la casa, la cama y la calle* and *La Jaula de Oro*. The first film, a documentary produced by the Nicaraguan NGO Puntos de Encuentro, focuses on the production of a TV series and is used as an awareness-raising tool to combat violence against women, such as trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Casa Alianza also had the honor of presenting a second film, *La Jaula de Oro*, which has won awards at numerous festivals, including Cannes. This film follows the journey of young Guatemalan women migrating to the United States in search of a better life—a situation that Casa Alianza’s local teams often encounter.

5. La Petite Reine

On November 30, La Petite Reine hosted a Casa Alianza night, with 10% of the bar’s proceeds donated to our organization. It was also an opportunity to once again display Chappatte’s comic book as well as photos taken in the field to raise awareness among a new audience about the situation of the street children cared for by Casa Alianza.