Alessandra Grosse is in charge of the operational management of the foundation since mid 2020. After a bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Basel, she completed a master’s degree in environmental governance at the University of Freiburg i. Br. This enabled her to focus not only on environmental issues but also on the humanitarian sector. She gained initial experience with India in the context of her master’s thesis, in which she investigated the participation of marginalised groups in the state of Karnataka. After an internship abroad for the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Indonesia, she worked as a project coordinator for an organisation in Hamburg, Germany, and implemented development projects in India, Vietnam, Laos and China. In order to be a little closer to her home country, she looked for a new challenge in Switzerland and thus found her way to Usthi. The Graubünden native from the Calanca Valley likes to spend her free time in the mountains and is a passionate climber indoors and on rock.

agrosse@usthi.ch
+41 55 511 21 25

Mirjam Hirzel is in charge of the project monitoring since autumn 2020. After a Bachelor in International Development and Food Policy at University College in Cork (Ireland), Mirjam moved back to Switzerland, where she completed her Master in Comparative and International Studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. She gained professional experience in several assistant positions during her studies and was employed at the Chair of International Conflict Studies for four years after graduation. Within this framework she completed her doctoral studies based on field research on indigenous peoples in Central India. She spent eight months in India, mainly in Mumbai, Delhi and Chhattisgarh, where she headed a small local research team and worked closely with Indian scientists. Her experience has prepared her well for her cooperation with the project partners, the professional monitoring of the activities in India and Nepal and the regular project visits. Besides work, Mirjam enjoys spending time in the garden, traveling or at the dance studio.

mhirzel@usthi.ch
+41 55 511 21 25

Franka found her way to Usthi after travelling through Asia for three months. Since September 2023, she has been responsible for public relations and supports the team in fundraising. After studying political science and media studies, Franka spent a year as an intern in the communications department at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich. There she learnt how to put theory into practice and gained valuable knowledge, which she now actively applies at Usthi. The experiences Franka gained while travelling through Sri Lanka and Indonesia, among other places, have awakened in her the desire to become involved in the humanitarian sector. In addition to her work at Usthi, Franka helps people with a migration background in Basel to learn German. She enjoys expressing her creativity in the pottery studio or while cooking and seeks peace and quiet in nature, or the exact opposite at concerts.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
fhuettche@usthi.ch
+41 55 511 21 25

Christian joined Usthi in June 2019 and is in charge of fundraising and supports the team in administrative matters and public relations. Christian is a trained IT specialist with many years of experience in administrational tasks. The desire for a meaningful job with a social orientation led him to Usthi, where he can use his know-how for the children and young people in the Usthi projects and gain first experience in the nonprofit sector. In his free time he likes to ride his motorbike or travel the world.

chruebensaal@usthi.ch

+41 55 511 21 25

Jonathan Schuler joined Usthi in November 2023 and is responsible for finances and human resources. In this position he has now been able to fulfill his long-held career aspiration of working in a charitable foundation. Jonathan studied social work at the University of Applied Sciences in St. Gallen and then worked as a school social worker. At the same time, he began a second Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus in Economics and Politics at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). Since November 2018, he has been putting his acquired knowledge into practice as head of the office of the online magazine das Lamm, where he is responsible for finance and human resources. Jonathan Schuler also has professional experience in project management and event planning and has completed further training as a project manager (CAPM). He is a keen sportsman and loves to let his energy out in various sports such as snowboarding, surfing and breakdancing.

jschuler@usthi.ch

+41 55 511 21 25

Donatella Suter’s involvement with Usthi goes back to an encounter in 1985, when she was an employee at a bank in Rapperswil. Intrigued by Usthi’s work, she began to support the foundation. Dona has been volunteering for the Usthi Foundation for more than 30 years and is currently responsible for accounting and private donor relations. Usthi is very lucky to have her on board. She has travelled to the Usthi projects several times and the many inspiring encounters have convinced her again and again that the projects are sustainable and supporting Usthi is well worth her while. Dona has been working as an assistant to the financial director at Wetzikon Hospital for several years.

Tim Dean left University with an Honours Degree in modern languages. He lived for nearly 2 years in France before settling in the German part of Switzerland in 1980. Having spent 40 years in Industry (Sales, Marketing and Legal and General Management positions for multi-national companies), he started his Management Consultancy in 2010.  He had regularly travelled to 17 of the world’s poorest countries in Africa on business, and this left a lasting impression. On a recommendation from an Indian colleague, he was immediately attracted to the work and programmes of Usthi. Tim mainly supports Usthi with voluntary translations into English. His interests are: his wife of more than 40 years, golf, travel and music.

