Annual report 2008 association basmati

Annual report 2008 association basmati

Development aid starts at the bottom. It’s not that we are against huge supranational organizations, we just think that there are more efficient ways to build a better future for all – humans, animals, nature.

AuTHenTIc

Teaching at a rural school in Lao PDR.

HeLP

«ASSocIATIon bASmATI» AnnuAL RePoRT 2008

editorial / ReviewA journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step …It was late 2007 when I met my friend André Laubacher, a graphic designer, in Zurich. I intended to ask him if he would design a logo for a private project of mine. It should, however, be a work free of charge as the purpose of the project would be a nonprofit one. I told him about my plans to launch an informational and promotional web platform for small, grassroots nGo projects in Southeast Asia. I told him how I was sick of watching people donating their money to places, where it would end up seeped up in a huge infrastructure of the organization. I told him that I also was fed up with the way some organizations tried to collect as much money they could without giving real proof of what they achieve with the donations. I told him how sorry I felt seeing small projects having trouble getting their budgets filled, while for large organizations there is always plenty. And I told him how much more impact a donation can have on a small project if you only give it to the right people in the right places.André was immediately on fire for the idea and wanted to contribute far more than just a logo. And so we found ourselves on this evening, sitting somewhere above the rooftops of Zurich, and thinking about how we could best achieve something really good with this platform. A few months later, in January 2008, we found-ed the association «association basmati», including my long time friend Peter Spycher. And so the Fund was officially born.

… and sustainable development starts from scratch.The year 2008, the first year of the «association basmati», was clearly marked as the year of building up what this project will be in the future. It was an essential work to assemble that frame where later on I would be able to stack all my «content» in. First of all, there was the website – the «heart» of our communication structure. Secondly, the association applied for tax exemption status at the tax authority of the canton of Zurich (Switzer-land). The fact that we were granted this tax exemption was like a first milestone for us. And it also set a sign that told us it’s going to be serious from now on. We started to tell our friends about the project, still feeling a bit discontented with it since we were only at the beginning of it all and – seen from a superficial point of view – basmati seemed to be nothing more than just a website with a nicely built layout.

collection of destroyed buddha sculptures at Wat Si-Saket in Vientiane (Lao PDR)

Another milestone then was the research trip through Thailand, cambodia and malaysia in the summer of 2008. It was the second official research trip (after november 2007). I returned with not only a huge bag of memories, ideas and stories, but also with the feeling of confidence – and most importantly – one eligible project at each of my ten fingers. I realized that we were on the right track and that there was no need to hide basmati’s light under a bushel.Two and a half months later, André and I traveled back to Asia again. our first destination was Laos where I established the contact to a project which I personally had been very concerned about already a year ago. our further trip took us to cambodia, where much of the intended work remained undone as a lot of it literally fell into the water. If it wasn’t due to Independence Day celebration or the water festival, our visits were cancelled due to flooding.From the outside it may look as if the «association basmati» wouldn’t have come far in its first year of existence. behind the scenes, however, we have developed what is essential for a prosperous and successful future. We are planning our steps with much concern and care – because we want to harvest ripe fruits one day. We have juggled many ideas in the meantime, we have made a lot of valuable contacts and – most importantly – we have a clear vision of how we want to develop and where we want to go with our association.At this stage, I’d like to say «thank you» to everyone involved, especially to André and Peter for their support and passion for basmati, but also to all those who encouraged us to implement basmati from the very beginning.

Raphaël SurberFounder and director «association basmati»basmati – authentic help

no trace of shade: The sun hits the

deminers of FSD Lao at the early morning

2008 – THe key PoInTS

Research travel II, July/August 2008 – Thailand, cambodia, malaysiaThe main focus of the summer research travel 2008 lied on cambodia. There were plans to visit three different projects, but I ended up having visited six of them. cambodia is in an incredible and rapid state of change. What’s granted today can differ or vanish tomorrow – a fact that can mean everything from great to terrible for common people. but even our projects move on and develop rapidly due to the fact that our contacts in cambodia are all restless minds, whose work zeal and enthusiasm are hardly ever empty ‐ despite the difficult circumstances, the widespread corruption and incredible poverty most cambodians still live in. besides that, the visit to the Raks Thai Foundation in northern Thailand (chiang mai) was a first encounter with an organization whose radius is so wide that it can barely be summarized in a few lines. And finally I fulfilled myself a dream with a short detour to Pulau Langkawi, the northernmost of the small, outlying islands of malaysia: re‐encounter with a bunch of «furry friends».

