ROKPA TIMES

No. 3 / November 2020 / Volume 40

Health

CONTENTS

Editorial 2

ZiMBaBWE – Hope and determination: Mwika 3

NEPal – Helping where help is needed: Hemraj 4 – 5

SoUtH aFriCa – Hearing with the heart: libulele 6

roKPa iNtErNatioNal – a new chapter begins 7

BaCK CoVEr 8

ROKPA INTERNATIONAL Executive Board

Lea Wyler (Co-Founder and President) / Peter Fanconi (Vice President) / Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche / Dorje Tarap / Gelong Thubten / Andreas Vollenweider

Imprint

Editorial team: Andrea Hefti / Evelyne Plüss / Lea Wyler Translation: Kaja Kurczewska Copy editing: Claire Twigger Graphic design: Renée Reust / Staša Lampret Cover picture: © Luke Younge Print run: 7,100 copies (German edition)

dear roKPa friends,

are you well?

What do we exactly mean by that question? is being “well” being

free from illness, having enough funds in our bank account or

getting out of bed on the right side, for example? according to

the World Health organization, health is "a state of complete

physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the

absence of disease or infirmity".

When we talk about health in developing and emerging coun-

tries, we first think of physical health issues such as malnutriti-

on, HiV or malaria. Mental and social well-being is often

forgotten. Yet the people we help in Nepal, South africa and

Zimbabwe are exposed to enormous psychological stress: they

grow up in difficult family situations, experience violence and

financial hardship, suffer an impairment, are discriminated

against, rejected or persecuted. on top of all this comes the

CoVid-19 pandemic, which causes the already shaky framework

of life to fall apart completely.

the extent to which physical and mental health are interlinked

and influence each other is shown by the story of Hemraj and by

the two destinies related in this issue of the roKPa times: one

is the case of libulele, a seven-year-old deaf boy who lives with

11 family members under one roof in a township in Cape town.

the other is Mwika, a young woman who fled with her family

from the democratic republic of Congo to Zimbabwe, was

diagnosed with breast cancer, suffered a rollercoaster of emo-

tions and finally lost her fight.

We can help together – both you and us! Not only with a

donation, but also by supporting each other, listening to each

other and taking time for each other. despite and because of

everything that concerns us at present, i wish you from my heart

a wonderful Christmas season and all the best and much love for

the coming year.

Stay healthy and thank you for continuing to support our work –

we need you more than ever!

Yours,

Lea Wyler

Co-Founder and President of ROKPA INTERNATIONAL

Editorial

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Printed on recycled paper manufactured in accordance with the rules of “The Blue Angel” eco-label.

Hope and determination: Mwika Mwika (26) and her husband Gideon flee the Democratic Republic of Congo for

Zimbabwe. On arrival, they and their two young sons, Gloire (3) and Aristote (5),

are housed in a refugee camp in the east of the country. Escape from their home-

land is not the only fate awaiting the family: when a painful blister develops on

Mwika's chest, their lives are changed forever.

the young woman is examined in several hospitals, but none of the doctors can make

an exact diagnosis or recommend treatment options. after a first biopsy, a second one

is necessary, but the family cannot afford it.

Loss of health and security

through Samye dzong Harare (meditation center founded by akong rinpoche),

Gideon contacts roKPa's Zimbabwean branch, which pays for the cost of the second

biopsy and refers Mwika to a cancer specialist. the cancer specialist considers her

condition to be urgent. the doctor also notes that Mwika is pregnant. this is another

challenge on top of the already difficult general situation.

Mwika is included in a cancer study by a Zimbabwean university. as a result, she is

at least regularly examined and part of the treatment costs are also covered. roKPa

covers the remaining costs for chemotherapy and scans.

The end is a beginning

Mwika's condition deteriorates: she is

dehydrated, can hardly eat anything and

therefore has to stay in hospital for

several weeks. there she gives birth to a

healthy girl named lhamo, tibetan for

goddess. roKPa provides baby food as

she is not allowed to breastfeed her

baby because of the chemotherapy. Mwi-

ka is worried: “What will happen to my

children if i am no longer alive?” But she

knows one thing: “Without Buddhism

and roKPa i would have died already. i

pray daily for all those who contribute to

helping the poorest”. and Gideon adds,

“We are so grateful. You have given us

hope.”

Unfortunately, medical support is not

always enough to get well again. While

roKPa is trying to organize a place for

her in a nearby hospice, Mwika loses her

fight against cancer on July 30, 2020.

roKPa continues to support the family

and ensures that the children can attend

school and stay healthy despite all they

have gone through.

thank you for your continued support!

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On August 19, around two weeks

after the death of her mother, little

Lhamo takes her first steps.

Mwika (pictured back in a light blue

dress) and her husband Gideon with the

baby and their two sons Gloire and

Aristote.

donate now for Medical Care

Payment reference: No. 8150

Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG

iBaN:

CH73 0483 5045 5090 1100 1

BiC/SWiFt: CrESCHZZ80a

Postkonto: 80-19029-5

iBaN:

CH54 0900 0000 8001 9029 5

3

ZiMBaBWE

Helping where help is needed: Hemraj

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Hemraj as a little boy with his mother.

