20 years anniversary

Our anniversary brochure:
download PDF or open the online brochure

On 29 May 1998 Backpackers Villa opened the doors for the first time to welcome travellers from all over the world.We were able to celebrate over 20 years of guests finding their way to us every day.

We are very grateful for all the guests that have helped to make Backpackers Villa a success story.
Celebrating our 20th anniversary we want to let others participate in our joy and will contribute CHF 1.- for every night's stay to one particular social project every month. Here we briefly introduce each project one after the other every month.
photo: 1998

solidarity fund / equipment insurance

We support the Swiss association 4africa. They help with different projects of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Worcester in South Africa. Bruno Guntelach, who served as a chaplain at Backpackers Villa years ago, has managed the base of YWAM Worcester since 2010. They invest in schooling and education for youth and coaching for young entrepreneurs.

www.4africa.ch

The climate promise of Paris sets global warming at no more than 3° to 4°C. But this is not enough to save the future of our children. That's why plant-for-the-planet plants trees - more than 14.2 billion during the last 10 years.

We supported the "Plant-for-the-Planet Academy“ which took place on 27 October 18 in Interlaken. The academy strives to make school kids sensitive to the issue and encourages them to become young ambassadors for climate justice.

Conditions are getting more and more tight for children and youth work at EMK Metzingen. On one hand the number of children has risen quickly plus the age range of youth attending is widening continuously.

We want to help to improve the situation quickly with the addition of a circus car.

emk-metzingen.de

h3metzingen.de

AVC provide needs-based humanitarian assistance: quick, unbureaucratic and efficient. AVC is a humanitarian organization working for people in need, regardless of their political beliefs, religion, origin or social position.

Currently AVC is also active in Syria, where so much has been almost entirely destroyed due to the fights with IS.
By the way, all the lost and found clothes of Backpackers Villa get another life and are made use of due to the AVC. Thank you.

www.avc-en.org/

Connexio is present in many countries that have a young population. But it is there in particular where books for educating youth and opportunities for preparing guides for their roles as youth leaders are missing. Connexio supports the growth of youth work in Chile and Bolivia.

www.connexio.ch

Parental Care Ministries Uganda was founded in 2001. They provide orphans and neglected children with food, schooling and where necessary a place to sleep. It was possible to buy land to build a primary school inlcuding dorms for the children. Meanwhile they are running a total of 7 schools, one of which is a Highschool. A total of 2260 children are attending school every day at PCM schools.

The next step is to buy land for growing more of the food they need themselves. This will also allow some of the students to learn a profession and have a job after school. 

Jungschar Rammbock offers an attractive program for children aged 5-15 years every second Saturday. Every summer they organise a cool children's camp. Children of local refugee families are taking part, too. With the support of Backpackers Villa fees can be kept low.

www.rammbock.ch

Island Kids Philippines is a small private NGO helping street kids and those who used to live of collecting garbage and their very poor families. They fight poverty and inequality through shelter & education, schooling, jobs and by helping people to help themselves.

www.islandkids.ch

60'000 children are growing up in poverty. 25% of them live in families with three or more children. The swiss foundation for families supports them. The dream of family must not lead to poverty.

www.stiftung-familie.ch

In October 2017 students of Interlaken's high school went to South Africa and attended Strelitzia Secondary School. They stayed with host families and made close friends with their exchange student of the family.
March this year was the time for a return visit of the students from South Africa. Now it was their turn to travel and spend two weeks with their hosts here in Interlaken.
Our contribution goes towards the "Swiss travel pass" for every single student so they can discover Switzerland by train during their stay.

1 million orphans in Zimbabwe are the focus of Startup Africa. The chlidren are looked after by grand mothers or live in children's households. Furthermore, Startup Africa train and support local staff in establishing small local startup companies.

www.startup-africa.ch

Hier ein Ausschnitt aus einem Bericht von einem Besuch in Zimbabwe:

Ihr habt StartupAfrica sehr grosszügig unterstützt und wir möchten euch nun hiermit mitteilen, wofür wir eure Spende eingesetzt haben, bzw. 
noch einsetzen werden:
1. - Hausbau von einem 3-Zi.häuschen, inkl. Wc-Häuschen, von Grossmutter Mudada mit ihren 6 Waisenkindern (Enkel). Das Haus ist bereits fertig gebaut, siehe Foto im Anhang. Der Anstrich und der Bau vom WC-Häuschen werden nächstens noch gemacht.
2. - Notfallmässige und langfristige Unterstützung von Mai Mataza: Diese Mutter ist verwittwet, hat 3 Kinder zwischen 10-2 Jahren und lebt in der trockensten Gegend von Manicaland. Diese Familie wurde uns von einem unserer Projektleiter vorgestellt, denn die Familie war am verhungern: bei unserem Besuch war einzig etwas grünes Gemüse auf dem Feuer am kochen. Wir haben diese Familie spontan mit Lebensmitteln versorgt und der Mutter zugesichert, dass sie nun ab sofort eine monatliche Unterstützung erhalten wird,  dazu das Hausdach ihrer Hütte erneuert wird und die beiden älteren Kinder wieder die Primarschule besuchen können. Im Anhang je ein Foto von der Familie und von der Mutter in der "Küche".
 
Nochmals ganz herzlichen Dank für eure sehr grosszügige Unterstützung, die uns ermutigt, uns weiterhin für die Ärmsten in Zimbabwe einzusetzen.