Independent organization profile
Thirty years of practical, personal work, and a relationship with Lalibela that has grown across health, housing, education, and livelihoods.
Every person has weight, every life is weighty.
Peter Bachmann Foundation
Founded in Switzerland in 1994, PBF describes its approach as direct, respectful assistance designed around self-reliance and local capability. Its work reaches several countries; Ethiopia is a central focus.
In July 2026, the Foundation reported receiving recognition from Lalibela City Council for twenty years of community service.
Why they matter here
The Foundation’s Lalibela work is unusually broad. A clinic can reduce the distance to care. A secure home can make health and study possible. Skills training can turn a building project into a longer path toward independent income.
That continuity is what makes PBF worth understanding: projects are reported not as isolated gestures, but as connected parts of life in Lalibela.
Work in Lalibela
Figures and project descriptions below are attributed to the Foundation’s own reports. Each entry links to the original account.
The PBF Memorial Clinic marked its first anniversary in January 2026. Foundation reports describe affordable diagnostics, medicine access, locally delivered care, and recurring campaigns for cataract surgery and other eye conditions serving Lalibela and surrounding districts.
Read the clinic’s first-year reportPBF reports building three villages and individual homes for more than 100 households over fifteen years. Laudato Si Village extends that work by combining secure housing with health access, training, and ways for residents to build income.
See the Foundation’s housing updateSixteen people completed the first weaving-training round at Laudato Si Village in March 2026. Other recent initiatives include fixed kiosks for thirteen young shoe-care workers and support for Lalibela Honey, a locally rooted beekeeping and value-added products enterprise.
Explore the weaving programmeAt Debaray Satellite School, PBF began replacing an unsafe structure and temporary tent with a four-classroom block intended for early-years pupils and Grade 1. Its wider education work includes support for students who could not otherwise afford further study.
Follow the classroom projectHow the foundation works
PBF is a Swiss nonprofit foundation registered in the Canton of Zurich. Its published governance page says the board and Swiss administrative team work voluntarily, its accounts are independently audited each year, and it reports annually to the relevant supervisory authority.
Foundation reports name local coordinators and partner organizations on individual projects. Readers considering support should still review the latest project update, governance information, and donation instructions directly on PBF’s website.
Read the governance pagePrimary sources
Profile reviewed 4 September 2026