I am Hemraj. When I was little, my

mother carried heavy baskets of stones

to various construction sites. She had to

work for us both to survive because my

father died prematurely. She carried me

as a baby in a cloth wrapped to her

chest, with the heavy basket on her

back. So I was always with her. She had

asthma and was afraid she would not

live long. What would become of me

then?

Mummy lea heard about her fear, her

burden and our hunger, and took me in

with roKPa when i was three years old. i

was so lucky! i became part of the ever

growing roKPa family. akong rinpoche

and Mummy gave me love and support.

through roKPa i was able to complete a

Master’s degree in Business administrati-

on and become a manager in the roKPa

Guest House. i became part of a large

family, and received love and support for

myself and for my mother's ongoing

medical problems. thanks to you, dear

donors, my life became good and mea-

ningful.

From the health crisis to the

economic crisis

after my childhood and youth spent in the

Children's Home and the first years of

working in the Guest House, i ventured

into independence with my café "Choco-

late Wheels" (like Mummy, i love choco-

late!). the business is up and running and

my wife is also working. But now the

pandemic is here and the situation in

Nepal is devastating. Because of the

lockdown, more and more people are

losing their jobs. Many have no savings

and can no longer afford food, rent,

clothing and medicine. Besides people’s

physical needs, which can no longer be

provided for, psychological problems are

accumulating. our country lacks any

strategy for dealing with the pandemic.

People do not know whether they will

have anything to eat the next day. on top

of this is the fear of contracting the virus.

the already high suicide rate in Nepal

continues to rise.

I want to do something!

My friends have also lost their jobs and

want to get involved. like some of them,

before the pandemic i was obsessed with

the idea that i didn’t earn enough, didn’t

have enough, didn’t experience enough.

the lockdown period shook my innermost

being and i finally understood how rich i

was, that i had enough and that the time

had come to change my life. the moment

had come to give back some of what i

had received more than enough of at

roKPa.

and so i started an emergency aid

project, initially supported by people from

abroad whom i met in the Children's

Home and Guest House and who have

NEPal

4

since become my friends. Every day our

volunteers here distribute food to hungry

people in different places in Kathmandu,

and this with the help of my mother,

who used to go hungry and was a

beggar herself. She shows us where the

poorest people often sleep in the

winding alleys, where families have lost

hope and are hungry. She knows what

hunger and hardship are. and she feels

the need to give something back,

because she too is alive thanks to the

help of others. and so the cycle closes:

the hardship of one indirectly leads to

the survival of another!

The project

People who have been particularly hard

hit receive parcels of rice, lentils and

other staple foods. Beneficiaries include

homeless people, single parents,

workers, the unemployed and those with

disabilities. i am entrepreneurial,

communicative and well connected in

the area. i have been able to arrange

with some grocery shops that the goods

are packed directly in the shop and for

those in need to pick up the goods

directly from there.

this means there is no need for storage

space. to protect the volunteers, we

have taken out CoVid-19 insurance for

them. in the event of infection, 100,000

rupees are paid out, which is around

CHF 1,000. this sum can save their

lives.

I received the “ROKPA seal of approval”!

My project recently became part of the

roKPa Emergency Food Program. We

are now making common cause. and

here, too, we have come full circle: i, the

former roKPa child and aid recipient

Hemraj, have become a project assistant

who helps where help is really needed.

thank you for supporting many people

today, just as you supported my mother

and i back then. all of them have

become important multipliers for

roKPa.

i am proud to be part of the roKPa

team and to be able to feed people.

With your help i can change someone

else's life in these difficult times. Every

Swiss franc counts!

Hemraj Dangal

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donate nowto the roKPa food program

Payment reference: No. 8750

Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG

iBaN:

CH73 0483 5045 5090 1100 1

BiC/SWiFt: CrESCHZZ80a

Postkonto: 80-19029-5

iBaN:

CH54 0900 0000 8001 9029 5

"Now I have finally found my calling."

Hemraj Dangal

Hunger is now all the greater.

People with disabilities

particularly suffer in a crisis.

5

South africa has fallen into a deep crisis. Not only because of

the health consequences of the coronavirus, but also because of

its economic ones. libulele's grandmother worked as a home

help, her uncle was a performance artist. Both have lost their

jobs.

The beginning of an education crisis

Since schools were closed at the end of March, all children have

had to stay at home for the foreseeable future. libulele is no

exception. He is increasingly losing his connection to school, as

he lacks paper and school supplies. He doesn't want to play

outside as children of the same age bully him because of his

deafness. in addition, the 12 family members live together in a

very confined space. the tensions between them are growing.

libulele often feels sad and hopeless.

