War in Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Since then, more than 10,000 civilians have been killed and millions more have been forced to flee. Swiss Solidarity was quick to respond to this tragic situation. With the donations received, we have been able to help thousands of people affected by the war in Ukraine.
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Donations received: CHF 138'623'701Since the beginning of the crisis, with the support of SRG SSR and other private media, we have raised CHF 135 million in donations, which we are using to help the victims of the war in Ukraine. This campaign to help those affected by the war in Ukraine is the second largest in Swiss Solidarity’s 75-year history.
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people driven from their homes
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“I’ve just returned from Ukraine, where I witnessed the direct impact that our aid is having, not to mention the immense courage of the humanitarian workers who’ve been involved in this crisis for three years. International solidarity brings relief and hope to the vulnerable people it sets out to help. But the needs are still immense. The challenge now is to be in a position to keep providing support over the long term.”
Miren Bengoa
Director Swiss SolidarityUpdate on the situation
Our partners’ projects focus particularly on the people most affected: those living close to the fighting or who have had to flee their homes. They also include people with specific needs, such as single parents with multiple children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, the elderly or people with disabilities.
A few concrete examples:
- In the oblasts of Kharkiv and Sumy, Medair has restored drinking water systems and sanitary facilities, improving access to safe water for thousands of people.
- In Kherson, the Swiss Red Cross has repaired medical infrastructures and bomb shelters, strengthening local communities’ resilience in the face of hostilities.
- In Odessa, Caritas has established a centre dedicated to children’s psychological and social wellbeing, a safe place where they can take part in creative workshops and receive counselling to rebuild social ties to combat isolation and overcome the lasting trauma of war.
- In Kharkiv, Helvetas is repairing homes to provide people directly affected by the conflict with a warm and dignified place to spend the winter.
Support for the most vulnerable
While aid in the first few months included neighbouring countries such as Moldova, Poland and Romania (36 projects worth CHF 6.8 million), it was subsequently refocused on eastern Ukraine, as it was directly affected by the fighting, and on the regions where many people took refuge.
Swiss Solidarity used almost 90% of all donations directly in Ukraine and focused on people with specific needs, namely children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, single-parent families with multiple children, the elderly and people with disabilities. Click the map below to see how our aid has evolved over the course of the war.
War in Ukraine
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Swiss Solidarity Is sounding the alarm: As the conflict in Ukraine rages on, donations are running out
20.02.2025Three years ago, Russia launched a major offensive against Ukraine, plunging millions of civilians into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Today, the needs remain immense, and the Ukrainian people are exhausted. Swiss Solidarity has already used almost 80% of the donations received since 2022 to support the country’s population. Now concerned that it will lose its ability to provide aid in the long term, the foundation is again appealing for donations.
Committed partners
Dedicated and passionate players working tirelessly on the ground. Their expertise and commitment are key to our mission of providing vital support to communities in need.
Caritas Switzerland
Caritas Switzerland helps people in distress in Switzerland and worldwide. In collaboration with regional Caritas organisations, it operates mainly where poverty reigns. Caritas provides emergency assistance in disasters and participates in reconstruction.
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Fondation Hirondelle
Fondation Hirondelle is a Swiss non-profit organization founded in 1995, which provides information to populations faced with crisis, empowering them in their daily lives and as citizens. Since its creation Fondation Hirondelle, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, has worked in 18 countries on 3 continents.
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Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER)
Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER), the relief agency of the Protestant Church in Switzerland, delivers humanitarian aid in response to natural disasters and armed conflicts and strives to counter the root causes of poverty and injustice. HEKS/EPER also seeks to bring about systemic change through its development work.
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Helvetas
Helvetas works in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe, where it initiates projects related to water, infrastructure, training, agriculture, the market, environment and climate.
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Medair
Medair helps people suffering in remote and devastated communities around the world to survive crises, recover with dignity and develop the skills they need to build a better future.
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Médecins du Monde Suisse
Médecins du Monde Suisse runs humanitarian and development programs providing solutions in a perspective of sustainability, with a particular focus on access to healthcare for mothers, children and vulnerable populations, worldwide and in Switzerland.
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Save the Children Switzerland
Save the Children Switzerland is an autonomous member of the largest independent children’s rights organisation in the world. In Switzerland and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm.
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Swiss Red Cross
The Swiss Red Cross (SRC) is the largest and most important humanitarian organization in Switzerland. It helps people in need in the areas of health, integration and rescue. The SRC is represented throughout Switzerland and is active in around 30 countries.
