At present, St. George’s Social Services Committee supports the following charities :

GLOBAL HARMONY FOUNDATION: The Global Harmony Foundation is a Swiss based charity created 10 years ago and directed by M. Dajani who previously worked for UNICEF. Their projects started in Belize, Brazil, India and Mexico. Our school decided to sponsor the building of a school in India. So far we have donated 12,000 Sfrs. The aim of this foundation is to educate people in such a way that they learn to develop their natural potential in order to improve, all by themselves, their living conditions. Imaginative and practical projects are run by local volunteers who understand the needs of the community and who also respect their traditions and way of life. "Give a man a fish, he’ll starve. Show him how to fish, he’ll live".

KATIA VAN WEEL SCHOOL IN BURKINA FASO: In 1991, at the age of 16, Katia went to Western Africa with Jeunes sans Frontieres. She was so taken by the desperate plight of the uneducated that she decided to create a school to teach them literacy and vocational skills. On October 1st 1998, in Kamboince, Burkina Faso, the school opened and welcomed 20 girls, aged 11 to 15. Katia knew that her project would never materialise if she didn’t get sponsorship. She presented her ambitious project on a Swiss TV programme, "le rêve de vos 20 ans" and won the first prize, 15,000 Sfrs. She needed 55,000 Sfrs. Katia used her favourite hobby to raise money for her project. She organised circus shows in Switzerland, starring in each of these shows. She did not spare her effort, devoting a lot of her free time to her dream and finally it became true. She had made a promise to the young women she had met there and did not want to let them down. Thanks to her school, these women and their children have hope for a better future. St. George’s Social Services committee gives Katia 500 Sfrs a year for her project.

ACTIONAID: This charity is based in the UK and sponsors children’s education in India, Guatemala, Bangladesh, Sierra Leone and Kenya. Actionaid provides education for these children, who are then able to support their families. Sometimes, the children’s father is dead or so ill that he cannot work and subsequently the children are deprived of all basic necessities. We sponsor 10 children, donating 100 Sfrs each year for each child.

LA CROIX ROUGE SUISSE: The Red Cross’s involvements have no limits. Red Cross workers do not hesitate to take risks to save lives. Should a conflict break out anywhere in the world, Kosovo, Rwanda, East Timor etc, the Red Cross is always present to help the local population through the difficulties they encounter. When hurricanes like George or Mitch devastated poor countries in Central America, the Red Cross sent rescue squads and distributed the financial help and supplies collected due to the generosity of others. Their involvement is the same when earthquakes tear a country into pieces as has recently happened in the past few months in Turkey, Greece and Taiwan. St. George’s Social Services committee donates 500 Sfrs to this charity each year.

QUEST: Quest is a cancer research association based in the U.K. It was founded in 1982 to develop routine testing procedures so that the first stage of cancer could be detected and that those with cancer could be treated before a tumour developed. In the U.K., 440 people die every day of cancer, 3 under the age of 15. Cancer can be cured but early detection remains vital. We donate 250 Sfrs to this charity each year.

MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES: Medecins sans Frontieres operates in many third world countries and provides the people of these countries with the medical treatment they need. Each year, we donate 500 Sfrs to this charity whose purpose is to protect children who are abused, who undergo physical violence at home, or are neglected by their parents.

SOS VILLAGES D’ENFANTS: SOS Villages D’enfants run 361 villages in 126 countries for 30,000 children. The first village opened 30 years ago. Each village has between 10 to 20 houses and welcomes orphans and abandoned children into their midst. The children attend school there and are provided with love and tenderness to allow them to grow up happy and healthy. St. George’s donates 500 Sfrs each year to this charity. Our sponsored village is in Ca Mam, Vietnam.

TERRE DES HOMMES, SUISSE: In Massongex, Switzerland, Terre des Hommes has a home welcoming children from Switzerland and other countries, who need medical treatment but cannot afford it. The charity was founded in 1960 and deals mainly with children who are suffering from heart problems. The children arrive before the operation and once cured and rested, go back home healthy. In January each year, volunteers from St. George’s go to Vevey to sell Mimosa, a yellow flower grown in the south of France. All the money raised from sales of Mimosa goes to this charity. The Social Services committee donates 1,000 Sfr to this charity each year.