Network
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The Society Switzerland-Bhutan (SSB) would like to introduce a new social network to give Bhutanese guests in Switzerland the possibility for a social exchange with Swiss network members. This association is meant to enable Bhutanese to meet and live with different people in Switzerland, whereby the guests will get an insight into the different cultural & geographical environments as well as into different fields of activities. Thus, everybody, Swiss and Bhutanese will get the possibility to come closer and hear some little stories from each other.

The motivation for such a network lies in the fact that Bhutan opens more and more its borders for its citizens e.g. for (graduate) students, guests of the Bhutanese Embassy in Switzerland / Permanent Mission to the UN, media workers/representatives, agricultural trainees etc. Thereby the possibility of intercultural exchange will grow.
In this context it is not only desirable but also necessary to give these people a real chance to get in touch with the interesting but expensive Western Europe.

The network will be successively built in both countries, first in Switzerland then in Bhutan: Therefore all interested people ally themselves on a voluntary basis to the so called “SSB-Network” by registering themselves to the SSB mailing list (see the links below). As soon as a powerful network could be established in Switzerland, the Bhutanese part will be built. Therefore, the sister organization in Bhutan informs Bhutanese people about the network and its purpose, so that future guests may register themselves as well with the SSB-Network.

When Bhutanese guests are about to come, the members of the SSB-Network will be informed about the upcoming visit. At this time, each potential host may arrange without any obligation a specific one to several days visitor program for the guest and the administration of the SSB-Network will combine all individual offers to an aggregated program. After the agreement of all involved persons, everyone may look forward to meet the arriving guest and to host her/him until the onward or return journey of the guest, according to the program.

So if you want to join the network as a host, please register yourself by filling in this form: registration_hosts.pdf

If you are about to come to Europe and would like to be guest of the Society Switzerland Bhutan network, please register yourself by filling in this form:
registration_guest.pdf

Even if you are already living in Switzerland but you would appreciate you get more in contact to Swiss or Bhutanese guests you should not hesitate to register yourself to the SSB-Network. It would be a pleasure to make the acquaintance of you as well.

However you don’t have to be already member of the “Society Switzerland Bhutan” before you register yourself to the SSB-Network… nevertheless it would be a pleasure if you become a member of the society too.

Please do not hesitate to ask your friends to join the network as well. The more we are the better the network!

Further details
Important note

  • The main purpose is not to invite Bhutanese guests to come to Switzerland; but to provide a special and eventually extended stay to the ones that already organised a (private, study or business) trip to Switzerland anyway.
  • The guests take care of any formalities such as their entry visa etc. on their own. Therefore the responsibility for visa, guarantee, insurance, health insurance etc. remains prior by the guest.

Financial expenses

  • The hosts will cover board and lodging costs.
  • There might as well be some expenses for sightseeing, transport etc. if there is a mutual agreement.

Support

  • The administration of the network coordinates the visit and stands by in any case of questions or organizational concerns.
  • The network members may as well get supported by other network members.

Responsibilities

  • Prime guarantor is the guest herself/himself (declaration needed to get the visa).
  • During the visit at the hosts place the host is responsible for the guest and her/his wellbeing.
  • The hosts are willing to support the guests and to accompany them in the social context.
  • The host cares for the guest until the she/he travels on to the next host or back to Bhutan; and looks after him/her so that he/she doesn’t run into trouble or gets lost.

Benefits for the hosts

  • support for persons from Bhutan
  • international contacts
  • strengthening of the SSB membership
  • know-how exchange

Registration

  • Should SSB members or external persons be interested into the network they can apply by filling in the registration form and sending it back to the SSB.
  • The collected personal data will not be used outside of the SSB network purpose.