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Staff

Allow us to introduce ourselves

Our staff consists of approximately 140 employees in Switzerland and twelve countries around the world who take a dedicated, compassionate stance towards children and youths. Get to know our teams.

Management Board

Modern and sustainable
The Management Board has the operative responsibility for the work of the Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation. The heads of departments and the Chief Executive Officer cooperate to ensure that our work will continue for a long time to come.
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«If we want to actively shape the future, we must focus on education for children and young people both at home and abroad.»

Martin Bachofner
Chief Executive Officer

m.bachofner@pestalozzi.ch

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«I attach great importance to the transparent and sustainable allocation of resources.»

Daniel Ambord
Director of Support Services
Member of the Management Board

d.ambord@pestalozzi.ch​

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«I am pleased that we are able to represent the Swiss humanitarian tradition.»

Miriam Zampatti
Director of International Programmes
Member of the Management Board

m.zampatti@pestalozzi.ch

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«Our education programmes are aimed at today’s multicultural society in Switzerland.»

Damian Zimmermann
Director of Programme Switzerland
Member of the Management Board

d.zimmermann@pestalozzi.ch

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«Our communications should have a transformative power for our employees, donors and partners.»

Nadine Knecht
Director of Fundraising and Communication
Member of the Management Board

n.knecht@pestalozzi.ch
  

Encounter Centre

The children's village as a place of contact
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«Only when visiting the Children’s Village, you truly experience the work of the Foundation.»

Thomas Schetty
Project Manager Encounter Centre

t.schetty@pestalozzi.ch

Support Services

Cultivating Swiss tradition
Various experts from our Support Services Department make sure that the Children’s Village will remain full of life for many years to come. We maintain very high quality standards in care and infrastructure. We want all of our guests, both young and old, to have an educational and generally enjoyable time during their stay in our beautiful Appenzell region.
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«We offer exciting jobs in a multicultural environment.»

Rolf Bottlang
Director Human Resources

r.bottlang@pestalozzi.ch

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«Running a Children’s Village is not easy by any means. But it is wonderful all the same.»

Hans Rechsteiner
Head of Technical Services

h.rechsteiner@pestalozzi.ch

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«A reliable IT infrastructure is needed to ensure the transparent and best possible use of the donations. »

Marcel Zettner
Head of IT 

m.zettner@pestalozzi.ch

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«Per noi è importante che i nostri ospiti si sentano come a casa e ritornino.»

Larissa Anrig
Head of Hospitality Services

l.anrig@pestalozzi.ch

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«The kitchen team and I are responsible for providing meals for the children all year round.»

Hans Inauen
Head of Kitchen

h.inauen@pestalozzi.ch

International

Education across four continents
The International Programmes department is responsible for development cooperation in the regions of East Africa, South-East Asia, South-East Europe and Central America. These long-term projects grant vulnerable children and youths the right to high-quality education.
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«Our child-friendly books improve reading and writing skills.»

Lucia Winkler
Programme Director East Africa

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in East Africa?
l.winkler@pestalozzi.ch

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«The schoolbooks we produce improve education for children and teachers alike.»

Serapia Minja
Country Representative of Tanzania

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in Tanzania?
s.minja@pestalozzi.ch
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«We embed traditions and pastoralist culture into our education projects.»

Mehret Tesfay
Country Representative of  Ethiopia

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in Ethiopia?
m.tesfay@pestalozzi.ch
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Ariana Lins
Country Representative of Mozambique

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in Mozambique?
a.lins@pestalozzi.ch

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«Mother tongue education is central to children's learning. That is why we advocate for multilingual schooling in Southeast Asia. »

Brigit Burkard
Programme Director South East Asia

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in South East Asia?
b.burkard@pestalozzi.ch

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«In the subject of environmental education, we are raising the children's awareness of how to deal responsibly with their environment.»

