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The war in the Middle East has already claimed thousands of lives, most of them civilians. The situation is particularly precarious for the 2.4 million people of the Gaza Strip. They have been cut off from water, food, medicine and electricity since 9 October.

The past few days have seen a series of humanitarian crises severely disrupt the lives of many thousands of people. Of particular concern is the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has already led to thousands of deaths.

On Saturday 7 October, a violent 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck western Afghanistan. Early estimates place the death toll at close to 2,500, and the number of injured in the thousands. As Afghanistan had already been dealing with a grave humanitarian crisis before the quake struck, the country will not be able to recover from this latest disaster on its own. To bring urgent and vital aid to the Afghan people, Swiss Solidarity (SwS) is launching an appeal for solidarity.

Six months ago, devastating earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria. Thousands of people lost their lives, millions more were left completely destitute and lost the roof over their heads in one fell swoop. These were the worst earthquakes to hit the region in the last 30 years. In view of the scale of this disaster, Swiss Solidarity has appealed for donations for relief. The situation remains difficult for the people affected. Thanks to your donations, we can give these people hope again.

The storm that hit the town of La Chaux-de-Fonds and its surroundings on July 24 2023 caused considerable damage, one was killed and forty people were injured. A wave of solidarity quickly set in. Affected people receive help through several citizens' initiatives.

On 23 November 2022, exactly 6 months ago, Swiss Solidarity organised a national day of solidarity for East Africa in order to help people affected by the devastating drought. So far, the foundation has deployed around 80% of the 14 million Swiss francs received in more than 20 humanitarian projects in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, providing aid to almost half a million people. However, the situation in the Horn of Africa remains precarious and the population is still dependent on support.

In the Horn of Africa, over 36 million people are in need of aid due to the worst drought in 40 years and rising food prices. To address the scale of this humanitarian crisis and expand aid in the affected countries, Swiss Solidarity is organising a national day of solidarity on 23 November with the support of the SRG. An appeal for donations will be made on TV and radio channels and online from 07:00 to 23:00.

In collaboration with the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR), we will be holding a National Day of Solidarity for the people of Ukraine on Wednesday, 9 March 2022. The event seeks to provide an appropriate response to the massive emerging humanitarian crisis and build on the tremendous wave of solidarity that is rising in Switzerland.

Ukraine has been suffering an unrelenting assault by the Russian army since February 24. The people are fearful for their country’s uncertain future. To address the magnitude of the looming humanitarian crisis, we have launched a call for solidarity with the Ukrainian population and are accepting donations now.

To launch our week of solidarity taking place from the 12th to the 17th December in collaboration with the SRG : we are publishing our first “Solidarity Barometer” which assesses how solidarity is perceived among the Swiss population.

Homeless or without a fixed address, these people are excluded, suffer from isolation and face many health problems. We are accepting donations and launching an appeal for projects to give these people back their place in Swiss society.

A decade has passed since a devastating earthquake struck Haiti. Since then, over two million people affected by the 2010 disaster have benefited from projects funded by your donations. Here are a few examples of what our partner NGOs have been able to accomplish with your support, whose effects are still felt today.