Greetings on the Change of Chairmanship

Namaste, dear friends and sponsors of our association,

“Love must not ask neither demand. Love must have the power to come to certainty in itself. Then it doesn´t get pulled anymore, but pulls.”
(H. Hesse)

That is and remains the motto of our association and our wonderful sponsors, including you. So many have remained loyal to us since the beginning and for many years and we appreciate this very much, because as a small association we all work on a voluntary basis and are so pleased to be able to support our projects in Nepal and India. Thanks to you, many needy people can be given hope and a goal.

Now it's time for me to say goodbye as President and, of course, to remain active in the association as a member - so I look forward to staying in touch with you.

Over the years, I had hoped to find successors, and they have been active members of our association for so many years, regularly traveling to Nepal and India and visiting our projects. 

We couldn't have got it any better. I would like to thank Hartwig and Ulrike for taking over and look forward to you remaining loyal to us and the projects.

As an appendix: Fortunately, we also have FOUR new members in our association since March, who are also actively involved. Hooray we are growing :)

Sincerely from Heike Yamuna Kiefer

Namaste from me too, dear friends and sponsors,

My name is Hartwig Seifert. I was elected as the new chairman of NAMASTE Welfare NGO at the last general meeting. I am delighted to take on this task and - I promise! - I will do my best to continue the wonderful work of Heike Yamuna - with a lot of continuity and, I am also counting on our new members, with a breath of fresh air.

Heike Yamuna started helping children in Nepal 29 years ago, founded our association - at that time still called Buddha Memorial Welfare Trust NGO - 22 years ago with some like-minded people, and she has led the association with incredible energy and dedication all these years, taking care of the needs and hardships of children and people in Nepal and India and, with your help, ensuring their education and well-being.

She has not spared her strength or her health and this year has taken her retirement as Chairwoman seriously, as she announced years ago. Fortunately, she will remain an active member of our association, and she will remain with me as an advisor with an immense wealth of experience.

You already know me and my wife Ulrike - who is now the new secretary of the association - from the information letters and the Christmas mail of recent years. We have been sponsors of the association ourselves since 2010, became members of the association after the deep impressions of our first trip to Nepal in 2018 and since then have also been friends with our project partners in both countries through several trips to Nepal and India. We are both just over 60 and have our active careers behind us, so we are able to juggle our association work, grandchildren, photography, sport and travel.

Our big request to all of you: remain loyal to our association. Your continued support helps so much and makes a big difference in the lives of children, young people and those in need.

I would like to say a big thank you for your trust and your help!

Yours sincerely,
Hartwig