All over the world, millions of children and young people are unable to go to school or are being exploited or abused. Even in Switzerland, children suffer domestic violence, and many young people have a falling out with their families or have trouble finding their place in society.
The Covid-19 pandemic has only aggravated their situation. Countless children can no longer go to school. While this results in their being deprived of an education, in many places it also means losing out on a daily nutritious meal or protection from exploitation and abuse.
We are appealing to your solidarity: reach out today to help provide these children in need with protection, education and a better future. Thank you!
Protection and education are effective means of ensuring that children in Switzerland and around the world can have a better future of their own making. Swiss Solidarity has been helping children in need for 75 years. By donating today, you make it possible for us to support these children through projects that enable them to become important pillars of society who will go on to improve the situation for future generations.Aurore Geiser, Humanitarian Programme Manager
On 26 September 1946, the first Chaîne du Bonheur (a.k.a. Swiss Solidarity) appeal for donations took place on Radio Sottens in Lausanne. At the time, radio presenters Jack Rollan and Roger Nordmann were collecting donations for children suffering from the fallout of the Second World War. To this day, we have remained true to our mission of helping children in need.
Despite the noteworthy progress that has been made in recent years in improving child health, reducing child mortality and providing access to formal education, children around the world still face substantial threats on a daily basis.
In addition to the latest resurgence of Covid-19 and the effects of climate change that directly endanger children’s lives, we encounter many other problems among children in need:
All these factors and challenges rob children everywhere of the chance for a better, self-determined future.
Support these children today so that they can go to school and be protected, against all the odds. We are convinced that an investment in the education and protection of children is an investment in a better future for children in need.
Switzerland is also home to children and young people in need. They are subjected to violence and often struggle to find their place in society. Whether it’s because they have dropped out of school, have only basic or inadequate training, are confronted with a lack of apprenticeships in certain sectors and regions, or face an increasingly demanding labour market, a significant proportion of adolescents and young adults find themselves in limbo and lacking in concrete prospects. What’s more:
Support these children and young people today. With your support, they can become valuable members of society who can go on to improve the situation for future generations.
The projects run by our Swiss partner organisations make it possible for children to go to school or have access to education, even in times of crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Even when schools are closed, these children can continue to learn and receive the information through classmates, radio broadcasts or simply a public loudspeaker. The result: greater odds of a better, self-determined future.
We support projects run by organisations in Switzerland that enable young people who have strayed from their path to find a place in society. These people are helped to make up for their school deficiencies through refresher courses or to find vocational training or a job. Moreover, among other things, the projects support children that have witnessed violence to find protection and help within specialised institutions.
Through our projects abroad, we protect children from violence, which manifests itself in different ways in boys and girls: while girls are more likely to leave school to to take jobs as cleaners outside the home or are forced to marry, boys are more likely to be subjected to physical violence or exploited as beggars. By educating children, parents and teachers, we raise awareness about the vital importance of a non-violent upbringing and can identify and support in case of concern.
Swiss Solidarity, 1211 Geneva 8
Your donation is tax deductible in Switzerland.