Former Swissair pilot Kurt Bürki’s social commitment began in 1976, during a visit to Kolkata. Together with his wife Edeltrud Bürki, he founded the Usthi Foundation. Having been actively involved in Usthi’s commitment to education and healthcare in India and Nepal for more than 40 years, Kurt retired from the operative business at the end of 2017. However, he still is and always will be dedicated to Usthi. He is an honorary member and is available to the team as a consultant. In addition to Usthi and his family, Kurt’s great love is music. He says that Usthi could never have sprung to life without it.

Felix Senn has been President of the Board of Trustees of the Usthi Foundation since January 2020. Felix retired at the end of 2012 as a captain with Swiss. He works as a flight instructor and is a member of the community council of his home town of Maur. As a young pilot, he met Kurt Bürki almost 40 years ago in a Swissair cockpit. The then newly founded charity Usthi and the dedication with which Kurt and Edeltrud Bürki ran the organisation impressed Felix and his wife Vreni so much that they have supported Usthi ever since. So when Felix was asked by Kurt Bürki in December 2019 to join the Usthi Board of Trustees, it was a matter of course for him to get involved. In his free time, Felix spends a lot of time with his grandchildren, enjoys flying in an old airplane or hiking with his wife in the Arosa mountains.

Gabriela Bürki, who grew up with Usthi as she is the daughter of the founding couple, joined the Board of Trustees in 1999. After the death of her mother Edeltrud, it was important to her that a woman from the founding family should continue to be involved with Usthi. The well-being of children and young people is very important to Gabriela, who originally completed a degree in linguistics, be they in India or in her care at the day nursery where she works. She is also a passionate motorcyclist.

Dr. Urs Jaisli joined the foundation in 2020 as a member of the Board of Trustees. Urs Jaisli has worked for 30 years in the Roche Corporate Legal Department, particularly in the areas of compliance and sustainability. During these activities he also had contact with India and learned about the country’s diverse cultures and fascination, but also about the enormous social challenges in India. He is convinced by the activities of the Usthi Foundation, which are geared towards sustainable progress, and this is the reason why Urs Jaisli gladly decided to support the foundation with his knowledge and wide experience. Urs Jaisli is convinced that the sustainable support of children and young people is extremely important; he is therefore also a member of the board of “El Refugio”, a foundation that supports a children’s charity in Honduras, and a proud father of two grown-up sons.

Matthias Manz joined the Board of Trustees in 2020. After completing his education with a doctorate in history, Manz held the positions of State Archivist of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft, Political Secretary of the Socialist Group in the Swiss Parliament and Head of Strategy and Controlling in the Department of Economics and Internal Affairs of the Canton of Aargau. He also looks back on the implementation of international projects in Slovenia and Eritrea. What convinces him about Usthi is the clear focus on project responsibility on site. Manz hopes to be beneficial to Usthi with his experience in strategy and concept work as well as finance and controlling. His hobbies are reading, writing, hiking, watching “Schwingen” (Swiss wrestling) and playing “Jassen” (a card game popular in Switzerland).

Daniel Kempter is a member of the Usthi Foundation Board and part of the Usthi film crew as a photographer and cameraman. Since 2012 he has been involved in volunteer projects for various NGOs in different regions of the world. He is an adventurer, explorer and owner of two small businesses. In the context of the movie “40 Years of Usthi” he contributed significantly to the creation of a documentary film and valuable footage showing how Usthi has developed over the last 40 years. Due to this intensive India experience, his heart was open to participate in the Usthi Foundation. His passion is to take people and organisations on a sustainable and effective path. In addition, he practices sports every day and often travels around the world to learn from foreign cultures and interesting people. He loves the culinary arts as a hobby cook and bon vivant and is happy to capture impressive moments of life with his camera.

René Graber is the expert for the motion picture in the Usthi Foundation Board. He is a video producer and has been travelling the world as a professional film maker for over 30 years. As a conceptionist and director for events, he accompanies a wide variety of businesses in Switzerland. In addition, he is working for a children’s home in the canton of Solothurn for many years already. Within his commitment to socially disadvantaged children, he wrote the script for the film “40 Years of Usthi” in 2016 and, as a cameraman, was responsible for the video recordings of the various Usthi projects in India. Travelling is his passion, the cities of Europe his fascination, books open the world to him and his children mean the whole life to him.

Dr. Christa Vollrath is a member of the Usthi Foundation Board since 2021. As an ophthalmologist, she brings her knowledge and experience in medical matters to Usthi. The avoidable blindness of the poorer population, for example, is also a major issue in India. On her trekking trips in the north of India, Christa experienced how infinite luxury and extreme poverty live side by side. This experience has shaped her and she sees it as her opportunity and responsibility to work with Usthi to improve the living conditions of young people. Therefore, Christa accepted the invitation to join the Foundation Board with joy and out of conviction.

Christa enjoys spending her free time with her family and doing sports outdoor: hiking, cycling, skiing and sailing. Her violin also gives her a wonderful balance to her busy everyday life.