Help without Frontiers:- 2010 A look back!
Jun 6th, 2011
When I look back over the last year, I do so with a crying and one laughing eye. It was for me, and I think also for many others from our team, a difficult year that has shown me my limits and forced me to have some time out. Much has happened in the recent months: the depreciation of the euro has given us many headaches and to cope with the challenges of the new refugee flows, our team in Mae Sot has worked day and night. But all the hard work has paid off, when you see the children in our schools. Their laughter and their well-being are worth every effort. In addition, we were able to increase our donations and revenue for the administration and thus could expand some projects.
For the coming year, we have set ourselves high targets. We can only achieve this with your support. The donations will go in 100% to our projects. If you want to support our administration, please consider us for your tax return. Give us your 5 percent, by specifying our tax number: 94080180212!
A ray of sunshine
Bibi Niederkofler for Help without Frontiers team
Thank you for your donations also by credit card! (To the donation accounts)
Supported by:
CONTENTS:
1. GENERAL ASSEMBLY: A look back
2. WE HAVE MOVED: A new home in the House of Solidarity
3. DONORS AND PATRONS: There is good news to report!
4. EVENTS: All are welcome!
5. FREE: Offer us your flights!
6. NEWS FROM THE BORDER: News from Mae Sot
1. GENERAL ASSEMBLY: A look back
On April 15th the General Assembly of Help without Frontiers took place. This year the location of the event was the House of Solidarity in Milland, Bressanone. Representatives of Help without Frontiers from Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Thailand attended the meeting. Together with the numerous members and interested guests, we looked back on the year 2010. A particular challenge in the past year was the economic crisis. The more we are pleased that we managed, together with many donors and volunteers to secure and expand our projects.
As treasurer Helmut Wolf reported, we received a total of 820,943 € in donations, which represents an increase of 22.6%. We generated 734,142 € (+23.7%) of income for our projects (donations and contributions), in addition to the 86,801 € (+13.9%) for our management. Spending for projects rose to 726,005 € (+53.1%), which includes among others € 238,302 for schools and education, € 60,118 for health and medicine, € 30,143 € for creation of income, 240,919€ for our food program and € 64,925 net for project management and our social centre in Mae Sot. We spent € 76,503 (+31.3%) for administration in South Tyrol, for travelling and marketing. These costs are covered by separate sources of income.
Ann Siraporn Kaewsombat, our head of the Mae Sot office, along with Lena Weller, presented the many activities and single projects. Our kitchen produced up to 5,700 meals a day (2010 total of 900,000 meals), more than 6,000 students learned in our schools and our sewing workshop produced nearly 8,000 pieces of clothing, as well as 900 BiBiBags. The complete annual report of 2010 can be viewed here.
According to the statute of the association, the Executive Board was elected. First, however, we said goodbye to the retiring members Elke DeBiase, Erika Gostner and Peter Pöder. By acclamation, the assembly appointed the new members. Christina Kuppelwieser, Petra Rastner, Benno Röggla, Wolfi Töchterle and Helmut Wolf were confirmed, Anne Dallemulle, Alois Lageder, Harald Niederseer and Bernhard Winkler were newly elected. They will soon be presented on our website.
At the conclusion of the Assembly, we ventured a forecast for the year 2011. We plan to spend 975,000 € for our projects. This sum includes the costs of the new construction of the kitchen, sewing room and training centre. We are awaiting the official confirmation of contributions already granted. In South Tyrol, we want to extend our activities and we want to form a powerful team headed by Bibi Niederkofler.
The program was rounded off by Markus Dorfmann aka Dordoggising and the performance of his exhilarating but at the same time socially critical songs. We let the evening die away with a small buffet.
2. Moving: A new home in the House of Solidarity
Since mid-April Help without Frontiers has found a new home in the House of Solidarity in Brixen. The new address of the association is now Help without Frontiers c / o House of Solidarity, Vintlerweg 22 30942 Brixen. We are, together with the organization OEW ,the second organization in the HdS that deals with the issue of development cooperation and the solidarity with people in difficult situations. We hope that this new neighbourhood results in synergy effects that are useful for us and for them as well.
3. DONORS AND PATRONS: There is good news to report
The Charity hotels have selected inter alia “Help without Frontiers” as partner for their donation projects. The participating hotels donate the annual membership fee of 150 € and an additional 5 € for each review they receive through the portal Holiday Check.
On April 10th and 11th this year’s wine show SUMMA11 of the winery Alois Lageder took place in Magré. Thanks to the generous donors almost 25,000€ for our joint “Wendelgard Lageder” project were collected.
At this year’s final concerts of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of South Tyrol instead of entrance fees,the organizers asked for donations for Help Without Frontiers. The enthusiastic audience gave more than 3,200 €.
Pia Pedevilla did handicrafts with children from Val Badia for various Christmas markets. Almost 9,000 € were donated for the fruit and milk program.
On May 14th the Vin-o-Ton concert was held at the winery Lageder in favour of Help without Frontiers. More than 3,000 € were collected, which will be used for the common Wendelgard Lageder project.
We hired a new employee in Bressanone and we are very grateful that the office Sachsalber & Girardi has agreed to help us with all the bbureaucratic work involved.
We thank all donors and supporters and apologize that we can not mention all of them by name due to lack of space.
If you would like to support our projects, you will find our donation accounts here and the online credit card donation form. Thank you!
4. EVENTS: All are welcome
In the fall of 2011, we will present the film BURMA DISPLACED during a movie tour through South Tyrol. After the performance a panel discussion will be held with Benno Röggla, the director of the film Roland Wehap and Chaung Khu, a refugee and member of Help without Frontiers in Mae Sot. The Province of South Tyrol supports this initiative with a generous contribution of 15,000 €. Thank you for your support.
5. FREE: Offer us your flights!
Whenever you fly, you can help us to get free flights. Without any expenses for you.
We subscribed to the program Lufthansa PartnerPlusBenefit. For every flight we or our friends and supporters undertake with Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, Thai Airways or other airlines of the Star Alliance Group we receive POINTS. On top each passenger continues to receive their usual miles on their personal Miles&More program.
With the collected points we are able to book free flights for our trips. Please contact us via email for more details!
You can donate the points of your flights, without losing your personal miles!
6. NEWS FROM THE BORDER: News from Mae Sot
For 7 years, we have supported the IDP schools in Burma. These are the schools of the internal refugees within Burma. Now we must unfortunately say goodbye to them and this hurts, because the children and their families are of course very close to our hearts. Due to the fighting along the border, the support of the schools has become impossible, too big are the logistical challenges. Nevertheless, these schools will continue to exist. The KESAG, Karen State Education Assistance Group, who supports most of the IDP schools in the Karen State, will take over “our” schools and ensure their continued existence. They have the necessary experience and means to assist these schools even under difficult circumstances.
Everything is new! The 360 students and teachers of the New Day School will begin the new school year in the brand new school buildings. As the owner of the land where the old New Day school was located, did not renew the lease contract, the move of the New Day School was inevitable. The buildings, which were financed by the estate Lageder of Magré (South Tyrol), are now almost complete. Only a minimum of installation work still is needed and everything will be ready for the children. Finally, teachers and students will have really enough space for their activities. They will enjoy new classrooms, kitchen, cafeteria and washing rooms. We thank everyone who made this project possible.
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Help without Frontiers
Registered in the Public Index of voluntary organisations of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, Italy, L.D. 20/ 1.1. of February 4, 2003
The transparency of our activities is certified by 2 “Safe Donations” certificates:
