The year 2021 should have meant the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. But as we all know, this was by no means the case—on the contrary, the virus kept us very busy indeed. Last year, we again focused our efforts on supporting those in Switzerland and abroad who were worst hit by the pandemic. The Coronavirus International and Coronavirus Switzerland fundraising campaigns enabled us to fund over 70 projects aimed at countering the effects of Covid-19 within and beyond our borders. But other issues were also important to us, as the list below shows.
In 2021, we received more than CHF 27 million in donations. Our major fundraisers were the 75th Anniversary appeal for children in need (7,494,931), the Coronavirus International appeal (6,553,403) and the two fundraisers for humanitarian crises in August: the Taliban’s seizure of Afghanistan (4,631,051) and the earthquake in Haiti (2,039,772).
In all, we provided CHF 34 million in funding to 348 projects and provided 8.4 million people with urgently needed aid, over three quarters of whom were affected by the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
We funded 174 projects in Switzerland and abroad. In total, our work reached 40 countries worldwide.
While most of the funds raised through donations last year went to providing aid in Switzerland (7,061,619), we also supported people in other countries including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Palestine.
Most of last year’s donations went to projects focusing on helping those most affected by the economic, social and health impacts of the pandemic in Switzerland and around the globe.
In 2021, we celebrated our 75th anniversary. For three quarters of a century, Swiss Solidarity has stood for the Swiss population’s support for people in need and has achieved impressive outcomes. In that time, we have raised almost CHF 2 billion in donations, which we have put toward more than 5,000 projects in Switzerland and around the world in response to no fewer than 260 disasters.
To celebrate this 75th anniversary, we organised a national solidarity day for children in need in Switzerland and worldwide in December 2021, raising more than four million Swiss francs.
In addition to helping those affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the anniversary campaign for children in need, we launched two appeals for donations in response to major humanitarian crises almost simultaneously in August 2021.
An earthquake in Haiti hit the population hard and caused great damage. The fundraising campaign raised CHF 2,039,772 in donations. Most of it was used immediately to provide emergency aid to the affected people. Swiss partner organisations on the ground quickly provided clean drinking water, distributed relief supplies and cash aid, and assisted with house repairs.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban takeover led to massive displacement within a country already weakened by drought, conflict and pandemics. We received CHF 4,631,051 in this context, funding life-saving aid. Given the difficult political environment, the partner organisations on the ground are constantly adapting to help the Afghan population effectively. Currently, the aid is focused on access to medical care.
In 2021, Miren Bengoa was appointed as the new Director of Swiss Solidarity. She took up her post on 1 January this year. The 44-year-old Miren Bengoa comes from Geneva, has many years of international experience and is the first woman to hold this position. She has more than 20 years of experience in international organisations, private foundations and NGOs in Switzerland and abroad.
Swiss Solidarity’s full annual report, including the annual financial statement, can be viewed or downloaded on this page.
Swiss Solidarity, 1211 Geneva 8
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