Usthi opened its first school in India in 1977. Over the past decades, the Usthi Foundation has grown steadily, but its focus has remained the same.
The Covid-19 pandemic is challenging the Usthi projects and depriving countless people in India of their livelihood. Usthi supports the families at the project locations with food aid.
A new project in Nepal is about to begin. It promotes access to education for children and supports local schools.
After more than 40 years of untiring commitment, Kurt Bürki withdraws from the operation and leaves the day-to-day business to a young team. The film “40 Years of Usthi” gives an insight into his work and its impact in India.
It’s been 40 years since the first school opened. This is celebrated with a concert of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and the violinist Leia Zhu at Rapperswil Castle. Usthi says thank you for 40 years of support!
A new project for the benefit of young women who were consecrated to the goddesses as children is launched in Hyderabad. Under the pretext of cultural rituals, they are abused as young women and discriminated against in society. In protected residential communities they are supported in overcoming their past and helped to integrate into society.
With the last young woman in the Bangur Home project stepping into independence, a long-term project comes to its natural end.
When two terrible earthquakes shake Nepal, Usthi, in cooperation with local partners, helps in both, crisis management and reconstruction
In the Somagiri region, the hospital and the health network are supplemented with the “Health and Education Programme HEP” for infants.
Together with a new project partner, family communities, school sponsorships, tutoring centres, two vocational training centres and a campaign to prevent child trafficking are set up in Hyderabad over the years.
Thaddeus Getzmann, a generous private donor, enables Usthi to open a school in Bhastara.
2001 our partner takes over the responsibility for the Usthi Hospital in Bubaneswar. Since then, the hospital has contributed to local financing.
After years of untiring dedication to the projects in India, Edeltrud Bürki dies. As Kurt says, she was the heart of the Usthi Foundation.
After several visits to Puri, Odisha, the Usthi Foundation decides to establish a school in the Penthakata suburb.
A group of girls from the streets of Kolkata find a home and family community in the “Bangur Home”, where they can now grow up safe and secure.
The establishment of a children’s hospital gives the population of the Dakshindari district in Kolkata access to medical care.
Due to great support, Usthi is able to open a second school in Hudarait, east of Kolkata.
Given the financial growth of their commitment, Kurt and Edeltrud Bürki decide to set up a foundation under Swiss law. It is registered under the name of Usthi Foundation.
Usthi expands its focus on education to include health care and opens the tribal health centre in Somagiri. Young women from the surrounding villages are trained as health care workers and then take up their jobs in their villages.
Edeltrud and Kurt Bürki open the first school in the village of Usthi, south of Kolkata. What begins with a mud hut, will grow into a campus consisting of a school, a farm and a small market.
Edeltrud and Kurt Bürki travel to Kolkata for the first time and decide to support children and young people in India. Their first project is a street kitchen in Kolkata.