An eventful year is drawing to a close. Our local partners in Nepal and India faced the challenging situation with impressive flexibility and great commitment. Usthi is thankful for the great support we received from our donors in Switzerland again this year.

At the beginning of the year, the situation in India with respect to the pandemic seemed to be easing. While school lessons could already take place again in Nepal and the project development of the educational project progressed further, only a few children were allowed to return to the schools in India.

A renewed rise in the number of cases in March diminished hopes for further opening steps. Again, the measures to control the pandemic forced schools into distance learning, activities in the projects were restricted, many families remained without income.

Both India and Nepal were hit hard by this second wave. To support people in this difficult situation, Usthi launched an emergency relief campaign together with local partners. Thanks to prompt and generous support, Usthi was able to expand the campaign to four locations. Families and children in the surroundings of our projects were provided with food and hygiene materials.

Since autumn, the projects have slowly returned to normality. First of all, the professional skills centres were able to reopen, the students gradually returned to the classrooms, and the prevention campaign against human trafficking also picked up speed again. The easing allowed Usthi’s Executive Director Alessandra Grosse and Programme Coordinator Mirjam Hirzel to visit the projects in India together with the founder of the Foundation Kurt Bürki, to exchange with the staff and to get a picture of the situation on spot.

The main goal for the coming year is to keep all children enrolled in school. With the help of bridge classes, children shall be enabled to catch up on missed lessons. Women and children who have lost family members are given access to professional skills training so that they can stand on their own two feet.

Finally, Usthi would like to express its heartfelt thanks for the initiatives of the inspiring charity events in favour of our foundation. In September, the Dorftheater Utzenstorff played a charity performance and in December, a virtual yoga charity event took place. The proceeds are of the greatest value for the young people in our projects.

Usthi would also like to thank all private donors, institutions and the public sector for their overwhelming support and wishes a peaceful end of the year and a good start into 2022.