Swe Swe Myint
Country Representative of Myanmar/Burma

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in Myanmar/Burma?
s.myint@pestalozzi.ch
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«Because education is a source of power, we provide an access to quality education for disadvantaged children in remote areas.»

Khamseng Homdouangxay
Country Representative of Laos

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in Laos?
k.homdouangxay@pestalozzi.ch
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«Thanks to the projects, the children can attend school, and the indigenous culture and knowledge are taught to indigenous children in schools.»

Suraporn Suriyamonton
Country Representative of Thailand

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in Thailand?
s.suriyamonton@pestalozzi.ch
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«We build bridges between children from different cultural backgrounds.»

Argine Nahapetyan
Programme Director South East Europe

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in South East Europe?
a.nahapetyan@pestalozzi.ch

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«Traumatised children need our support.»

Natalia Balta
Country Representative of Moldova

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in Moldova?
n.balta@pestalozzi.ch
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«Knowing its own rights it’s essential for a child to have a self-determined life.»

Slavica Kijevcanin
Country Represantative of Serbia

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in Serbia?
s.kijevcanin@pestalozzi.ch
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«Joint lessons for Macedonian and Albanian children help to eliminate these prejudices.»

Azbija Memedova 
Country Representative of North Macedonia

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in North Macedonia? a.memedova@pestalozzi.ch
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«With alternative educational opportunities we show girls and boys new perspectives and empower them to graduate from school.»

Gisela Wattendorff
Programme Director Central America

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in Central America?
g.wattendorf@pestalozzi.ch

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«Children who learn to face challenges and uncertainties in life and society with solidarity, joy, knowledge and courage, is our greatest achievement.»

Marlene Grajeda​
Country Representative of Guatemala

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in Guatemala?
m.grajeda@pestalozzi.ch
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«Our projects enable perspectives afar from violence and poverty.»

Magda Sofía Pérez
Country Representative of Honduras

Do you have any questions or suggestions about our work in Honduras?
m.perez@pestalozzi.ch

Switzerland

Culture and dialogue at the Children’s Village
The Programme Switzerland department organises a range of educational programmes at the Children’s Village in Trogen. Each year, several thousand people from diverse cultural backgrounds participate in the classes dealing with intercultural exchange, children and youth radio and further education, which are run over the course of several days or weeks.
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«The exchange teaches youths the norms and values of other cultures.»

Susan Schellknecht
Head of Intercultural Exchange Projects

s.schellknecht@pestalozzi.ch

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«My team and I give children a voice by running the radio station.»

Florian Karrer
Head of Radio Projects

Would you like to participate in a radio project with your class or group?
+41 71 343 73 45
​f.karrer@pestalozzi.ch

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«We offer children and young people in the Children’s Village a diverse range of participatory leisure activities.»

Lukrecija Kocmanic
Head of Leisure

l.kocmanic@pestalozzi.ch

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«We encourage young people to take responsibility for themselves and society and to become shapers of the world as they see it.»

Pascal Haltiner
Project Manager Intercultural Exchange

p.haltiner@pestalozzi.ch

Marketing and Communications

Transparent and practical

The Marketing and Communications Department maintains close relationships with the Foundation's benefactors. The donations ensure that we are able to carry out our projects in Switzerland and around the globe. We share the achievements and results of our work in a transparent manner.

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«Many people support our work. I don't take that for granted. Thanks to them, we can work for the education of children and young people in Switzerland and around the world.»

Cécile Eisenring
Co-director private fundraising

c.eisenring@pestalozzi.ch

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«Together we are building a world for children where they can learn and laugh freely and in peace.»

Christoph Ottiger
Head of Public Fundraising ad interim

c.ottiger@pestalozzi.ch

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«I see that good education helps children to develop in a stable way. This motivates me very much to use my energy in fundraising.»

Monika Locher
Major Donor Fundraising

Telefon +41 71 343 74 28
m.locher@pestalozzi.ch

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