Shaping the future – bringing hope to children in Faridabad

Faridabad, a major economic hub in the New Delhi metropolitan area, has around 1.7 million inhabitants. However, rapid growth has its downsides: the infrastructure is overstretched, affordable housing is scarce, and many families live in slums under precarious conditions. Children are particularly affected – they often face illness, malnutrition, and limited access to education. Some lose parental care altogether and are left on their own.

A home for children in need

Since 1984, the SOS Children’s Village Faridabad has been offering a safe and loving home to children who cannot live with their parents. In five family houses, specially trained SOS mothers care for a total of 41 girls and boys. Here, they experience security and stability while gaining access to education—first at the SOS primary and secondary schools, and since 1990, through a dedicated vocational department for commercial and technical training.

Partnership with the SWISS Staff Children’s Aid Foundation

Since 2015, the SWISS Staff Children’s Aid Foundation has been providing sustainable support to the SOS Children’s Village Faridabad. This partnership makes it possible to directly support an SOS family and cover their living costs – a valuable contribution that opens up new opportunities for children.

Achievements and highlights in 2024

The year 2024 was marked by important milestones:

• Two young people successfully passed their final 12th-grade exams.
• Several children received scholarships and started higher education.
• In their daily school life, the children engaged in sports, art and debates – achieving success at local and national level.

Inspirational projects also took place outside the classroom:

• a bird-feeding initiative fostered environmental awareness,
• while a day of action against child labour highlighted the importance of education.
• On World Food Day, children and caregivers learned about the benefits of traditional millet varieties.

These activities build self-confidence, empathy, and a sense of community – showing how holistic support can permanently transform young lives.

Your support makes the difference

None of this would be possible without the loyal support of our donors. Together, we are giving children in Faridabad not only a home, but also hope, education and the chance of a better future.

Since 2012, the SWISS Children’s Foundation has been collaborating with the “JACARANDA – HOPE FOR CHILDREN” foundation, co-founded by former SWISS Captain Dagobert Fretz. In 2015, thanks to a donation, the SWISS Children’s Foundation was able to build the “SWISS JACARANDA HOUSE” in Cape Town. The house opened in 2016 and provides a home for six children aged between 2 and 14. These are orphaned children who are traumatised and come from severely disrupted backgrounds. A foster mother cares for them and is responsible for their daily needs, providing them with security, stability, and emotional and therapeutic support, as well as ensuring their physical well-being. Another house has been financed directly by “JACARANDA – HOPE FOR CHILDREN”.

Forever Kids Kenya is a foundation in which SWISS employee Kate Kaufmann is actively involved, alongside her sister Pia, also a former SWISS employee.

Since 2013, the school has provided a valuable basic education to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. A significant milestone is now approaching: the relocation to a larger, dedicated building. This step does more than just create space for more students; it permanently improves learning conditions and ensures the organization’s long-term independence from rented premises.

Our support is making a key contribution to advancing the completion of the first two floors, bringing the opening of the new facilities within reach. A dedicated member of Forever Kids Kenya is regularly on-site to oversee progress and ensure everything runs smoothly.

This positive momentum allows the association to fast-track construction, with the goal of using the first classrooms by the end of the year. The association is delighted with the continuous progress, which guarantees a stable future for the school and its approximately 300 children.

Thanks to our total donation of CHF 16,500, Forever Kids Kenya has achieved decisive breakthroughs in the construction of the new school building in Mombasa.

The SWISS Children’s Foundation is proud to have made a valuable contribution to this meaningful project, helping create better future opportunities for children in Mombasa.

Following a benefit concert by the “SWISS Band in Concert” in September 2018, the SWISS Children’s Foundation had the honour of accepting a donation of CHF 10,200. These funds were allocated to the “Green School” project in Mumbai, managed by our local partner, Earth5R.

A key highlight of this initiative took place on 1 February 2019, in Powai, Mumbai, during a special event for the school’s students and teachers. A “Green Workshop” was held, during which herbs and other plants were planted in the school’s newly created garden. Before getting their hands dirty, the students attended a presentation on the benefits of home gardening and the positive impact various plants have on health and the environment. What made the day truly special was the presentation itself: it was led by 9-year-old Jahaan and two other students, aged 8 and 12. They had researched the topic in advance and were eager to share what they had learned with their peers. Despite some initial nerves, their enthusiasm was contagious, and soon every student was excited to start planting. It was a beautiful and unforgettable event, attended personally by Philipp Bonkatz from the Children’s Foundation!

Due to the significant need for family-based care for orphaned and abandoned children in the region, the SOS Children’s Village Matagalpa was established in 2000. Since then, 67 children and young people have found a new home across ten family houses, where they can grow up in a child-friendly environment with appropriate support and care.

Since summer 2014, donors of the SWISS Staff Children’s Aid Foundation have actively contributed to improving living conditions and future prospects for children, young people, and their families in Matagalpa.

The project in Cartagena, Colombia, was announced at the 2010 Christmas party. After successfully recruiting new donors, funding for this further engagement was secured. Once again, in cooperation with SOS Children’s Villages Switzerland, the decision was made to identify the next location for a new village.

We therefore chose a different approach and selected a new SOS Children’s Villages International project in Cartagena, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. With passenger donations, a house was purchased and carefully renovated.

These passenger contributions now also cover the ongoing operational costs of the home – expenses which, due to the decentralized organizational model, are significantly higher than in previous setups. As always, the Children’s Foundation covers the children’s living expenses.

When the devastating tsunami struck the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day 2006, causing immense suffering, the Foundation’s Executive Board knew we had to help. We were committed to a sustainable, long-term project, which meant waiting until the initial chaotic phase passed to find the right fit. After a few months, a suitable project emerged: the construction of a new SOS Children’s Village on the island of Phuket, specifically for children orphaned by the tsunami.

For this project, we teamed up with our passengers once again. Passenger donations financed the construction of the SWISS House, while the Children’s Foundation took on the ongoing living costs for the children. Even during the construction phase, the children’s village could be visited for the first time.

Because of its accessible location, the Phuket family has become the most visited of the four projects to this day. The children always look forward to welcoming guests and are exceptionally generous. Every visit includes a shared lunch with the children, followed by time spent playing together.

The Children’s Foundation’s second project was once again planned at one of our destinations. Due to long lead times, we contacted SOS Children’s Villages Switzerland at a very early stage. They were planning a new village in Dar es Salaam, funded with support from Switzerland.

For the first time, this project also allowed us to involve SWISS passengers. As our young foundation did not yet have the funds to finance an entire building on its own, the onboard coin collection from SWISS flights provided the perfect solution. We therefore decided to contribute to the construction of the new SOS Children’s Village.

This was the very first project launched by the Foundation after it was established. In search of a suitable initiative, we contacted SOS Children’s Villages, a non-profit organisation with an excellent reputation, which has successfully cooperated with the Swissair Children’s Foundation since the 1970s.

Together, we decided to support the existing Children’s Village in Rio Bonito, a disadvantaged suburb of the São Paulo metropolitan area. Since the beginning of 2000, we have been supporting the children in House No. 9, covering their living expenses.