Published: 21 March 2019

Appeal supported by German jazz pianist Joja Wendt
Has your child grown since he or she last played soccer? Would you like to donate last season’s clothes and shoes to some of the world’s poorest young players? A football club has called on parents in Geneva and Vaud to look through their child’s wardrobe for any soccer items that are no longer needed, to be sent to a children’s football academy in Africa.

Seefeld FC sends used football kits and boots to the Kampala Galaxy Soccer Academy in Uganda
Seefeld FC, Zurich will take the clothing to its African partner school the Kampala Galaxy Soccer Academy in Uganda. The school, in the Bukoto city district of Kampala, offers free access to football for 200 children aged five to 17, and some older youths. The children come from such poor communities they have no chance of buying their own gear, or of playing soccer, without the support of Seefeld FC. The appeal is supported by InterSoccer, Switzerland’s largest grassroots football association, which is arranging donation collection points at its football courses and camps in Geneva, Vaud, Basel, Zug and Zurich.

Swiss Civil Service
Marc Caprez, President of Seefeld FC, founded the Kampala Galaxy Soccer Academy in 2017 after sending two coaches - his son, Vasco Caprez, and Leo Bauer - on a fact-finding mission. He said: “One of our club members did his civil service in Uganda for six months as a doctor. “I mentioned once that I would like to do a development project in Africa and he said, why don’t you go to Uganda? He gave me the names of some reliable people and I made contact. It started really small and it grew really quickly. The first time we went down we took balls and bibs because we thought they needed ordinary training gear. One day after his arrival Vasco sent me a video showing the feet of these kids and wrote as a caption – we have a whole other problem. These kids don’t even have boots. Naïve as we were back then, we thought they need balls and things like that, but it starts at the bottom – it starts with the boots.”

Uganda - one of the poorest countries in Africa
Last year the Seefeld President travelled to Kampala with Vasco and his other son Gion to hand over 130 pairs of football boots donated from Seefeld players and other clubs, and 100 FC Seefeld shirts. Mr Caprez and Vasco will make another trip in July this year. He said: “Whenever you have football gear that you do not need any more, you can give it to us and we will manage to take it to Uganda.
“You cannot imagine how poor this country is. The boots we bring down, they give them out at the beginning of the training and then they have to collect them back because they can’t send the kids home with them. Otherwise when they walk through the ghetto, a bigger kid will come and knock them down and steal the shoes, or the father will sell the shoes. Also the guys that are running the academy have no money, not even one Swiss franc. They live in extreme poverty, without sanitary installation, no running water in the house. It is one of the poorest countries of Africa.”

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Published: 14 March 2019

Teach Music Week is celebrated annually during the 3rd week of March to coincide with national "Music in Our Schools Month" (MiOSM). Anyone interested in learning to play an instrument is encouraged to seek out a participating location or musician friend to help get them started. Teach Music Week also invites public, private and charter schools to schedule activities that will encourage more students to sign up for music, band and chorus classes.

Music Together in Geneva Center (MTGC) teamed up with Teach Music Week and will open 4 of its classes to new students during the 3rd week of March* so that they can experience the benefits of music and learn more about their musical curriculum.

This is an amazing opportunity for families who have been considering music for their children.

Vincent James, co-founder of Keep Music Alive in the US comments, “We all know that the biggest hurdle to doing something is often just getting started. With Teach Music Week, we are hoping to inspire a multitude of new musicians who will continue reaping the educational, therapeutic and social benefits of playing music.”

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Published: 07 March 2019

ESCA Paddle for CancerSupport, first launched in 2007, is an annual cancer awareness and fundraising event and brings together both the local and international communities to work together to help cancer patients and their loved ones directly. Cancer awareness is vital and can bring hope to what seems like an insurmountable challenge. The more that people are aware of cancer risks, the more likely they are to seek early screening, such as colonoscopies and mammograms. Early detection of cancer can dramatically increase survival rates. Awareness can also encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles, reducing their chances of getting cancer.

Ramona Azarnia got involved in early 2018, "I decided to do volunteer work in the Geneva area and chose ESCA CancerSupport as I am acutely aware of the impact of cancer since witnessing a dear friend battle it. As I was searching for charitable causes, I came across ESCA CancerSupport. I admire and respect the people who have created this organization and are passionate to provide support to those who need and want it."

Benefits of getting involved
The main fundraising event for this assocation is the Paddle for CancerSupport Dragon Boat Festival. The money donated by each team goes directly towards supporting ESCA CS’s mission:

• support clients who are undergoing the rigors of cancer treatment by professional counselling and trained peer support volunteers
• offer help to patients’ loved ones
• assist those in bereavement
• provide information and resources
• increase awareness by staffing stalls, giving talks, and representing ESCA CS at various community events

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Published: 07 February 2019

Recently launched novel, Death in Grondère has been getting a good reception in Verbier, the ski resort on which it is largely (but very loosely) based. The author, Kathryn Adams, like many of the characters in her book, came to Switzerland to ski and decided to stay. Originally from the north of England, she studied French in London and took a detour through the City before losing her heart to the mountains. Death in Grondère is her first work of fiction; with a sequel already in the pipeline.

Kathryn tells knowitall.ch how it the story came about, "I have wanted to write this book for a long time. Like many writers, I’m a terrible eavesdropper and so, since I came to Switzerland almost 20 years ago, I have been observing life and the people here. I have wanted to tackle the novel format for a long time and it seemed right for my first full-length work to showcase my adoptive country. One of my main objectives was to show a different side to life in a ski resort. It has such a snobby image, but the Verbier I know is a melting pot of down-to-earth, dynamic personalities of all nationalities, ages and backgrounds connected by a love of winter sports, nature, and these very special hills that they have chosen to call ‘home’.

"This book is a light, gentle holiday read, with a decent plot and entertaining characters but it was also important to me to include a lot of description about the mountains and Swiss culture: the most difficult part of the whole writing process was striking a balance between the two. My reviewers, quite rightly, thought I had overdone the scene-setting and I went through two tough re-writes. In the end, however, I felt if I cut any more it was no longer my book. Eventually, and on advice from other writers, I took the plunge and stayed true to my original concept despite being aware that some sections may slow down the ‘action’. Some readers have clearly felt that but, overall, most seem to have understood what I was trying to achieve and I have been really thrilled by their reactions. 

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