1. Birth and early development of an idea

1990 December : Midnight encounter with Antonio, street child in Quito: failure to help him, we lost him to the night; wish to help children is born

From 1991 : Sponsorship of four children through Foster Plan in Japan

1997 Fall : Harvard Business School - Strategy paper on the launch of a children’s organization

1998 Summer : Pro-bono summer with SOS Children’s Villages in La Paz, Bolivia

2000-2001 : Start-up of Bridgespan in San Francisco, Bain&Co’s spin-off for strategy consulting in the Non-Profit Sector

2. First project and launch of Help-for-Hope

2001/2002 Summer : Personal encounters with Leo Cantuña, primary school student in Conocoto (Quito), and his family

2003 September : Start of independent sponsorship of Leo Cantuña (scholarship)

2004 Fall : Founding team established (Jenö C.A. Staehelin, Monica and Stephan Bissig), name decided, charter drafted

2005 January : Help-for-Hope registered as association under Swiss laws (with generous support from Maître Didier Buffat, third from left)

3. First fundraising events and races by early team members; second project

2005 Feb-April : First fundraising team gathers, with Luigi, Julien and Stephan. later joined by Charl and Pieter - First fundraiser (Geneva “Human Rights” Marathon)

2005 June : Second fundraiser (24hrs MTB race in Ticino)

2005 July : Visit of Hospital “Un Canto A La Vida” in Quito, and personal encounter with Hospital Director Mercedes Silva; selection of specific investment project (Emergency Room)

2005 November : Third fundraiser (New York City Marathon 2005, Escalade 2005) with Julien, Luigi, Amparo and Stephan

4. Further races, third project, tax-exempt status, launch of website

2006 Apr-Dec : Racing team grows and participation in endurance events increases - Mountainbike marathons, Summit of Mount Blanc, Marathons of London, Geneva, Berlin and New York 2006, Escalade in Geneva, and a Half-Ironman

2006 Apr-June : Selection of third investment project (pediatric ambulatory treatment area - again with the Hospital "Un Canto A La Vida")

2006 July : Help-for-Hope officially listed as a tax-exempt entity by Swiss fiscal authorities

January 2007 : Launch of Help-for-Hope website

5. Professional athletes, "kids-for-hope", corporate sponsorships, first large project

2007 - 2008 : Racing team grows further; professional triathlete Didier Brocard joins the team and carries the association's colors

2007 : First large scale project financed by Help-for-Hope (early oncology diagnosis unit at the Hospital "Un Canto A La Vida" for USD 90'000 )

2007 : Corporate donations start to flow towards Help-for-Hope, breaking the CHF 100'000 barrier in donations

2008 : "Kids for Hope" concept launched, with children racing for children, and first Help-for-Hope Children's Ambassador Valentine Marchon racing and winning triathlons at the national level

6. Broader fundraising, sponsorship of Anita, first project in Switzerland, Transat Sailing

2008 : Help-for-Hope chosen by Schools, Boy Scouts and others a Annual School fundraising partner

2008 : Start of sponsorship of Anita Gualan's education (Ecuador)

2008 - 2010 : Help-for-Hope starts to fund projects in Europe (Switzerland) - with large autism center project

2009 : Help-for-Hope chosen as candidate to become partner for the Transatlantic Sailing race "Solidaire du Chocolat"