Since 24 February 2022, the people of Ukraine have been living with a horrifying new reality: air-raid sirens, curfews and bombings. Bomb shelters and the capital’s metro stations were requisitioned to shelter people from attacks like those that have rocked the Donbas region for the past eight years.
Despite the terror, the Ukrainian population is resisting the advance of the Russian army with all available means. More than seven million people fled to neighboring countries with only the bare necessities. Millions more are fleeing within Ukraine. The consequences of the ongoing and intensifying conflict for the civilian population are dramatic and the need for humanitarian aid is multiplying.
The approaching cold winter is a major security risk for the civilian population. Many buildings have been destroyed by the fighting and the heating systems are not working. Since the middle of the year, Swiss Solidarity has therefore also been focusing its aid on projects with a heating component and ensuring through its partner organizations on the ground that at least one room per home can be repaired, insulated and heated. In some areas, for example, small heaters with pellets are distributed so that the cold does not become an additional danger for the local people.
Millions of people inside Ukraine are fleeing in search of protection and refuge. They are moving to safe places that have been spared from the fighting. This makes them particularly vulnerable and in need of support. We help with food, water, medical care, shelter as well as information and advice about their situation and support. We are currently funding relief projects within Ukraine run by Swiss partner organisations such as the Swiss Red Cross, Helvetas, Caritas, Save the Children Switzerland and Medair to address these humanitarian needs. In turn, a project implemented by Fondation Hirondelle provides support to Ukrainian journalists and their media through editorial assistance, as access to vital information is incredibly important for the Ukrainian population. In addition, support is provided to the Fondation Suisse de Déminage in Chernihiv and the International Committee of the Red Cross throughout Ukraine.
Especially women and children crossed the borders of Ukraine in search of refuge in neighbouring countries. They had to wait for hours to cross the border and are physically and mentally exhausted. The projects we fund help these people so that they receive meals, medical care, money, psychological support, information and advice about their situation. We support our partner organisations such as HEKS, the Terre des hommes Foundation, Solidar Suisse in Romania, Caritas Switzerland and Medair in Poland, as well as the Swiss Red Cross and Helvetas in Moldova.
We have assessed the needs for assistance to refugees from Ukraine in order to identify gaps in the assistance. In cooperation with our partner organisations Caritas Switzerland and the Swiss Red Cross, but also other organisations, we will mainly help in the area of legal advice and support for children. It is important for us that our aid complements governmental aid and that refugees from different countries are treated equally. So far we have already been able to finance 29 projects in Switzerland
09.03.2022
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In collaboration with the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR), we held a National Day of Solidarity for the people of Ukraine on Wednesday, 9 March 2022. The event sought to channel the tremendous outpouring of solidarity that we are still witnessing in Switzerland toward the massive humanitarian crisis underway.
Thanks to the support of regional radio stations and other media, calls for donations spread like wildfire on traditional and online TV and radio stations. Many celebrities and volunteers jumped into action and took pledges over the phone from our call centres in Geneva, Zurich and Lugano. By the end of the day, we had raised CHF 51,547,615 in donations, matching the largest amount ever raised at one of our fundraisers. A huge thank-you for your extraordinary solidarity!
Swiss Solidarity, 1211 Geneva 8
Your donation is tax deductible in Switzerland.