The “Izandla Zobomi” project (Hands for Life)

together with UNiMa Sa, the South african association of

Puppetry, roKPa, and therefore YoU, are helping around 100

families who have been plunged into crisis because of CoVid-19.

the Simani family is one of them. First and foremost, physical

well-being was taken care of and food was distributed. libulele's

uncle says: "When libulele saw the food packages, he was

overwhelmed. He could not believe that people were coming to

help."

Food for the body and the soul

Children need something to do, but many families cannot afford

pens and notebooks. therefore, in addition to food, learning and

craft materials were distributed as well as craft ideas for the

whole family.

Handicrafts help develop children’s fine motor skills, while joint

activities in turn strengthen cohesion in the family. Violence can

thus be reduced. this project also strengthens the sense of

community within the township: the approximately 100 families

work together to make dolls and wooden figures which are sold

locally and internationally.

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Hearing with the heart: libulele

Libulele Simani is seven years old and deaf since birth. He

lives with his family in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, one of the

largest slums in the world. Being deaf is not his only misfor-

tune: his grandmother and uncle, who have been feeding the

family up to now, have been unemployed since the lockdown.

The nationwide curfew has pulled the rug out from under the

feet of the family of 12 – but especially of Libulele.

Libulele is happy. Not only can he study again, he can now also

draw and do crafts.

A food package for a family

contains flour, rice, beans,

vegetables, pasta, powdered

milk, tea, salt, soap,

bandages, detergents and

cleaning products.

6

SoUtH aFriCa

Change in management as of

September 1, 2020

after seven years, Corinna Biasiutti

(pictured middle) has resigned as

General Manager. She joined roKPa as a

volunteer in 2011 and took over the

management in 2013. Melanie Ewing

(Finance, pictured left) and Evelyne Plüss

(donor relations & Projects, pictured

right) are already part of the roKPa

team and have been Co-General Mana-

gers since September 1, 2020.

Corinna, what made you laugh during

your time at ROKPA?

CORINNA: lea's humour! in general,

humour was always present and impor-

tant in the team – even if we are some-

times confronted with very challenging

stories. But this also has to do with the

joy of working in a team and making a

difference together. it carries us forward!

…and what are you most looking forward

to now?

CORINNA: i can use my time more

freely. there are many little things that i

have wanted to do for a long time and

now i can. But i am also looking forward

to continuing to be part of the roKPa

team as a senior consultant.

What is your personal contribution to

ROKPA?

MELANIE: My nature enables me to

facilitate a common way forward in a

variety of situations: for example, here in

Switzerland there are accounting stan-

dards that are not necessarily the same

in our project countries. it is important to

find the balance between them.

EvELyNE: i lived in Kenya for a little

more than four years. this experience

helps me to understand the situation on

site and to reconcile our standards and

the requirements of our benefactors with

the conditions in the project countries.

after all, we all have the same goal: to

help!

What does the world urgently need now?

MELANIE: Solidarity, empathy and more

balanced prosperity.

CORINNA: With the CoVid-19 pande-

mic, we are witnessing for the first time

something that affects the whole world.

and a gap is already opening up again. in

many countries, people's living conditions

have already become worse, and this will

ultimately threaten our world peace. We

are now all called upon to act together.

EvELyNE: and we should not forget: at

some point the situation will improve for

us: after all, we have a stable social

network that absorbs a lot. But it is

crucial that we continue to think of the

people who will feel the consequences

for years to come.

Good luck and here's to a new chapter at roKPa!

a new chapter begins

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We hope that you can enjoy the winter time despite the current situation.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best and

good health for the coming year.

roKPa iNtErNatioNal

7

On March 24, 2020, all schools in Nepal closed until further notice and the children

have been at home. Now it is even more important that they are kept busy. Being

creative helps the children in the Children's Home to be focused, gain self-confidence

and process thoughts and experiences.

You can help in the following ways

• Sponsorship:Supportathemethatisparticularlyclosetoyourheartorgift

a sponsorship.

• BuyahandmadeWaldorfdollforyourlovedones:www.rokpa.org/walro

• SupportusasanITvolunteer–Formoreinformationcall+41442626888

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and

share our posts in your network.

Thank you very much for your generous support!

Colorful through the crisis

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How you can donate Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG:

iBaN: CH73 0483 5045 5090 1100 1

BiC/SWiFt: CrESCHZZ80a

Postkonto: 80-19029-5

iBaN: CH54 0900 0000 8001 9029 5

By SMS:

GOROKPA+amount(uptoCHF99)to

number 488 (E.g. Go roKPa 30)

For Medical Care

Project No. 8150

For Food/Living Costs

Project No. 8750

For Education

Project No. 8100

For Urgent ROKPA Projects

Project No. 8000

In Switzerland all donations to ROKPA are tax-free.

Helping where help is needed. Sustainably, for 40 years. ROKPA

ROKPA INTERNATIONAL|Böcklinstrasse27|8032Zurich|Switzerland|Telephone+41442626888

info@rokpa.org | www.rokpa.org | facebook.com/roKPa.org | instagram.com/rokpa_international/

Rupa with her dream garden.

Sarita's impressions of the current environmental situation

Ranjit with his canons.