On 24 February 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine caused a wave of horror in Switzerland and around the world. On Ukrainian territory, there was an enormous destruction of civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and maternity wards. Many people were forced to flee to Europe and western Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the crisis and through the support of SRG SSR and private radio stations, the Foundation received 135 million Swiss francs in donations, which are being used to help the victims of the war in Ukraine. This collection is the second largest carried out by the Foundation, which was established over 75 years ago.
Thanks to the faith of the people in Switzerland, Swiss Solidarity has been able to help over 1.2 million people. Almost 90 humanitarian projects in Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Poland and Switzerland were financed.
In the first few months, emergency aid (food, medical care, shelter) for people escaping the war was the highest priority. Thanks to the huge wave of solidarity, we are now also implementing larger medium- and long-term projects on the ground together with our Swiss partner organisations. These include the reconstruction of destroyed buildings, access to health care and schooling, and support for refugees.
Primarily, we help the most affected people who live near combat zones or have had to flee their homes. Those supported mainly include single parents with children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, elderly people and people with disabilities.
The war in Ukraine will continue for some time – and so will the humanitarian needs, which remain immense. We want to make sure that our aid on the ground is sustainable so that we can continue to support the Ukrainian people and help them to return to a normal life one day.
The war is a major challenge to ensure continuity and access to education for all children. For the past year, curricula have been completely disrupted and in some regions classes have had to be suspended or replaced by online lessons. To meet these challenges, Swiss Solidarity is funding projects by Terre des Hommes in Ukraine and the Pestalozzi Children’s Village Foundation in Moldova, for example.
Many hospitals and clinics have been bombed since the beginning of the conflict. To restore access to health care and psychosocial support, Swiss Solidarity is supporting projects by Medair, MSF Suisse and the Swiss Red Cross to repair health care infrastructure, supply basic medical equipment, set up mobile clinics and train
In Kiev, in the north and east of Ukraine, HEKS/EPER, Caritas, Medair and Helvetas are rebuilding destroyed buildings and water supply systems. Since the beginning of the war, important civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, water supplies, schools, maternity clinics and houses have been massively destroyed. Médecins du Monde is setting up mobile health posts in the Vinnytsia region, and Medair is rehabilitating a hospital in Sumy in eastern Ukraine to guarantee access to health care and psychosocial support, both in areas close to the frontline and for displaced people.
Thousands of people have fled the front lines to the west and centre of Ukraine, as well as to other countries. These people are housed in schools, offices and medical buildings that have been transformed into emergency shelters and are not suitable for permanent housing. The Swiss Red Cross has implemented projects to improve these spaces and make them habitable, for example by installing cooking stoves and washing machines, connecting them to hot water and setting up sanitation facilities.
Fondation Hirondelle supports the local media in Ukraine, which provide the population with essential information, especially in the areas most affected by the conflict. It relies on a network of journalists based in Ukraine and supported by the editorial team of Justice Info, Fondation Hirondelle’s medium for reporting on international justice issues.
In western Ukraine, Helvetas and its local partners distributed hot meals and food parcels to displaced people and returnees. Many displaced people did not have the means to buy and/or cook food as they were living in refugee shelters.
09.03.2022
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Swiss Solidarity, 1211 Geneva 8
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