About Us - Studer Trust

FOUNDER' S STORY

FOUNDER'S STORY

Going Solo

infuriated by a wasted donation, a former Peninsula Hotel manager started his own charity.

In 2001 after five decades in the hotel business, including 30 years managing the famed Peninsula in Hong Kong, Peter Gautschi was ready to retire. The debonair 83 year old Swiss expatriate was looking forward to a more sedentary life. He would avoid the stress of travel, play golf and make a few charitable donations. But it was not to be!

Peter initially partnered with UNESCO, donating $40,000 to sponsor a new school in a remote part of China's Henan Province. However, given his ‘hands-on’ nature Peter insisted on seeing the results in person; what he found was wasted effort and misspent money. Builders had installed flush toilets, but no pipes to make them functional. There were radiators, but no boilers (which made no difference because villagers couldn't afford oil anyway). Vandals had chipped tiles off the siding, and guardhouses stood idle. Gautschi later learned that the school enrolled barely 200 students, not the 420 he’d been promised. “I thought I could do better myself,” he says. “When a school is finished, we don’t turn our backs.”

Since then the Studer Trust (named for his mother) has completed 420 projects at a total cost of $6.5 million. Initially the Trust worked in China completing 110 Projects (the media in Jiangxi, China dubbed Gautschi the province’s ‘fairy godfather’),but the focus since 2005 has been exclusively on Myanmar, where (up to 2025) 290 projects have been completed. The projects usually include a classroom block, latrines, a library and where appropriate solar panels and a ‘Home Garden’. There is also a follow up support programme for maintenance. The Trust runs a Teacher Training Programme centred on a Teacher Training Centre in Mandalay.

To avoid bureaucracy, Peter decided to collaborate, not with the government, but with the schools directly. In Myanmar the Trust works with a network of, mainly monastic, schools. Practicality is paramount. After building one school, it was apparent that some students would not be able to cross a river to attend class in the monsoon. The next project was a bridge.

Under Peter’s guidance the Studer Trust became a lean and efficient operation. In Hong Kong the Trust retains a part-time accountant and in Myanmar a team of nine full time staff. Looking to the future, and with creditable foresight, Peter settled his wealth on a funding platform managed by UBS in Zurich which, after his death, now meets all the administrative costs of the Trust. This ensures that all donations go directly to meet project costs.

In the aftermath of his experience with UNESCO Peter was adamant that the Studer Trust should be cost-effective and deliver the results that donors were promised. He wanted the model perfected and for the Studer Trust to be a credible organization. That is his greatest legacy.

School Opening: At the Shwe Myo School Opening Ceremony, Peter Gautschi was warmly welcomed by the Abbot and students.

For a video interview with Peter Gautschi, go to

www.forbes.com/studer-trust

WHO WE ARE

Studer Trust, also known as Margaretha Studer Charitable Trust, was established in 2002 by founder Mr. Peter Gautschi. Having had some experiences with established charities, he decided to set up his own to serve the poor and find the best ways to maximize the value of every dollar spent. He realized that in order to do this, donations have to be isolated from the actual operating costs giving donors the confidence and transparency that is absent in many charitable organizations. The Trust's setup ensures that all operating costs are absorbed and the donor's money reaches 100% the needy.

Together with the help of the Women's Federation

and the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office in China

and Monastic Institutions in Myanmar, Studer Trust has built over 126 schools and other community based projects since 2002.

Our Objectives

• To provide facilities and equipment for education.

• To operate within the territory of South East Asia.

• The Studer Trust team lives gender equality every day.

• The Trust is a charity that follows conscientiously its maxim “Respect the spirit of helping” and is independent of any governmental, political and religious organizations or affiliations.

Our Supporters

We deeply appreciate each and every donation from individuals to further our mission to alleviate poverty in Asia. Being such a small organization, we hope our donors understand that we do not have the resources to deliver expensive in-depth studies. However, donors can rest assured that sufficient financial information will be provided in a timely manner. We appreciate and need the trust of donors and feel that our record should be ample proof of our sincerity and devotion. Your gift to Studer Trust is tax deductible in Hong Kong and helps to strengthen and to expand our support of a variety of charity projects around Asia, particularly to give children access to education.

ORGANIZATION