PHILANTHROPY

Fondation Petram

The foundation was established in December 2012 for charitable purposes. Its main aim is to provide donations, grants or any other help so as to improve life on both an individual and community level and help those in need, especially children and the elderly, all over the world.
The foundation also aims to promote activities and support projects and programmes in education, health, arts and culture and the environment, using these fields as a way to improve living conditions.

The foundation will provide the means to enable those in need to enter a profession and undergo training for which they do not have the necessary resources. It will also be able to bear the costs for those in need due to illness, accidents or disability.

The foundation's committee consists of :

• Claude Hauser : President
• Jürg Stäubli : Vice-President
• Me Jacques Buchi: Secretary

Claude Hauser, ex president of the Migros Group Board of Directors, Mr Jacques Buchi, corporate lawyer and Jürg Stäubli complement one another with their respective skills so as to achieve the aim of the foundation.

At the end of 2014 the foundation has over CHF 40 Million. It is a recognised charitable establishment and listed under the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs. All of the foundation's committee members are volunteers.

During 2014 the foundation provided financial support to those in education and training, funded a university programme in Asia and provided medical care for someone in need. It also provided funding for furniture, equipment, lingerie and consumables for the paediatric ward of the St Joseph hospital in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast.

Visit Fondation Petram website

2018 Activities

The Petram Foundation has supported a large number of projects, led by associations, foundations and private entities. Cases are studied carefully and donations are based on the nature of the project and in the interests of geographic equality.

In 2018, we supported many foundations and associations, including
Pro Senectute, Pro Infirmis, Fondation Theodora, Fondation La Rambarde, Association Résiliam, Association Points Cœur Suisse, The Endoctrinological Dispensary of Bishkek, Association Fil Rouge and Théâtre 2.21.

We also awarded several study grants to young talents without the resources necessary for completing their training.

2017 Activities

2016 Activities

Projects supported in 2016:

• Financial support for the Swiss Cancer League for various research projects.
• Funding for an alternative theatre show from Tiphanie Bovey-Klameth in Lausanne.
• Funding for a study on waste disposal in the West Point district of Monrovia to reduce the permanent risk of epidemics like Ebola and the infant mortality rate.
• Financial support for the international humanitarian organization Nouvelle Planète, for a waste recovery project in Burkina Faso.
• Financial support for the Puplinge Classic Festival, to encourage interaction between young talents and internationally renowned artists.
• Partial funding of a study grant to enable François-Xavier Poizat, a talented pianist, to attend the Juilliard School in New York.
• Funding for a drop-in centre for the Kantuta Association, for children and teenagers who have been abandoned or live in extreme poverty in Bolivia.
• Financial support for the Kimmitri nursery in Yverdon-les-Bains.
• Financial support for the Freude Herrscht Foundation from Adölf Ogi, for the organization of various activity camps for young people in Switzerland.
• Funding for the purchase of medication, medical treatment, wheelchairs and various equipment for the Bishkek orphanage in Kyrgyzstan.
• Financial support for the Farah Dogs association to train assistance dogs, sponsorship of Jaska.
• Financial support for the Banking and Finance Academy of the Arabayev State University in Kyrgyzstan.
• Financial support for the St. Gallen Symposium, International Student's Committee.
• Donations to various associations and foundations, including Pro-Infirmis, Doctors Without Borders, Transport-Handicap, Jan & Oscar, Action Innocence, Enfants-Avenir Cochabamba, Miblou, Aide Inde, Fondation Pasteur Suisse, Fondation Théodora and the Association Enfants-Avenir project in Bolivia.

2015 Activities

Projects supported in 2015:

• Financial support for the Jura farmer Michel Prêtre (France), who fed and cared for 35 abandoned horses. The noble decision to care for the animals had left him with serious financial problems.
• The international humanitarian organization Nouvelle Planète, for a project to recover waste through recycling set up by the female collective Gafreh in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso with the help of National Councillor Isabelle Chevalley.
• The CO: OPERAID Foundation for the Ches Pi Rien project, providing basic education to children living in poverty in the Tonle Sap See province of Kampong Chhnang in Cambodia. For the same foundation, a project to provide professional training to teenagers and mothers in the Alusama Froi mountain tribes in Bangladesh.
• The Oasis Foundation in Kyrgyzstan, to support some 145 teenagers preparing to leave the orphanage and begin working life. This helped them integrate into society and begin a career to become financially autonomous.
• Financial support for the International Music Masters Association, for the Madeleine Concerts in the 2015-2016 season organized by the very talented pianist Mélodie Zhao.
• Financial support for the Freude Herrscht Foundation, set up by the former President and Federal Councillor of Switzerland Adolf Ogi. The foundation organizes projects to improve the health and well-being of children and teenagers by getting them involved in outdoor activities in Switzerland.
• It supported the Enfants des Rues Institute by paying for winter clothing for 128 children in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and covering the medicine budget for the period 01.10 to 31.03.16.
• Funding for operating room disinfection procedures and equipment at the Children's Hospital in Bishkek, as well as a years' worth of products.
• The Jan and Oscar Foundation, with numerous projects to help children in Thailand.
• Funding for disinfection procedures and equipment for five hospitals in Guinea, as well as a years' worth of products.
• Donations to various associations and foundations, including Fondation Théodora, Action Innocence and the Miblou Association, which helps children with disabilities in India by supplying orthopaedic devices, etc.

