Swiss Honorary Consul In Hawaii: 'Helping Others Is Deeply Rewarding'

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) From helping injured students to supporting people affected by devastating wildfires, Theres Ryf Desai is the first point of contact for Swiss citizens on the island paradise of Hawaii. This content was published on February 7, 2026 - 10:00 7 minutes

I cover topics related to the Swiss Abroad and Swiss specialities, also producing a daily briefing for the Swiss Abroad community. I studied communication sciences, then worked as a reporter and video journalist for private radio and television. I have worked for SWI swissinfo in various roles since 2002.

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• German Departm

• Deutsch de Unsere Honorarkonsulin in Hawaii: ((Anderen Menschen helfen ist sehr befriedigend)) Original Read more: Unsere Honorarkonsulin in Hawaii: ((Anderen Menschen helfen ist sehr befriedig
• Français fr Theres Ryf Desai, consule honoraire à Hawaï: ((Aider les autres est très gratifiant)) Read more: Theres Ryf Desai, consule honoraire à Hawaï: ((Aider les autres est très gratifi
• Italiano it La nostra console onoraria alle Hawaii:“Aiutare la gente è molto gratificante” Read more: La nostra console onoraria alle Hawaii:“Aiutare la gente è molto gratific

Reaching someone by phone in Hawaii from Switzerland takes some coordination. I call her at 8am on a Thursday morning. Where she lives, it is still Wednesday evening – and already 9pm.

A native of Bern, Desai has lived in Hawaii on the island of Oahu for 36 years. She studied architecture at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich and worked in the field for many years. At 64, she is now in the process of winding down her career in the property sector.

Since 2010, Desai has been volunteering as Switzerland's honorary consul.“I like helping people. It is deeply rewarding,” she says.“And I am happy to give something back to the country that gave me an excellent free education. Living abroad has made me appreciate that now more than ever.

When the Swiss foreign ministry originally contacted her about the role, Desai had to ask what an honorary consul actually does.

“I knew my predecessor, Niklaus Schweizer, who held the post for 38 years until he reached the age limit. But I had no real sense of what the job involved,” she says.

It took almost a year before she was formally appointed at the end of 2009. The entire process involved applications, personal interviews, and approval by the Swiss embassy and the US State Department.“Approval by the US authorities is by no means a given,” she says.

No such thing as routine

The day-to-day reality of the position is demanding.“I thought I had seen it all, but there is always something new. It is incredible what has happened over the past 15 years, from accidents involving tourists to social problems affecting the Swiss Abroad that live here,” Desai explains.

The chain of islands that make up Hawaii form the 50th and southernmost US state. Many Swiss visitors who come are here for a language course. Desai points out that 6.6% of international students in Hawaii come from Switzerland, ranked fifth behind Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and China.“That is quite something,” she says, comparing“little Switzerland” to the much bigger countries.

Most of them come to the tropical paradise for just three months to learn English.

During their stay, some underestimate the risks. On several occasions, Desai has had to help injured young people arrange a safe return to Switzerland.

She says it's not possible to put an exact figure on the amount of time she spends on her duties, as this depends heavily on the individual cases she deals with. Her workload“varies enormously, from nothing to well beyond a full-time working week”, she explains.

Months of work for Solar Impulse

One particularly intensive period was the arrival of the Swiss solar aircraft Solar Impulse, which landed in Hawaii and then stayed there from July 2015 to April 2016, waiting for conditions that would allow it to continue its journey.

“For the flight from Japan to Hawaii, they needed five consecutive days of clear weather,” she explains.“The landing was originally expected in mid-May, but they only arrived on July 3.”

Desai organised events that repeatedly had to be cancelled or postponed at short notice due to shifting weather conditions and technical problems with the aircraft's batteries.

“It was a huge amount of work,” she says.“We had to keep replanning everything, which was not easy given the scale of the events.”

Another demanding episode came in 2023, when devastating wildfires destroyed the coastal town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Desai spent hours advising Swiss tourists by phone, from replacing travel documents when access to their hotels was blocked to helping them find alternative accommodation.

As honorary consul, Desai is also keen to strengthen ties among the roughly 840 Swiss citizens living in Hawaii. One way she does this is through the Swiss SocietyExternal link, which has about 70 members.“Unfortunately, not everyone attends the events. It is a pity, because we organise a wide range of engaging activities.”

Originally from the town of Langenthal in canton Bern, Desai moved to Hawaii at the age of 28, where she started a family with her husband, who is also an architect.

Babysitting duties

Alongside her professional and consular work, time for family and hobbies is sometimes scarce. Her son and his wife also live in Hawaii and Desai recently became a grandmother.“Now babysitting is part of the picture,” she says.

Her daughter, by contrast, has lived in Switzerland for ten years following studies at the hotel management school in Lausanne.

Our conversation is interrupted when Desai switches on the ceiling fan – the house has become too warm. Returning to her computer, she continues talking about her hobbies.

Read more about what a Swiss honorary consul does in our explainer below:

More More Swiss Abroad Switzerland expands voluntary honorary consul network

This content was published on Nov 4, 2025 Switzerland is strengthening its global network of honorary consuls. It now boasts 225 diplomatic representatives around the world.

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