About the foundation

The Zariya Foundation was created in 2010 on the occasion of Mother Teresa’s birth centenary. Our mission is to alleviate the suffering of the poor, abandoned, sick and dying and to uplift the standards of health and education for the youth around the world. Zariya is Urdu and means “source”. It is our vision to act as a source of inspiration and motivation for improvement, by encouraging everyone to be a transformative source of compassion, respect and love in their personal lives. Beyond the production of our non profit film Mother Teresa & Me that celebrates Mother Teresa’s vision of ‘Love in Action’ in a modern context, we invite everyone to use their own talents, skills and resources to actively promote compassionate action and positive change.

The team

Thierry Cagianut

President of the Zariya Foundation and a Partner with Baldi & Caratsch. His preferred areas of work are: Private clients, inheritance law, disputes in the area of company and contract law, administration proceedings before federal authorities in the area of finance, international legal aid in criminal cases, debt recovery and insolvency law, labor law, movies and entertainment. The President of the Zariya Foundation has 15 years’ experience in the New York movie industry and has produced international award-winning movies such as “Henry Fool” (Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival 1998)

Michele Caratsch

Member of the Zariya Foundation’s Council and a Partner with Baldi & Caratsch. His preferred areas of work are: International trade disputes and arbitration, disputes in the area of fraud prevention and asset recovery, economic criminal law, debt recovery and insolvency law, company law, corporate mergers and acquisitions, banking and stock exchange law, project financing and privatizations in Eastern Europe and the CIS states, labor law.

Marc Cornaz

Marc was Managing Director, Board Director and Shareholder of the multi-award winning Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa on Koh Samui, Thailand, from 2007 to 2021. He managed the financing, construction, and development of the resort from 2003 onward and nurtured its growth and brand to a mature and profitable business.

A graduate of EHL Lausanne with an MBA from IMD Lausanne, he previously held senior operations management and business development positions with large International Hospitality and Restaurant brands in Hong Kong, Korea, the UK, and Ecuador.

Anaita Daruvala

Anaita has overseen the film project from the start, having built up the Zariya Charitable Trust in India and organized tax exemption for Indian donors. In addition to her role as Head of Business Development for Bioengineering, a leading engineering and manufacturing supplier of clinical research and production plants to the biopharmaceutical industry, she is currently responsible for international fundraising and PR development for the Zariya Foundation.

Richard Fritschi

Founder and member of the board of trustees of the Zariya Foundation and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in leadership positions at international companies, primarily in the medical technology sector.

Jacqueline Fritschi-Cornaz

Jacqueline Fritschi-Cornaz is a Swiss actress and producer. With a career spanning over three decades in theater, television soaps, commercials, and short films, Jacqueline has made her mark in the world of arts and cinema, and is best known for her leading role as Mother Teresa in the film Mother Teresa & Me.

Ratnashree Saha

Ratna is the head of Communications at Zariya Foundation. She began her work as a journalist with the Hindustan Times in India writing regularly on women’s, social and children’s issues and later also worked with the Confederation of Indian Industry-CII in India.

The Beneficiaries

Deepalaya, Delhi

Deepalaya strongly believes that differently abled children can learn to lead a normal life if they have effective access to services like early identification, intervention, education, vocational training, employment opportunities and the availability of aids and appliances.

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Genesis Foundation, Gurgaon

The Genesis Foundation facilitates medical treatment for critically ill under-privileged children suffering from Congenital Heart Defects. The support required in the said critical illness varies from specific surgeries, Cath Lab Interventions along with recovery and recuperation post-surgery.

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Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, (KISS) Bhubaneswar

Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences is an organization dedicated to providing holistic quality education to 30,000 tribal children to eliminate poverty and hunger.

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Swiss Himalayan Amity (SHA), Zürich

Swiss Himalayan Amity supports comprehensive medical care, reforestation efforts and careful use of resources, to strengthen the confidence of a young generation in their own abilities and in new life perspectives through education.

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