Working together for better living conditions in Kolkata and West Bengal
Stiftung Calcutta Rescue supports the work of local organisations in Kolkata through donations and commitment, so that people who have no chance get one again.
Our foundation
Stiftung Calcutta Rescue was founded in 2012 by former volunteers who had themselves worked in Kolkata. It is committed to helping disadvantaged people in India. Our aim is to improve access to healthcare and education and to strengthen the living conditions of people in difficult social and economic circumstances for the long term.
Since its foundation, the foundation has organised fundraising in German-speaking Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Our focus is on the needs of the local population, respect for human dignity and responsible use of the donations entrusted to us.
Our history and our mission
Our history is closely linked to Dr Jack Preger and his many years of work for the poorest people in Kolkata. For many years, our foundation supported the organisation Calcutta Rescue and helped make medical care, education and social support accessible to disadvantaged people.
Although our cooperation with Calcutta Rescue has ended, we remain committed to our original mission and its core values.
Our work today
Today we focus our support on two local partner organisations: the Divine Script Society (DSS) and the Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre (KMWSC).
Both organisations work with different priorities for disadvantaged communities in Kolkata and West Bengal. Together with them, we support projects in healthcare, education, women’s empowerment and better living conditions.
We are convinced that lasting change happens where people on the ground strengthen their communities and actively shape their own future.
Transparency
The foundation’s annual accounts are reviewed every year by the Swiss Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations in Bern.
As an independent Swiss foundation, we raise donations and use them specifically for projects that match our aims. We value trusting cooperation with our local partners, responsible use of funds and lasting impact.
Since 2019, Stiftung Calcutta Rescue has been a member of Medicus Mundi Switzerland, a voluntary network of around 50 Swiss organisations working in international health cooperation.
The Board of Trustees
The members of the Board of Trustees work entirely on a voluntary basis. They cover their own expenses or find donors who support them in doing so. This ensures that your entire donation goes directly to Kolkata.
- Isabelle HugPresident and founding member, responsible for fundraising and financeAccountant, born 1963, involved since 1998
- Flavia HugVice-President and founding member, responsible for researchDoctoral candidate at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, born 1992, involved since 1998
- Ursula GauchBoard member and founding member, responsible for healthcarePharmacist, PhD, MIH, born 1962, involved since 1998
- Thérèse HugBoard member and founding member, advisory roleThreat Analyst Officer, born 1987, involved since 1998
- Alessandra CiulloBoard member, responsible for healthcareQualified physiotherapist, born 1987, involved since 2015
- Lea ChristenBoard member, responsible for education and social workPrimary school teacher and sex educator, born 1989, involved since 2017
- Karin BettschenBoard member, responsible for healthcareNurse, specialist in anaesthesia nursing, born 1961, involved since 2017
- Saumya LukoseBoard member, responsible for healthcarePaediatrician, born 1989, involved since 2017
- Nicoletta RegazzoniBoard member, responsible for healthcareNurse, born 1976, involved since 2017
- Yooby GigandetBoard member, responsible for mediaEconomist, born 1995, involved since 2017