Media coverage of Usthi

In the context of the Covid-19 emergency relief in India, several media channels reported on the activities of the Usthi Foundation in India. After reports appeared on Namaste Switzerland and in The New Indian Express in August, the Linth Zeitung now also reported on the food aid during the lockdown.

In early August, Namaste Switzerland, an online magazine for Indians in Switzerland and people interested in Indian culture, published an article about the history of Usthi. Aradhna Sethi reports on the foundation’s beginnings and current activities in connection with Covid-19. In mid-August, a shortened version of this report was published in the Indian daily newspaper The New Indian Express, focusing on Usthi’s Covid-19 emergency relief.

On September 8, a detailed report appeared in the print version of the Linth Zeitung. The first section deals with the difficult start of the new executive director Alessandra Grosse: “A country in lockdown – for many weeks.When Alessandra Grosse talks about the corona situation in India, her look behind the glasses turns serious. The 30-year-old is the Executive Director of the Usthi Foundation – an aid organisation set up 44 years ago by Kurt Bürki from Rapperswil. Grosse has only been in office for a few months. Travelling to India for the Foundation’s projects, getting a picture on the spot – none of this is currently possible for her. A somewhat unusual start in her new job, as she herself says.” (Translation by Usthi). Here you can open the whole article (in german) as a PDF file.

Besprechung des Abfallmanagements am Strand von Penthakata

Handover of Waste Management to the City of Puri

With a formal handover ceremony, the City of Puri has taken over responsibility for the operation and financing of waste management in the Penthakata settlement from Usthi. Usthi remains committed to integrating this topic into the surrounding schools. The new video shows where the waste management project starts – and why. One of Usthi’s schools […]

Sturzflut in Nepal

Flash Flood in Nepal

On Wednesday, 26 August 2026, a devastating flash flood caused widespread destruction in Nepal, north-west of Kathmandu, along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers. Lives were lost and many people remain missing. Homes, roads and vital infrastructure have been destroyed, leaving families without their livelihoods. Usthi is deeply saddened by the devastating events. Our thoughts are […]

der neue Schulbus an der Penthakata Schule

New school bus in Penthakata

The first test drive caused great excitement among the children at Penthakata School. Since July, the new school bus – made possible by the generous donation of an Indian supporter – has been in regular use. Every morning, the children from the informal fishing settlement on the outskirts of the city make their way to […]