Who we are
Nouvelle Planète, founded in 1986, is a Swiss non-profit organisation without religious affiliation.
We support the efforts of marginalized rural populations in disadvantaged and remote areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, to help themselves and protect their environment.
We organise solidarity trips that allow people to discover realities that are often perceived as distant and to better understand international solidarity and the global challenges of the rural world.
Our values
They are expressed in our charter and form the acronym CARE :
- We leave it to local actors to define their ‘development’.
- We find ourselves in the position of facilitators, accompanists, and translators of a process initiated by the local population.
- We act with diligence, care, and promptness, with a focus on quality. We are accountable to our beneficiaries and donors.
- We seek to prevent beneficiaries and partners from falling into the trap of dependency. Once finalized, each project must be self-sufficient.
- Long-term monitoring is carried out to assess whether the established objectives are met.
- We follow Albert Schweitzer’s ethic of respect for life by respecting all forms of life.
- We treat each person with respect and dignity. We work beyond prejudice, without religious, ethnic, or gender discrimination.
- We focus on supporting marginalized populations, especially women and ethnic minorities, to leave no one behind.
- Our interventions are organized to suit local conditions.
- Our participatory approach ensures that everyone has a voice.
Our specific objectives
Our specific objectives correspond to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They are to:
Improve food, financial, and land security in order to increase the autonomy of populations and give them new perspectives, and face the consequences of climate change.
Promote the rights of marginalized and vulnerable populations particularly women and indigenous peoples (ethnic minorities), through education, training in appropriate agricultural methods, and access to and strengthening of basic services.
Protect the environment involving local populations, and seeking the best symbiosis between humans and their environment.
Raise awareness of international solidarity and the global challenges of the rural world, by providing information to people in Switzerland, organizing solidarity trips, and coordinating volunteer groups.
What makes us different
- We run projects and trips in some of the world’s poorest rural communities. Our aim, at all times, is to make a lasting difference and support steady, sustainable development.
- Our strategic partners in the field assess the situation carefully and listen closely to what local people need.
- We measure the impact of our work over time so we can learn lessons from past projects – because we recognise that we can always do better.
- “We believe in community-led development. Local people know their communities better than anyone else does. Our role is merely to help them address their own needs, drawing on their skills and experience.”
- Our solidarity trips are about challenging preconceptions on both sides – among both trip attendees and host communities.
- We rely on a large team of volunteers, meaning we never spend more than 8% of the money we receive on administrative costs and fundraising.
- We have a rigorous quality management system.
- “Ethics is in the centre of our actions. Our charter highlights treating people with respect, opposing gender, ethnical and religious based discrimination, promote sharing and show humility …”
Our vision
Nouvelle Planète works to build a just and sustainable world, based on respect for all life, where people can live in their homes with dignity, security and in a healthy environment.
Our main objective is to reduce poverty and increase the autonomy and resilience of people living in rural areas.
