Visit Report November 2014

This past November I made my annual trip, together with representatives of the Board and friends of the SANNI Foundation, to visit all of the projects we sponsor. The most important thing first: It is truly wonderful to visit the projects to see first-hand how our resources are being utilized for the purpose they were originally intended. Seeing the outcome truly inspires and motivates us to continue our work aimed at improving the lives of the underprivileged and sick. None of this would be possible without your generous help! For this we extend you our heartfelt thanks.

Today, I would like to provide you with the highlights from our trip:

Trivandrum/ Southern India

The St. John’s Foundation in Trivandrum, Kerala, Southern India, led by Father Jose, has had a constructive partnership with the Schroff Foundations and SANNI Foundation for a number of years now. It is truly gratifying to see how many lives we have positively affected during this time! Above all, it is such a pleasure to see how the children have flourished over the years and to look into their sparkling, happy eyes! It is touching to witness the joy in life the children radiate, despite their difficult circumstances.

Our achievements so far:

• Godparents now support 300 children at the annual cost of CHF 360 per child.
• 25 young people have been released from the sponsorship program and are now earning their own living!
• A four-floor, 100-bed hospital sponsored by the Foundation continues to serve the basic needs of vulnerable populations in Trivandrum. It offers both in- and out-patient medical care, with over 40,000 patients having received treatment in 2014. Due to the subsidization of patient care by those more fortunate, the hospital has now broken even. Next year we anticipate making a small profit, the proceeds of which will flow directly into funding new projects for the needy.
• Over 1,500 diabetes patients in over 43 diabetes facilities have been provided insulin and other medical essentials, at virtually no cost.
• Over 1,300 HIV / AIDS patients receive treatment at St. John’s annually.
• The “SANNI Bhavan” training center has provided HIV-infected adolescents and deprived, young adults from the lowest caste an opportunity to complete various job-training courses, which allows them to build a future existence for themselves and their families. Craft classes for women are also held at this facility.
• To date, 85 HIV-infected families have received mushroom cultures. This allows them not only to farm healthy food for themselves, but to generate a modest income by selling them.

Yangon/Myanmar

The second and most recent project of SANNI Foundation is located in Myanmar. This unique country, which awakened from its long slumber only two years ago after 60 years of isolation, must cope with tremendous challenges. For example, traffic in Yangon suffers daily breakdowns and prices are skyrocketing, particularly in the larger cities.

Sadly, the country’s conditions suffer in pretty much all respects and the divide between wealthy and poor is growing swiftly. Adhering to our principle of implementing projects together with trusted local representatives, the SANNI Foundation joined forces nearly two years ago with charity Medical Action Myanmar (MAM), headed by Dr. Frank Smithuis and Dr. Ni Ni Tun. MAM’s goal is to create a network of clinics and orphanages aimed at treating patients from humble backgrounds. Above all, it aims to serve children suffering from malnutrition, tuberculosis and in particular, HIV.

We are currently supporting MAM in the construction of a medical clinic as well as a children’s home / orphanage. Costs for the building structure are relatively inexpensive; it’s the maintenance and treatment costs for the needy patients that add up. In 2015, we anticipate around 150,000 patient consultations at the modest cost of CHF 7 per patient (in total, just over CHF 1 million).

On our journey, we envision the 120 children in Myanmar will receive support by “Godparents” similar to the children of St. John’s in India. A sponsorship ensures the child will receive food, a hygiene kit and clothing – and most importantly, an education.

The visible change in the children was astonishing in comparison to the previous year.
On the one hand, we were able see that malnutrition CAN be fought, and on the other we clearly saw hope in the children’s eyes!

Where is the SANNNI Foundation headed in 2015?
Over the past few years we’ve concentrated on the successful development of St. John’s in Southern India. With this achievement running smoothly, we now turn our focus towards Myanmar.
In Yangon, we will continue to support the medical clinic and will build an orphanage. The high numbers of HIV has sadly led to more orphans, and we have a tremendous opportunity to provide them with a future.
At St. John’s in Southern India, we will continue to support the ongoing projects (“Godparents,” mushroom farms, women’s projects, home construction, etc.).

100% of your money reaches the needy: All administrative costs are borne by Rotronic AG.

You will find more information and recent photos at www.sanni-foundation.ch or the latest news/photos on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Sanni.Foundation.CH.

Many thanks for your support!

Yours sincerely,
Susanne Schroff