Projects visited– Aziza’s Place, Phnom Penh (cambodia) | http://www.azizasplace.org– cambodian children’s Fund, Phnom Penh (cambodia) | http://www.cambodianchildrensfund.org– chibodia, udong/Phnom Penh (cambodia) | http://www.chibodia.org– eDF Thai, bangkok (Thailand) | http://www.d-pal.org– Future cambodian Fund/Happy Garden center, Andoung (cambodia) | http://www.futurecambodiafund.org– Langkawi Animal Shelter And Sanctuary (malaysia) | http://www.langkawilassie.org.my– motomedix clinic, Phnom Penh (cambodia)– Raks Thai Foundation, chiang mai (Thailand) | http://www.raksthai.org– Resource Development International – cambodia RDI-c, Phnom Penh (cambodia) | http://www.rdic.org– The Parivartan Project, Phnom Penh (cambodia) | http://thepariproject.com

$ 10 for pure drinking water: Water filter pro-duction at RDI-cambodia.

A woman guards the «harvest» of a single day out at Steung meanchey municipial garpage dump site.

Research travel III, october/november 2008 – Laos, cambodiaTen days Laos was sufficient time to really get to know the country and two projects with which I had been in contact since the very beginning of basmati: the Swiss Foundation for Demining FSD Lao, and eDF Lao, an offshoot of the Thai organization for educational and development projects. These were eventful days that even allowed us to put the ambulatory health care and hospitals in the country to the acid test. The results were satisfying, incidentally. Furthermore, thanks to references from our friends over there we found new exciting projects in Laos, which I would like to reserve for 2009. The days in cambodia were mainly influenced by the 55th Independence Day celebration and the subsequent water festival. Since hardly anyone worked and almost all the schools remained closed, one meeting after the other fell through. but cambodia is still on the agenda for 2009, and I am confident that we can soon resume our defaulted research.

Projects visited– Aziza’s Place, Phnom Penh (cambodia) | http://www.azizasplace.org– big brother mouse, Vientiane (Lao) | http://www.bigbrothermouse.com– c.o.P.e., Vientiane (Lao) | http://www.copelaos.org– eDF Lao, Thakek (Lao) | http://www.d-pal.org– motomedix clinic, Phnom Penh (cambodia)– Resource Development International – cambodia RDI-c, Phnom Penh (cambodia) | http://www.rdic.org– Swiss Foundation for mine Action FSD, Vientian/Sepone (Lao) | http://www.fsd.ch

Toxic grounds: Deminers of FSD Lao

explain their work on a playground in

rural Lao PDR

Tax exemption and what it means to our donorsIn April 2008, we applied for tax exemption status at the tax authority of the canton of Zurich (Switzerland) and only a few weeks later we were already granted (according to Swiss federal law). This means donations made by individuals or companies to ourselves or to projects we support are tax deductable for the donator. This certainly is a milestone for the association as well as for us as the founders of it since we have contributed a lot of our private wealth to get started with basmati.The tax exemption led to further considerations about an efficient donation system. Thus, we revised our origi-nal position, according to which we advised donors to transfer their money directly to the projects they want to support. From now on all (small) donations can be made to basmati in order to collect it in an aggregate donation. Like this we can avoid unnecessary costs and minimize the administrative efforts for the individual donor.

Schoolboys playing soccer at Wat Po, bangkok

Finance / DonationsSince there hasn’t been specific donation marketing in 2008 there’s little to report on the donations situation. The expenses for the year 2008 were exclusively funded by the three founders of basmati. Among the charges are, for the most part, expenses for research trips, as well as funding of some of our projects.

Financial Statement 2008 (in Swiss Francs)

INCOME

member fees 300.00

Donations 20‘506.35

other income 54.55

Total income 20‘860.90

EXPENDITURE

Travel expenses 15‘236.95

other expenses 0.00

Donations t/o projects 600.00

Promotion & Production 1‘373.06

other expenditure 376.75

Total expenditure 17‘586.76

Balance to be carried forward 3‘274.14

Donation account: 85-156062-0www.basmati.ch

association basmati p.o. box 78

8182 HochfeldenSwitzerland

T +41 79 303 33 16 www.basmati.ch