Dear volunteers,

STC has been trying to find ways of serving the community. Many of our Service Providers have told us, that for the time being they will not use volunteers, as to not endanger their “clients” nor endanger the volunteers. The Red Cross has offered help to the communities, a limited controlled service program. This requires a limited knowledge of French but it is one of best offers STC can suggest at this time.. On our facebook page you should see a number of ways to help your neighbours by looking after them, on a personal basis. So for you French Speakers we offer this option:—

Madame, Monsieur,

Si vous souhaitez vous engager bénévolement à la Croix-Rouge pour venir en aide aux personnes malades du Coronavirus ou touchées par les mesures décidées par les cantons ou la confédération, merci de bien vouloir remplir le formulaire que vous trouverez en cliquant sur le lien suivant : http://www.redcross.ch/bénévolat-corona

Pour votre information, la Croix-Rouge genevoise se mobilise actuellement pour mettre en place un plan de solidarité en collaboration directe avec les communes du canton de Genève. En effet, en parallèle de cet e-mail, nous sommes en train de contacter les communes afin de pouvoir définir ensemble les personnes isolées qui ont besoin d’aide.

Dans le cadre de ce plan, vous serez amené-e à soutenir des personnes en quarantaine ou isolées (sans contact direct) en effectuant différentes tâches telles que faire les courses, aller à la pharmacie, apporter un réconfort régulier par téléphone, etc.

Cependant, nous ne pourrons pas vous proposer d’effectuer des transports ou des gardes d’enfants.

La Croix-Rouge genevoise se mobilise fortement pour déployer des missions bénévoles sur le canton cependant nous ne pouvons pas vous garantir l’assurance d’un engagement ou d’un engagement immédiat. Nous vous tiendrons au courant au plus vite.

Par avance, nous vous remercions de votre mobilisation et en cette période inédite, prenez soin de vous.

Bien cordialement,

David Muller

—–

Dear volunteers,

If you wish to volunteer with the Red Cross to help people suffering from Coronavirus or affected by the measures decided by the cantons or the confederation, please fill out the form which you will find by clicking on the following link: http://www.redcross.ch/bénévolat-corona

For your information, the Geneva Red Cross is currently mobilizing to set up a solidarity plan in direct collaboration with the municipalities of the canton of Geneva. In fact, in parallel with this email, we are in the process of contacting the municipalities so that we can define together the isolated people who need help.

As part of this plan, you will be required to support people in quarantine or isolated (without direct contact) by performing various tasks such as shopping, going to the pharmacy, providing regular comfort by phone, etc.

However, we may not be able to offer transportation or babysitting services.

The Geneva Red Cross is strongly mobilized to deploy voluntary missions in the canton, however we cannot guarantee you the assurance of an engagement or an immediate engagement. We will keep you posted as soon as possible.

In advance, we thank you for your mobilization and in this unprecedented period, take care of yourself.

Best regards,

David Muller

Responsable

Bénévolat & Activités ponctuelles

To Serve the City Geneva volunteers,

Here is a message from our founder, and president of STC International:

Dear leaders and volunteers, dear friends and family

We are facing something unique in our lifetimes. Who are we in this crisis? This may be a defining moment for Serve the City. Will we still serve? Can we provide global leadership in volunteering?

As is often the case, binary options are the only things on offer: 1, if the world is safe, live your normal lives (which may or may not include care for people in need); or 2, now, in a crisis, retreat and drop everything (including care for people in need).

Courage means we are the people of a third option. In a crisis, how can we follow wise precautions and yet still engage with people in need? It’s time to be creative – and to provide global leadership for creative volunteering.

Case in point: we have set 9 May aside as our Global Volunteer Day. What to do? Cancel it? No! Make it a bigger deal than we had imagined! Make a stronger commitment to it than we had previously considered! We won’t be able to gather in large numbers, but we can come up with creative ways of contacting and supporting people in need that others around the world can imitate.

Let the brainstorming begin! Here’s what Wade, a long-term friend of STC, wrote to me last night:

‘Maybe serving is getting groceries for someone who is quarantined, delivering medicine, dropping off books. Maybe it’s not self-protective at all – helping at hospitals and medical centres. Maybe it’s just sitting in public spaces and talking to people with love and reassurance. Given the STC community, I’ll be very interested and excited to see what they come up with.’

Come on! What are your ideas? Please let’s brainstorm ways of serving people in need in this crisis so we can send a strong message to the world that, especially now, many people doing small things together can make a big difference.

Kindness starts with me,

Carlton

Send your thoughts & ideas to Info@ServeTheCityGeneva.ch or enter you suggestions on our Facebook account.

