We are thrilled to welcome Jon Schmidt as our new representative in Switzerland.
Jon, a 37-year old psychologist and family therapist from Lausanne, met Matthieu Ricard in 2005 and became enthralled by our work. In 2011 he organized a benefit conference for Karuna-Shechen with Matthieu and Swiss philosopher Alexandre Jollien. Four years later, when Matthieu Ricard asked him to join our Swiss affiliate, he happily accepted the volunteer post.
Jon will work with Ursula and Daniel Vollenweider who first established Karuna-Shechen’s affiliate in Switzerland. They were inspired to help our work after their trip to Tibet in 1997. Since then, they have been essential in providing long-term support for our projects and will continue to work with us. We are very grateful for their invaluable and selfless dedication over the years.
Jon recently visited our projects in India to get better acquainted with our activities:
” I had the opportunity to meet many inspiring people during my visit to India. The villagers seemed eager to learn new skills and to contribute to the well-being of their communities. In Chando, I met a lady who we had trained in solar panel engineering and who had helped bring electricity to most of the households in her village. I was also struck by this lovely young girl who, although she had so few material possessions, was very positive. Her glow of happiness brought smiles to my heart.”
April 12 2021
Vocational training is central to our goal of empowering the poor in India. Started in 2014 with a few workshops, the initiative has quickly grown into a full-fledged program that is operating success...
March 26 2021
Among the numerous Hindu festivals, Holi stands out as the most vibrant. The festival of colours, as Holi is fondly called, is celebrated on March 28th this year. Though Holi in its truest form is all...
March 12 2021
In November 2020, Karuna launched a major call to action as part of our solidarity movement: Action For Karuna. More than 70 people got involved by organizing virtual or face-to-face events, and thank...
March 2 2021
“"Women are leaders at heart! They care, they nourish, they help. They give meaning and direction to life. We must support and integrate them whenever we can.” ~ Shalav Rana, director of operati...
February 16 2021
In 2016, members of Karuna-Shechen followed a seminar with Frédéric Laloux, author of Reinventing Organizations. Specialized in processes of People's Change, Frédéric accompanied the members of Ka...
