The Ameropa Foundation is an international

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

based in Binningen,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, that engages in

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an ideology centered on the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotiona ...

educational Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education also fol ...

and

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

projects, primarily in

developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a less-developed Secondary sector of the economy, industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. ...

. The organization was founded by Nicole Miescher and Andreas Zivy in 2001.

History

In 2001, Ameropa, a Swiss, privately owned international

agri-business Agribusiness is the Industry (economics), industry, Business, enterprises, and the field of study of Agribusiness value chain, value chains in agriculture and in the Bioeconomy, bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-ent ...

, founded the Ameropa Foundation to support entrepreneurial and social projects in developing countries. The organization focuses on investing in sustainable charitable programs in the developing world, mainly in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. Since its inception in 2001, the Ameropa Foundation has started over 49 projects around the world. By the end of 2016, the Ameropa Foundation reached over 62,000 beneficiaries, creating more than 5,500 jobs and educating over 31,000 children and adults.

Activities

Brazil

The Ameropa Foundation has been engaged in humanitarian activities in Brazil since its early beginnings. In 2012, the organization financed the construction of a sports and cultural center, the Arena do Morro, in Mãe Luiza,

Natal, Rio Grande do Norte Natal (), literally ''Christmas'' or ''natal'' ("birth") is the capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Norte, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, northeastern Brazil. According to Brazilian Institute of Geograp ...

. The Arena do Morro was designed pro bono by Swiss

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Herzog & de Meuron Herzog & de Meuron Basel Ltd. is an international architecture firm headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, with additional offices in Berlin, Hong Kong, London, Munich, New York City, Paris, and San Francisco. Founded in 1978 by Jacques Herzog and ...

, and has had a great impact on the community since its inauguration in 2014. The project has been published in various magazines across the world and has been exhibited in several museums. Its most recent exhibition is the exhibition ''Building Optimism'' at the

Carnegie Museum of Art The Carnegie Museum of Art is an art museum in the Oakland (Pittsburgh), Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The museum was originally known as the Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute and was formerly located ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. In 2008, the Ameropa Foundation also built ADIC, a school for 300 students in Passo da Patria, a

favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of impoverished neighborhoods in Brazil. The term, which means slum or ghetto, was first used in the Slum of Providência in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was b ...

on the shore of

Potenji River The Potenji River (Portuguese: Rio Potenji), meaning "river of the shrimps" in Tupi, is the principal river in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil). Its delta, that discharges in the coastline of Natal, was soon discovered by the first colon ...

, in the outskirts of the city of Natal. The school has been supported by the foundation since, but has additionally won the support of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

in the category ''Preparation to the world of work and youth leadership'' and the support of the

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

Football for Hope. Since 2004, the Ameropa Foundation has been supporting a

vocational school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary education#List of tech ed skills, secondary or post-secondar ...

for welders, mechanics and locksmiths in

Rio das Ostras Rio das Ostras () is a List of municipalities in Rio de Janeiro, municipality located in the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro. Its population is 156,491 (2022) and its area is 228 km². Beaches ...

. Every year, approximately 60 students pass the vocational training, which is offered

pro bono ( English: 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term traditionally referred to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who a ...

.Projects in Northeastern Brazil, Uganda and Romania
Retrieved 2016-12-11

Romania

Since 2013, the Ameropa Foundation has been providing humanitarian support to

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

children in

Roșia, Sibiu Roșia (; ) is a commune located in Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Cașolț (''Kastenholz''; ''Hermány''), Cornățel (''Harbachdorf''; ''Hortobágyfalva''), Daia (formerly ''Daia Săsească''; ''Thalheim''; ...

. In 2013, the organization co-financed the construction of a

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

. In 2015, the construction of a workshop to train apprentices with the goal to create jobs was co-financed.

Uganda

In January 2009, the Ameropa Foundation established a

microcredit Microcredit is the extension of very small loans (microloans) to impoverished borrowers who typically do not have access to traditional banking services due to a lack of collateral (finance), collateral, steady employment, and a verifiable credi ...

institute called FINEM in

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

. By 2016, more than 2000 loans were given, reaching over 6,000 beneficiaries. In 2015, the Ameropa Foundation collaborated with

Right To Play Right To Play is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to use play to empower vulnerable children to overcome the effects of war, poverty, and disease. Right To Play's work is connected to the UN's Sustainable Development Goa ...

, an international humanitarian organization, and developed the project TUSOBOLA, which means ''Together we can make it''. The project focuses on empowering children and youth through life skills. The project was implemented in seven schools in

Kamwookya Kamwookya, sometimes spelled as Kamwokya, is a location within the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest metropolitan area. Location Kamwookya is bordered by Kyebando to the north, Bukoto to the northeast, Naguru, Uganda, Naguru to the ...

and

Kyebando Kyebando is a neighborhood in Kampala, the capital city, capital and largest city in Uganda. Location Kyebando is bordered by Kawempe to the northwest, Kikaaya to the northeast, Bukoto to the east, Mulago to the south, Bwaise to the southwest a ...

, slums of Kampala. Over 3,000 children were reached by the project and it is estimated that, by 2018, this

educational program An educational program is a program written by the institution or ministry of education which determines the learning progress of each subject in all the stages of formal education. See also * Philosophy of education *Curriculum In education, ...

will reach about 6,000 school children and approximately 2,400 additional children from the communities.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Ameropa Foundation website
Development charities based in Switzerland Organizations established in 2001