Our story

Run4ChildrenMumbai (R4CM) is an association founded in autumn of 2016 to help and support  the disadvantagedchildren of the Vaidu community in Mumbai (India) to provide education. In the spring of 2019, the association helps 169 children and young students between the ages of 4 and 18 years old. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the Association had to reorient its activity. Since 2021, she cooperates with Nikita Ketkar and her NGO. Masoom is an organization working with Night schools since 2008. The aim of Masoom is to improve the quality of the night schools through the “Night School Transformation Program” and "Evening Learning Centre" by providing access to education to Out of School students. Our students work as class IV employees, canteen, courier service and domestic servants. They come to Night Schools and Evening Learning Centres to complete their education. Run4childrenmumbai has opened classes in the district of Goregaon for an underprivileged community. Since May 2022, the association support the fees for the education, accomodation, pension and health of several orphans and disavantaged youngs from Borivali.

The founders of the association, Madeleine and Christof Siffert, are familiar with India. Mumbai is their city of heart and they have special straps and ties, having adopted in 2006 a young boy named Jeevan. Since the day they set foot in this city of light, colors, smells and contrasts, a very strong bond has been created. In recent years, thanks to the support of many of their relatives, friends and partners, Madeleine and Christof have been able to carry out some projects for the children of Mumbai.

Ten years after having discovered Mumbai, the poverty of the slums, but also the eyes of their children still hopeful, it was the right time to found the Association to set up even more projects and offer these children a better future !


Our indian partners

durga Gudili Nikita Ketkar, CEO Masoom Organisation 
Nikita plays the role of a passionate guide and mentor for the fledgling NGO that has chosen to tread a different path by focusing on the night schools of Mumbai. It was while working on a social project that she came across night schools accidentally. What she saw and heard compelled her to start Masoom in 2008 an organization focused on improving the night schools. Nikita believes that every child’s right to learn is fundamental and she sees Masoom as making that a reality for thousands of underprivileged children. Her interests other than night schools are traveling and trekking.
Ankita Bhatkhande Ankita Bhatkhande, Journalist
Ankita works as an education correspondent at DNA newspaper in India. She is passionate about the education beat and covers issues and challenges in the education sector among other things. Ankita has been helping several men and women in the city who want to take up the cause of the poor by writing about them in the papers.
Sunil Guwal Sunil Guwal, Tourist Taxi owner & driver
Sunil drives & guides too around Mumbai in his own Taxi for last 30 years. Well versed of his city Mumbai where he is born and educated.

Statutes

STATUTES RUN4CHILDRENMUMBAI (R4CM)

NAME AND HEADQUARTERS

ARTICLE 1
Run4childrenmumbai (R4CM) is a non-profit association governed by the present statutes and subsidiarily by articles 60 and follow of the Swiss Civil Code. It is politically neutral and independent.

ARTICLE 2
The association’s headquarters is located in Fribourg. The association shall be of unlimitaded duration.


AIMS

ARTICLE 3
The association pursues the following aims:
₋ to help and support disadvantaged, orphaned or abandoned children in Mumbai by promoting their access to education;
₋ to improve the situation of these children by contributing to their independence so that the association does not have to provide them with perpetual help;
₋ to build, keep and expand a network of relationships and contacts on the ground of Mumbai, in order to make existing projects sustainable;
₋ the purchase of equipment, movable properties or real estates, and the construction of buildings or any other properties may be part of this development.
RESOURCES

ARTICLE 4
The resources of the association derive from:
₋ Donations and bequests;
₋ Sponsorship;
₋ Public and private subsidies;
₋ Contributions paid by members;
₋ Any other resources authorized by the law.
The funds are used in accordance with the association’s social aims.


MEMBERS

ARTICLE 5
The R4CM association is open to anyone interested in the activities of the association and who agree with its aims. Requests to become a member must be addressed to the Committee.
The association consists of:
₋ Founding members;
₋ Active members;
₋ Sponsor members;
₋ Donor Members.

Founders members
Persons who have participated in the constitution of the association and who are designated in the statutes themselves or identified as signatories of the constitutive general assembly in written of the minutes.

Active members
All natural and legal person who wishes to participate actively in the projects and activities of the association.

Sponsoring Members
All natural and legal person or juridical person or entity who wishes to support financially the projects and activities of the association is considered a sponsoring member.

