The Swiss Solidarity impact
Swiss Solidarity organised a total of 257 fundraising campaigns and in cooperation with Swiss partner organisations, was able to provide countless people basic aid necessary for their survival and future. This aid has mostly aimed to support reconstruction projects after earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters, victims of wars and conflicts as well as programs targeting the well-being of children.
The origins of Swiss Solidarity
On 26 September 1946, armed with the wish to help those suffering from the consequences of the Second World War, two radio producers from Lausanne, Jack Rollan and Roger Nordmann, launched the first Swiss Solidarity appeal on Radio Sottens in support of children suffering in the aftermath of the war. Soon after, their own radio programme was born: the “Chaîne du Bonheur”, in English “Swiss Solidarity”, in which whomever made a wish come true would call for the realisation of a new wish. In the beginning, donations in kind were collected – and the studio rooms were often flooded with packages and relief goods.
Swiss Solidarity’s 75th birthday celebrations from the 12th to 17th of December 2021
From the 12th to the 17th of December, to mark its 75th birthday, we are organizing a Solidarity Week in collaboration with the SRG. The eventful week shall conclude its celebrations with a fundraising day in support of children in need.
75 years in figures
Since our beginning, 75 years ago, we have:
- collected almost 2 billion Swiss francs in donationsorganised 257 fundraising campaignsfinanced 5,097 projects (1,525 in Switzerland, 755 in Europe, 787 in Africa, 746 in Asia, 753 in Latin America, 528 in the Near and Middle East and 2 in the South Pacific).Worked with over 30 Swiss partner organisations abroad and 450 organisations in Switzerland
The largest fundraiser took place in 2004/05 after the tsunami in South-East Asia, with a total of 227 million Swiss francs donated.