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It is Advent, and the air is clear, not only from the snow, but from a purity that flows from the hearts of the people. A silence reigns on the streets, one that is not empty, but full of meaning. Here, nothing superfluous remains. Julia sits on a bench in a community park that was once a landfill. Back then, this place would have smelled of decay, of the end of things. But today, there is life here. Children play among trees that have grown from the compost of old waste. A group of craftspeople repairs tools that no one throws away anymore, because nothing needs to be replaced—everything can be renewed. Julia looks at the scene before her and...

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Imagine landing in Nicaragua, a Central American country full of breathtaking natural beauty. You step into the role of Jenner, a seven-year-old boy from the Pacific coastal region. The beauty of your surroundings is unparalleled—but there is a problem: mountains of trash, plastic bottles, and packaging pile up everywhere in your community, with no one to dispose of them. There is no waste management system, harming the environment and the country's beauty. But you have no energy to deal with it, because your biggest concern is simply surviving. Sometimes you are lucky enough to get a warm meal. But often your plate remains empty, and you go to bed hungry. One day, your sister tells you about a "Buy Food...

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For educational community events to be possible at all, our local teams need cooks in addition to logistics staff to prepare the meals that are distributed at the events for 20 plastic bottles. Without their commitment, our social environmental project would not be possible, which is why we would like to introduce you to one of our cooks from Ghana.   Augustina is a woman who not only cooks with dedication, but also with a deep sense of responsibility. At every Buy Food with Plastic community event, she prepares meals for over 200 people – and especially for the children from the villages of Dwabor and Abayee, these meals mean much more than just filling their stomachs. With great care, she...

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Peter Bolliger is an adventurer who shares his experiences in video format on social media. Peter encountered Buy Food with Plastic earlier. When we moved into the Charity Gallery, the room was still under construction. We had no water, no electricity, and the walls were bare and grey. Anna and Khalil remembered a former schoolmate who currently ran a paint shop. They contacted him, and he, Daniel Galantucci and the company founder of the Hampel Gruppe, Ramon Hampel visited the Charity Gallery. In the following weeks, they painted the walls of the Charity Gallery white without asking for payment. Ramon didn't stop there, though. A few weeks later, Anna, Khalil, Ramon and Peter sat together in a video call. Peter was...

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In the early days of Buy Food with Plastic, we faced several challenges recycling the plastic we collected. We collected plastic bottles and hoped to have them processed at a recycling plant – but there were no such facilities anywhere nearby. The bottles eventually piled up on our Country Manager's property. One day, Eileen came to us, a German woman who had emigrated to Nicaragua. She had a bold idea: she wanted to build a house out of the collected plastic bottles. At first, we thought the idea was crazy. But the more we looked into it, the clearer it became: it was actually possible. Plastic bottles filled with sand could be used like bricks – strong, safe, and even...

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After we told you how Buy Food with Plastic has grown and started operating in India thanks to Shakti, we would now like to take the time to tell you about another encounter that influenced the story of Buy Food with Plastic. This is the story of the encounter with George Kwame Quansah, the current Country Manager of Buy Food with Plastic in Ghana, and thus his story and the founding story of Buy Food with Plastic Ghana: In a small fishing village called Elmina, right on the coast of Ghana, lives Kwame, a young tour guide. Every morning, he leads curious tourists through the historic fort and tells them the stories and secrets of his country. In the afternoon,...

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The story of Buy Food with Plastic is built on many encounters between two people. Encounters were often the beginning of a new idea, a new perspective, or a new point of view. So it could not be otherwise than that another encounter led us onto new paths: Khalil had the special opportunity to exchange in Sweden with various other small environmental and aid organizations. During this week, we met the son of the former Bulgarian president. He told us about an impressive initiative in Bulgaria: There, people collect plastic caps and donate them to a non-profit organization. This organization sells the caps to recycling partners and uses the proceeds to equip hospitals with important equipment such as incubators. This...

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Support for Buy Food with Plastic takes many forms. Some work directly with the team, others donate money, and yet others use their passion for sports. Peter Bolliger cycled, Maron ran, and Teresa teaches yoga. Peter and Maron shared their story. Teresa expressed her wish to do the same in person: While looking for volunteer work, I came across Buy Food with Plastic, a wonderful project with a major impact that fascinated me immediately. I knew right away that I wanted to get involved with this organization. The unique concept inspired me from the very beginning because it addresses several urgent problems in our world at once. With their project, they help tackle plastic pollution by giving plastic value. It allows people...

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Hans Christian Andersen once wrote a story about the life of a glass bottle. The famous author called his story “The Bottle Neck” at the time. In this story, the reader follows the life of a glass bottle. It began in a glass factory, spent several years in the cellar of a winery, and was eventually opened at a wedding. The empty bottle was carelessly thrown on the ground, where a junk dealer picked it up. He sold it to a hostel owner, who filled it with medicinal liquid. Eventually, however, the bottle broke. But that was not the end. In a glass factory, it was transformed into something new: a stained-glass window. Its journey ended when it was installed...

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At this year's general meeting, the active members re-elected Murielle Galliker to the board and approved the 2022 annual financial statements. The AGM at the Charity Gallery in Zurich was not only a formal event, but also a platform for questions about the future and insights into the financial performance.

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