Donor members
All natural and legal person or juridical person or entity who wishes to support financially the association without participating in the activities of the association is considered a donor member. Donor members do not have the right to vote.

Admission
Requests to become a member must be addressed to the Committee. It admits the new members and informs the general assembly which decides on them.
Membership and its effects are lost by the death, resignation or exclusion of the member. The outgoing member has no rights over the association's assets.
Only the association's assets may be used for commitments contracted in its name. Members have no personal liability.

Law and duties
All members have the right to participate in the general assembly and the duty to comply with the statutes, the regulations of the association and the decisions of the general assembly.

ORGANIZATION

ARTICLE 6
The organs of the association are:
₋ The general assembly,
₋ The Committee,
₋ The auditors.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

ARTICLE 7
The general assembly is the supreme power of the association. It is composed of all members.
The general assembly meets once yearly in ordinary session. It may meet in extraordinary session at the request of the Committee or one-fifth of the members.
The general assembly is validly constituted regardless of the number of members present.

Convocation
Notice of the general assembly shall be sent to all members at least 2 Months in advance, together wia a provisional agenda. The notice of the assembly announcing the final agenda shall be set down in the notice to each members at least 10 days in advance.

Individual Proposals
Each member may submit individual proposals. In order for these to be submitted and validly debated at the general assembly, proposals must be submitted to the Committee no later than 4 weeks before the date of the general assembly.

ARTICLE 8
The general assembly :
₋ Decide on the admission or exclusion of members;
₋ Elects the members of the Committee and appoints at least one president, one secretary-treasurer ;
₋ Takes note of the reports and accounts for the financial year and votes on their approval;
₋ Approves the annual budget;
₋ supervises the activity of other organs, which it may dismiss, stating the grounds therefore ;
₋ Appoints an auditor (s);
₋ Fixes the amount of the annual contributions;
₋ Decides on any modification of the statutes;
₋ Decides on the dissolution of the association.

ARTICLE 9
The general assembly is chaired by its President.

ARTICLE 10
The decisions of the general assembly are taken by a simple majority of the votes of the present members. Any representation is excluded. In case of deadlock, the President shall have his vote counts twice.
Decisions concerning the amendment of the statutes and the dissolution of the association will be passed after an affirmative vote by a majority of 2/3 of those present members.

ARTICLE 11
Voting takes place by show of hands.

ARTICLE 12
The agenda of the annual ordinary general assembly, necessarily includes:
₋ approval of the minutes of the previous general assembly;
₋ report of the Committee on the activities of the association during the past period;
₋ treasury reports and the auditors reports;
₋ setting of contributions;
₋ approval of the budget;
₋ approval of reports and accounts;
₋ election of the members of the Committee and the auditors;
₋ individual proposals.

COMMITTEE

ARTICLE 13
The Committee is authorized to carry out all acts that further the purposes of the association. It has the most extentensive powers to manage the association's day-to-day affairs.

ARTICLE 14
The Committee is composed of at least two members elected by the general assembly. The Committee meets as often as the association's business requires.

ARTICLE 15
The committee members work on a volunteer basis and as such can only be reimbursed for their actual expenses and travel costs. No directors' fees are paid.
The paid employees of the association have only a consultative vote on the Committee.

ARTICLE 16
The functions of the Committee are:
₋ to take appropriate measures to achieve the goals of the association;
₋ to convene the ordinary and extraordinary general assemblies;
₋ to take decisions with regard to admission of new members and the resignation of members, as well as their eventual exclusion;
₋ to ensure that the statutes are applied, to draft regulations and to administer the assets of the association;
₋ to hire persons to be paid by the association;
₋ to fix the remuneration of the persons engaged by the association, within the limits laid down in the budget for this function.

ARTICLE 17
The association is validly bound by the joint signature of the president and a member of the committee.

VARIOUS PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 18
The financial year shall begin on 1 January and endS on 31 December of each year.
The treasurer is responsible for the association's finances. The general assembly shall appoint an auditor who will audit the Association's accounts every year.

ARTICLE 19
Should the association be dissolved, the available assets will be transferred to a non-profit institution pursuing public interest goals similar to those of the association and likewise benefiting from tax exemption. Under no circumstances should the assets be returned to the founders or members. Nor should they use a part or a total of assets for their own benefit.

The present statutes have been approved by the constituent general assembly of 26th November 2016.
On behalf of the association:

President

Secretary

pdfDownload the statutes of the association in english