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.”
October 28 2020
“Karuna-Shechen breaks taboos on what rural women can and cannot do, thus changing attitudes. As Dalai Lama often points out, we more than ever need empathy, altruism and compassion: that is why it ...
October 16 2020
« One only needs to become conscious of the truth for error, no matter how deeply rooted, to disappear, just as one only needs to light a lamp for darkness to disperse in a cave, even if it has been...
September 30 2020
In the continuity of Yoga for Karuna, Karuna-Shechen, an association founded by Matthieu Ricard, launches Action for Karuna, to support humanitarian projects in Nepal. From November 2 to 8, 2020, use ...
September 2 2020
« Altruism is not a luxury, but a necessity. It is also the most pragmatic way to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Altruism is indeed not only the noblest state of mind of the human being, bu...
August 31 2020
Karuna-Shechen is committed, since 2000, to provide access to quality education to the greatest number of people. We believe in a more altruistic world and education is a tool of choice to encourage t...
