FAQS

It only takes a moment to change a life forever

General Questions

WeShamwari is a Swiss charity association founded in Zurich, Switzerland in February 2017 by a diverse group of friends, which share a passion for travelling, meeting people and experiencing the cultures of the world.

Our vision is to enhance a world where people, especially children, living in poverty are able to take control of their future and actively shape it. We wish to give an opportunity to as many African children and communities as possible through access to high-quality education, healthy food, safe playgrounds, aimed micro-credits, sport activities, and ecological literacy. We aim to identify and fund selected programs which will support African people, animals and/or the natural environment. Some projects will have short-term, easy-to-reach goals, while others will be longer term and hopefully have an even more significant impact.

We want to provide high transparency and active communication to our donors for each selected and sponsored project. We hope that our donors will be motivated to support our cause and give a small, but meaningful contribution to the African communities. Every single step will bring us closer to reaching our aspiration: to shape a better world, where we are proud to live.

All projects are realized and implemented by non-governmental authorities and volunteers in close collaboration with the local communities. 100% of the sponsored funding will go to the projects – we don’t take any money for marketing, financial or any other administrative activity

How does WeShamwari work?
WeShamwari needs a huge effort from its committee and other volunteers. For instance, the website, the logo and the pictures were only created thanks to a bunch of motivated people that volunteered their time in order to help us build our association. This type of aid and sponsoring is needed to reduce our costs as much as possible, allowing us the possibility to pass all of donation amount to the projects. At the moment, WeShamwari has a partner located in South Africa; donations raised will be transferred to our partner and invested in the agreed projects. Please take some time to review our terms and conditions, found under the policies tab.
What is fundraising?
Fundraising means to collect money for a charity of your choice. If you are going to transfer an amount directly to our bank account without choosing one of the available projects, we will invest this amount in the most needed project.
Where do we operate?
We work in small communities located in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, close to Port Elizabeth. All the projects are chosen in fully agreement and with our local partner located in South Africa.
Why should I become a member?
Becoming a member allows you to be part of our association. You will be able to participate at our general assembly, you will get our newsletter (if wanted) and you will support our projects with a yearly fee of CHF 80.00. If you would like to help support beyond sending a donation, consider becoming a member.
I would like to make a donation. How does it work?
1) Transferring the amount to one of our two banking account: CHF: CH38 0900 0000 6912 0933 7 (account number: 69-120933-7) BIC: POFICHBEXXX EUR: CH18 0900 0000 9144 2134 4 (account number: 91-442134-4) BIC: POFICHBEXXX euroSIC Clearing-Nr: 090002 Name of Bank: PostFinance Ltd Mingerstrasse 20 3030 Bern 2) Select a project on our website and then click the button “Donate now”. Once the donation amount is selected, it will be possible to donate through PayPal or with a Credit/Debit card.
How are projects and partners selected?
Projects are provided by our partners. Before we choose a new additional partner to work with, we will personally go to check out their operations, see how they work, to ensure proper standards and measures are in place. Before starting a partnership with Shamwari Conservation Experience, three of our 7 directors visited them as volunteers and confirmed conditions.
How much of the donation amount goes to the charity?
The agreement with our partner guarantee that the whole (100%) amount raised is going to be used for the selected projects. Please be aware that fees charged by credit card companies will reduce your donation impact. For example, if you choose to donate CHF 10 directly from your credit card, the amount that goes to the project goal will be CHF 9.11 (a charge of 8.9%).
WeShamwari says: “we don’t keep a cent, 100% of the donation goes to the projects” – how is it possible?
This slogan is applicable to donations. 100% of the money raised through donations flows to our partners. Currently, all maintenance costs are covered by the WeShamwari committee. Sponsorship and volunteer aid will greatly help us stay true to this slogan.
How does my donation reach the intended project?
The donation amount flows into our bank or PayPal account. Once we reached the target of a project, then we transfer the money from our bank account to our partner bank account. As agreed in a Memorandum of Understanding between our association and our partners, they will finally invest the money for the projects as previously agreed. As a final step (as agreed between WeShamwari and our partners), they will take the donated money, which has been transferred to their accounts complete with instructions for application, and invest it in the designated projects.
What happens when the monetary goal of a project is not reached?
The majority of our projects do not have a defined deadline, so in this case the project would remain open to donations until the monetary goal has been reached. In the case that the project does have a deadline, we will send the donated money to the project by the deadline. This is also an example of how we would choose a “needy” project to apply membership fees and non-designated donations to.
What happens if the amount collected for a project excess its original goal?
Should we collect more donations than the set monetary goal for a given project; the excess amount will be reallocated to our other open projects based on need.
What is the minimum donation amount?
Should you donate through our website, the minimum amount is CHF 10.- However, by transferring an amount directly to our bank account using the IBAN, there is no defined minimum amount.
Is the website available in any other languages?
We will be continuously improving our website and other language options will be available in the future.