Carrefour Rue , who as a very special service provider for the marginalised people of the community, as one of their several activities, collect clothing and give it away. Strange.. but true.. Their distribution point is a place called Aboudaby, located 154 Rte de Malagnou Chêne Bougeries. They are in need of about 10 volunteers to switch over the winter clothes to a spring/summer collection. Perhaps some other sorting !? The date is Saturday 21 March, 9:30 to 15:00. A BBQ lunch will be provided. Bring hand wipes/perhaps to share, as there is no hot water. If someone is willing to take over the Project Leader position, do let us know in your signup comments. Do signup on our website ServeTheCityGeneva.ch

Many thanks,

The STCG team.

Dear volunteers, Voix Libres («Free Voices») is one of our long-term Service Provider friends, who for years have helped the women of the mines, women of the streets and their children in Bolivia. They help the communities thru the selling of quinoa and Bolivian handcrafted products. This Thursday 12 March, 3 p.m., they need 5 helpers to move the products from their cellar storage rooms, to their upstairs offices. On Friday morning the goods will be loaded straight into trucks for transport at 7 a.m. Two volunteers are required for this task, too. We know it is short notice, but if you can join them (even for only one hour or two), either the Thursday team or the Early Bird Friday team, please sign up on the website: STC Sign-in here.

Many thanks,

The STCG team.

Dear STC volunteers,

Last year you kindly volunteered to help at the Challandes zoo, which has now been renamed as ‘Bioparc’ and recognized as a foundation, so lots of positive changes. To help this change we are going to work alongside scouts this coming Saturday, so if you are available and interested, then please sign up, bring a friend and just let me know.

7 March – Saturday 9-1 for up to 10 helpers. Building a natural hedge, collecting/cutting logs and branches, alongside the Geneva scouts who will work on a compost project to support the sustainability of the park. People can bring wheelbarrows, spades, gloves and a smile! Mid-morning snacks and drinks will be provided.

21 March – Same again….more natural hedge work but more details will follow.

Many thanks,

The STCG team.

Dear volunteers,

During the winter projects have been pretty slow, a couple of soup kitchens and small projects. The spring I’m sure will bring more activities. Here are 2, out of Geneva projects.

One of STCGs first sponsors and current supporters is GHNI Global Hope Network International. They are involved with transformation of unreached people groups, global leadership conferences on political leadership and disaster relief programs. Here is one of the programs that is of acute interest.

Dear Team,

As you know there was a devastating earthquake in Eastern Turkey. More than 40 people have been reports dead, and with many more still missing, the death toll is certain to rise. There are still flickers of hope, with an infant being rescued recently, giving families and the nation hope. More than 1,500 were injured. The quake destroyed 76 buildings and damaged more than 1,000 others, leaving tens of thousands homeless, exposed to the bitter elements, during the coldest time of the year. Rain and snow are in the forecast for the coming days. It’s not just the ground that shook, many of the buildings that were destroyed were newer building built after the tougher building code enacted following the catastrophic earthquake that killed 25-75,000 people twenty years ago near Istanbul. People don’t know where to turn. They have no place to stay and after receiving more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees in recent years, the social services of Turkey are stretched thin.

We need your help. The people of Eastern Turkey need your help. With GHNI Staff living in Turkey, working through a network of partners, they are ready & willing to alleviate the suffering. All they are waiting for is for your help. Your gift of $50, $250 or $1,000 will provide blankets, diapers, and food for people who lost everything, including the kitchen sink…

Once we said, if we have the capacity to respond to a disaster, we should get something out in quickly. Doing good disaster relief, with an eye on lt sustainable dev is one of the core things that we do. It provided resources to our project countries, and builds credibility with donors. What I am saying is that we as a field, think we should respond, but it’s up to the resource offices to determine if there is enough buzz and if the timing is right. At least we should post it on Generous Giving, as that platform provided $10,000 or more for the Syrian Kurds relief. It is more focused on relief than development.

Description

Global Hope Network International
Le Grand-Saconnex

IBAN NO : CH38 0900 0000 1771 0390 5

BIC : POFICHBEXXX

Jeff Latsa – Field Strategy Coord

Giving Help & Hope to the Hidden & Hurting

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Another option outside the city..

Serve the City Paris is trying to regenerate itself in this very special city. I was thinking I wouldn’t mind taking a 2-3 day trip to Paris to help them support some of their projects. Am I the only one?, or would others (given the right timing) like to participate in such an endeavour? I have set up STC Paris project signup on the STCG website, and if this is something that MAY interest you do sign in. No commitment just something that might be of interest.

Many thanks the STCG team..