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Solidar Switzerland
Solidar Switzerland acts worldwide for a more just society, fighting for fairer working conditions and greater democracy, while delivering humanitarian aid following disasters. In Switzerland, Solidar runs public awareness campaigns.
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Terre des hommes
Terres des hommes foundation builds a better future for underprivileged children in more than 30 countries. Health and protection projects improve the daily lives of two million children and their families each year.
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Doctors Without Borders
Doctors Without Borders is an independent international humanitarian medical organisation that provides emergency assistance to populations without access to healthcare, in particular those affected by armed conflicts, epidemics or natural disasters.
WebsiteWhat your donation achieves
In Western Ukraine, in the first few months after war broke out, Helvetas and its local partners were able to provide displaced persons and returnees with hot meals and food kits. Many of those who were displaced did not have the means to buy food or the space to cook, as they were living in group centres.
The war represents a major challenge to ensuring continuity and access to education. According to the UN, more than five million Ukrainian children no longer go to school. Swiss Solidarity funds projects being run by Save the Children Switzerland, the Terre des hommes Foundation in Ukraine and the Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation in Moldova to rehabilitate schools, train teachers and provide curricula.
Almost-daily bombardments have resulted in the massive destruction of homes and essential infrastructure, compromising access to electricity, heating and water. HEKS, Caritas, Medair and Helvetas are helping to rehabilitate damaged homes and infrastructure.
In Ukraine, Fondation Hirondelle supports the local media which provide essential information to the public, particularly in the regions worst hit by the conflict. The foundation relies on a network of Ukraine-based journalists who are supervised by the editorial staff of Justice Info, the Fondation Hirondelle media outlet that covers international justice news.
Thousands of people have fled the front lines in search of refuge in Western and Central Ukraine, as well as in other countries. They are housed in schools, offices and medical establishments that have been converted into accommodation, but which are ultimately ill-suited for long-term use as housing. The Swiss Red Cross has carried out projects to improve reception conditions for these people and provide them with decent accommodation, for example by installing cookers and washing machines, connecting premises to hot water and equipping them with sanitary facilities.
Since the war began, many people in Ukraine have lost their jobs. In Odessa Oblast (province), Caritas is providing vulnerable people displaced by the conflict with emergency cash assistance to cover their basic needs.
Donations
Emergency assistance and individual needs
Swiss Solidarity supports affected people by providing cash grants. For example, before and during the cold winter months, the grants can be used to cover heating costs and the purchase of winter clothes. They can also be used to cover basic needs such as food, regular clothing, medical care or transport to health facilities. This aid has also enabled people in danger to find refuge in safer areas.
Repairs to homes, buildings and major infrastructures
Approximately one third of the donations went towards home repair and infrastructure projects. Today, these projects account for a large proportion of Swiss Solidarity’s funding and enable those affected to continue living in their own homes, repair damaged buildings and protect themselves adequately from the cold winter weather.
Access to healthcare
Since the war began, many hospitals and clinics have been bombed. To restore access to healthcare, Swiss Solidarity is supporting projects aimed at rehabilitating these buildings, supplying basic medical equipment, setting up mobile clinics and training staff.
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Thank you.
Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, German + Frei AG, Insel Gruppe AG, Brack.ch, Green Datacenter, Kanton Graubünden, Frontiers Media, BSC YoungBoys, Medisupport AG, Walter Haefner Stiftung, World Economic Forum, Swisslos Fonds Kanton Solothurn, Kanton Schwyz, Swisscom, Louis Widmer AG, Swisslos Fonds Kanton Aargau, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Molecular Partners AG, Bertschi AG, IBSA Institut Biochimique, Bering AG, Visana, Ernst & Young AG, Stadt Zürich Stadtentwicklung, Ringier, Stadtgemeinde Brig-Glis, Kanton Zug, Luzerner Kantonsspital, ti&m AG, Spital Region Oberaargau, Bühler Holding, VZUG AG, Endress + Hauser Schweiz, Schmid Gruppe, Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank, Gemeinde Küsnacht, Givaudan AG, Gemeinde Stäfa, Galenica AG, Luzerner Kantonalbank, Katholische Kirche Stadt Zug, Medicor Foundation, Basler Kantonalbank, FC Basel, Stadt Illnau-Effreitkon, Victorinox AG, Sicpa Holding AG, Holcim AG, Ville de Genève
