Howtopedia - english:Site support
Howtopedia relies entirely on donations to fund the project.
Howtopedia is a non-profit Organisation and will be soon accreditated as a tax exempt charitable organisation.
Please contact us at info@howtopedia.org
Or support us by giving directly to:
howtopedia, Zürich, Switzerland:
Account n°:85-316288-4
IBAN: CH10 0900 0000 8531 6288 4
BIC: POFICHBEXXX
Vision
The vision behind howtopedia is the belief in an autonomous, alternative development through the diffusion of simple technologies and practical knowledge.
Mission
howtopedia is an independent Swiss non-profit organization whose primary objective is the promotion of simple technologies in all areas of daily life. howtopedia focuses on a bottom-up strategy. collects and disseminates self-help resources and know-how in order to facilitate the local self-organization worldwide.
Simple technologies and practical knowledge:
- Cause minimal cost
- Use local materials
- Require minimal skills
- Are easy to maintain
- Protect the environment and comply with the principle of sustainability
- Are solution-oriented
- Help acquire new skills
Core tasks
howtopedia’s central activities are:
- The propagation and promotion of simple technologies
- The collection of knowledge in the field of simple technologies and practical knowledge
- The exchange of knowledge, and knowledge transfer between organizations, research institutes, innovators and individuals
- Promoting the innovation
- Facilitating access to information, especially in transitional and developing countries
- The recruitment of new users
Means
howtopedia provides an Internet platform that can be exploited as an open online library by organizations and indivduals across borders. its content is the result of collaborative work and It acts as an interface between information providers and users.
Financing
howtopedia is committed to not-for-profit principles. The work of the association is supported by staff and volunteers from Switzerland and worldwide.
The funding is achieved through membership fees, donations and contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations, governmental and international organizations. However, howtopedia will accept contributions only if full independence in conducting our projects is guaranteed.
Allocation of resources
Because we are convinced that only high quality information can contribute to development efforts, we use up to 50% of our available resources for building and maintaining an active network of organizations and institutions. Another 30% will be used for communications in developing and transition countries. No more than 15% of our budget will be spent for administration and fundraising, The remaining funds will be used to support eligible projects of other organizations.
The funds entrusted to the association are invested and used responsibly, efficiently and economically. This means that howtopedia and all employees proactively and systematically follow clear rules and processing standards regarding the use of funds.
These include clear rules for the external tendering and commissioning of services and procurement.
Employees Policy
Our staff and volunteers are our most important asset. We show this appreciation through open communication, a policy of transparency and respect for personnel law matters.
Transparency
howtopedia is committed to transparency regarding the origin and use of our resources. We publish voluntarily every year clear performance targets for our projects and allow us to measure the success of our work.
