About Dropstone
DROPSTONE sarl is a Swiss private company established in Geneva in 2013. It provides advisory services to governmental agencies, national and local authorities, humanitarian and development organisations, NGOs, foundations and the private sector.
Our partners and main clients abroad are the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), the Swiss Humanitarian Aid (SHA), the ICRC, the Humanitarian Dialogue Centre (HD), The Carter Center (TCC), the French Agency for Development (AFD), AFRY Ltd, the national societies of the Swiss Red Cross and French Red Cross, the City of Geneva, the UN system with the MINUSMA, the MINUSCA, the WFP and the WHO.
In Switzerland, we collaborate closely with the Geological Survey of Geneva (GESDEC), the Industrial Services of Geneva (SIG) and the Environmental Service of the State of Wallis (SEN). We have also provided support to the University of Geneva, the Centre Social Protestant-VD, and the Geneva Water Hub.
Dropstone has provided advisory support services in 25 countries since its creation in 2013, mostly in Africa, but also in the MENA Region, Asia, Americas and Europe.
founder and owner
Patrick Kilchenmann
Patrick is a geologist and hydrogeologist by education. He has thirty years of professional experience, acquired first in Switzerland as a scientist in applied research, and then internationally, working as a chief of project or a senior manager, with long-term assignments in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Haiti, Nepal and Sudan. He has extensive field experience in Africa, the Middle East, Far East, South Asia and the Balkans. He was previously employed by the ICRC, SKAT_Consulting, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the NGO Helvetas. His fields of expertise encompass groundwater management, water supply and sanitation, infrastructure rehabilitation, road construction and maintenance, conflict prevention and resolution, negotiation of humanitarian access, security management, governance, institutional strengthening, change management, and information management.
Junior Evaluation Specialist
Caroline Gloor
Caroline is a dedicated Junior Evaluation Specialist at Dropstone since June 2024. She holds a degree in International Relations and Territorial Development/Urban Planning, with a focus on gender-based violence, women’s empowerment, development, and sustainability. Her bachelor’s research examined the use of rape as a weapon of war during the Congolese civil wars (1996-2003). Caroline has extensive knowledge of Kosovo’s political situation, history, and ethnic communities, and a strong interest in political issues, women’s empowerment, and environmental concerns. Her passion for the African continent and fieldwork led her to project management, monitoring, institutional strategy development, and evaluation. Caroline started her career with a women’s rights association in Morocco and Cuba, then moved to Senegal, where she managed and monitored a mobile app for tracking women’s menstrual cycles and developed an ‘Ecological Third Place’.
Geologist and Hydrogeologist
Mehdy Al-Zoubaidy
Mehdy holds a bachelor degree in geology and a master degree in hydrogeology. He has 12 years of professional experience, first in Switzerland as a geologist and hydrogeologist in charge of engineering and environmental impact studies, then internationally as a consultant for the mining sector, international and non-governmental organizations, and national governments (Swiss Humanitarian Aid, German Cooperation). He has worked on groundwater management issues in Morocco, Lebanon and Madagascar, and humanitarian operations in Bangladesh before joining Dropstone in 2023. Mehdy has extensive experience in implementing integrated water management programs, institutional capacity building, and dialogue with national authorities and stakeholders, as well as strong background in spatial analysis and GIS-based remote sensing methods. His skills help decision-makers to rely on thematic maps to better understand and manage water resources. He is now supporting our hydrogeological projects in Switzerland (Cantons of Wallis and Geneva) and abroad.
PUBLIC STRATEGIES EXPERT
Hala Moughanie
Hala Moughanie is Dropstone’s partner. She is based in Lebanon and has more than 15 years of experience in public strategy building on local and national levels in addition to public reform and public governance. Her work experience also covers the design and implementation of development projects, project management, networking and communication strategies, coordination and monitoring & evaluation activities. Hala is the managing director of Madina for Service Development, a consultancy firm founded in 2016 with a mission to support public institutions in enhancing service provision. She collaborates with Dropstone since 2018 and has provided her valuable support for several evaluations of projects executed in Burundi (AFD), DRC (TCC), Lebanon (SDC) and Mali (SDC).
Senior Geologist and Geomatician
Blaise LOUP
Blaise is a qualified geologist and geomatician (UNIGE) with over 30 years of experience in database management, analysis, and use. He is proficient in GIS tools like ArcGIS Pro, SQL queries, and adheres to high-quality database management standards. His geological work in the canton of Geneva and collaborations with GESDEC have given him in-depth knowledge of Geneva’s subsoil and its specific challenges. At Dropstone, Blaise will apply his expertise in supervising hydrogeological projects and managing geological databases for different institutional partners. He joined our team in June 2024.
Database Developer and IT specialist
Kingsley Akoh Akebegho
Kingsley is consultant to Dropstone. He holds a BSc degree in Environmental and Botanical Sciences at the University of Buea, Cameroon. He later acquired deep skills in Database Management Systems, Web Development technologies and Microsoft Solutions Development. He has more than 12 years of professional experience with the Cameroon GCE Board as an IT specialist. He has also worked with Dropstone from 2018 till date on the development of tailor-made databases for monitoring humanitarian aid projects.
Senior WASH Expert
Théophane Boutrolle
Based in Dakar, Senegal, Théo brings over 23 years of professional experience in the fields of water, sanitation and hygiene, humanitarian aid and development, as well as community affairs and corporate social responsibility in the oil industry. He has worked for the United Nations, international NGOs and the private sector on community development projects and in support of local and regional authorities in West and Central Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, and Haiti. Théo is a native French speaker and is fluent in English and Spanish. He is a Fulbright Scholar and holds a degree in Environmental Sciences.
SENIOR WATER EXPERT
Shukhrat Igamberdyev
Shukhrat has more than 20 years of professional experience on a multiple of comprehensive projects that contributed and helped the Government of Tajikistan transform its water sector management with application of IWRM principles across Tajikistan’s river basins. He has managed projects that supported water sub-sectors of drinking water supply and sanitation, Irrigation & Drainage, watershed management, disaster risk reduction and mitigation, environmental protection in fragile contexts of climate change, inter-stream water conflicts, and water use inefficiencies and scarcity. Shukhrat’s experience and expertise ranges across various sectors, primarily in livelihoods improvement, WASH strategy and development, Water Sector Reforms, and agriculture. He has acquired solid skills in projects development, implementation, monitoring and data management, as well as programs evaluation. Preparation of policy briefs, case study and feasibility reports had been one of his regular products.
SENIOR HUMANITARIAN EXPERT
Georges Comninos
Georges is a seasoned humanitarian expert with more than 30 years of professional experience with the ICRC. During his 25 years in the field, he has been directly involved, at various levels – from delegate, team leader, coordinator to head of delegation and finally regional director – in the analysis of the protection needs of affected populations arising from violations of IHL and Human Rights in various complex contexts; then in the design, implementation, coordination and supervision of protection programs and activities, taking into account the realities on the ground, the capacity of local authorities as well as the programs developed by other actors present. Georges participated in the feasibility study mandated by SDC in Mali in 2021 with Dropstone.
Clients & Partners
