Riding on the success of the ‘Coronavirus Switzerland’ fundraising campaign during which you and many others showed great solidarity, we are announcing today that we will be launching the ‘Coronavirus International’ National Day of Solidarity in collaboration with SRG on 22 October 2020.
This fundraiser will support those of Swiss Solidarity’s partner relief organisations that have been working for months to help people dealing with the fallout of the pandemic worldwide. Please donate to support the urgently needed aid that our partners in those countries are delivering.
«The coronavirus crisis is hitting the world’s most vulnerable the hardest, exacerbating existing problems such as social inequality and poverty. We can overcome the global coronavirus crisis, but only if our solidarity extends beyond our country’s borders.»Roland Thomann, Director
In early July, we released two million francs from our emergency aid fund to help partner relief organisations working in countries where the coronavirus crisis is having the most far-reaching effects.
Nine partner relief organisations have provided assistance while running information and prevention campaigns in seven particularly affected countries (Bangladesh, Tanzania, Yemen, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Myanmar and Mozambique). However, funding is far from sufficient.
The need for support is enormous. Here are just a few examples of how our partner aid organisations are using your donations: Direct financial aid is supporting people in precarious economic situations.
Education and child protection are also important issues, as the pandemic has forced schools in many parts of the world to remain closed. Also vital is the delivery of health services aimed at preventing and treating COVID-19 and other health conditions.
«Without immediate additional international humanitarian assistance, poverty, famine and disease will continue to gain ground. Progress made in the areas of health and education is threatened, and the risk of unstable countries being severely set back in their development is high.»Tasha Rumley, , Humanitarian Programmes Manager
In the Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, some 700,000 people are crammed into 13 km2, a situation as tragic as that in the Nduta camp in Tanzania, where 75,000 Burundian refugees currently live.
The danger of thousands of people becoming infected with the coronavirus is enormous. Aid organisations are therefore raising awareness among the people in refugee camps about hygiene measures and social distancing rules, while providing personal protective equipment for staff and patients.
Swiss Solidarity, 1211 Geneva 8
Your donation is tax deductible in Switzerland.