Nosocomial infections: The first step in the fight

On 15 September 2015, to help combat nosocomial infections, the Petram Foundation—in partnership with the François Wahl's company Numelec—donated a batch of disinfectant products and spraying machines to the capital's various hospitals, including the Ignace Deen University Hospital, the Ratoma Community Medical Centre and the Matam Community Medical Centre in Guinea.
The Ministry of Public Health and Hygiene's conference room and the Military Hospital in the Samory Touré camp were used to distribute the donations.

With an unspecified percentage in Guinea and various countries in Africa, an increasing number of people are contracting nosocomial infections, most frequently in hospitals with poor levels of hygiene.

To fight this phenomenon, the Petram Foundation made donations to help improve individual and community living standards.

Products and equipment designed to target the agents of these nosocomial infections were distributed in centres. François Wahl explains, "We achieved founder Jürg Stäubli's goal to fight these illnesses by equipping hospitals with the technical resources to combat nosocomial infections."

Centres receiving equipment were keen to express their gratitude through Mr Awada, managing director of the Ignace Deen university hospital. "We are proud and grateful to the donor of these revolutionary products, as they will help us make great progress in the fight against nosocomial infections. We hope to see positive results in assessments," he told us.

Used for the first time in Guinea, these products will be tested for one year to assess their efficacy. A report will be drafted after each test to study the success rate. "The product will be studied over a year with experts here and in Switzerland to improve the way it is used. This will enable us to evaluate the efficacy and adoption of a product already used in Swiss hospitals," the CEO of Numelec explained.

Text : Rougui Alpha Bah

A rehabilitation centre for street children in Bishkek

Deprived children in Kyrgyzstan are a major concern for me. It was only natural then that I wanted to co-fund an orphanage in Bishkek, the country's capital. As the name implies, the centre offers help to orphans, but also to street children who have "lost their way".
Kyrgyzstan has experienced periods of extreme difficulty— moving from a socialist to a market economy, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and of course the many revolutions. These changes raised existential questions and many people sought refuge in drugs and alcohol. The consequences have of course been devastating. Worse still, it is, as always, the children—society's most vulnerable members—who have been hit hardest. Many of these children end up on the streets.

Among other specialists, the centre recently recruited a qualified psychologist who travels the city at night, speaking to children on the streets to try and convince them to come to the centre. He really believes in his work and wants the children to come of their own accord.

Often this is a success, since, deep down, the children are happy to be given the chance to return to a normal life. It seemed only right then to want to fund the salaries of psychologists in the years to come.

My strong relationship with the Justice Minister enabled me to persuade him to sign a decree preventing street children who commit crimes from being automatically sent to prison. As there are no special institutes for adolescents and children, prison has disastrous consequences. Children simply cannot be locked up with adults.

The police have now been informed of the new law. If a child is arrested, they contact the centre and a worker comes to collect the child immediately. If the child or teenager takes well to the centre and attends school, the case is closed. Of course, this does not apply to repeat offenders. This allows children who have committed a crime out of necessity, for example, to return to humane living conditions. Every child "saved" this way is a success and a major win for everyone involved.

Bishkek charity

A young beggar is hit by a car. The driver speeds off. Thanks to a donation from the foundation, the boy can recover the use of his legs.

"The first time I visited Kyrgyzstan in early 2010, I went to the Bishkek home for orphans and street children. I almost always visit an orphanage or children's home when I go to a country for the first time. Not only does it help me understand the country's culture and mentality, but it also helps me see the people's social realities.

I noticed that the staff at this home were very caring towards the children—dedicated people carrying out difficult work in very trying conditions. The home lacks many things that would seem normal and essential to us, like clothing, toys and even medical care.

I decided to help these children. I now do that regularly and visit the home every time I go to Bishkek. The resources provided are managed on site by trusted volunteers working for the German Embassy. In-kind donations of all kinds are also welcome.

It's an incredible thing to see the children's eyes light up when they are given toys, clothing and new shoes. I feel extremely privileged to be able to make deprived children with an awful past a tiny bit happier."

Link to further information on the charity :www.helpforkyrgyzstan.org

Construction of a school in Lomé, Togo

Alongside two partners, Jürg Stäubli funded the construction of a school in Lomé, the capital of Togo. The school was built and opened in the early 2000s, with space for more than 300 children and teenagers. As most schools in the country are fee-paying, the poorest families are unable to give their children an education. This school is, therefore, free of charge and enables children to study from nursery school to high school.

The funding covered part of the construction, the purchase of supplies and three years of operation. During the initial launch period, managers on site created a local foundation to collect the sums needed every year to ensure the school could continue to run..

2014 Activities

In 2014, the foundation provided financial support to people in the field of education and training and funded a university programme in Asia, as well as gave medical treatment to a person in need. It also paid for equipment, materials, textiles and consumables for the St Joseph Hospital in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire.

The foundation also provided financial support to the "Kyrgyzstan culture days in Kriens", in the canton of Lucerne. Finally, it made donations to many Swiss foundations working in a range of fields such as cancer, paedophilia, children in need and children with illnesses, and also provided partial funding for a meal for the end-of-year celebrations of 250 elderly people in need in Madagascar.

Corinthie mother and child centre in Guinea

This project was launched at the initiative of President Professor Alpha Condé by Dr Bernard Kouchner. In an essential move, it aims to trigger a dynamic of support in the Republic of Guinea. The project involved creating a close-knit structure for mothers and children in the very deprived neighbourhood of Conakry.

The project—which cost approximately 1.5 million euros—attracted a large number of donors who contributed to the funding. The hospital was opened on International Women's Day on 8 March 2014 in a ceremony attended by the President.