One year of war in Ukraine – Swiss Solidarity records wave of solidarity from Switzerland – News

  • On February 24, 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine sparked horror in Switzerland and around the world.
  • This was followed by an equally unprecedented wave of solidarity, Swiss Solidarity announced.
  • Since the beginning of the war, more than 130 million Swiss francs in donations have been entrusted to the foundation.

The wave of solidarity with those affected by the war in Ukraine is historic for Swiss Solidarity: it is the second highest amount that the foundation has ever collected. Only during the tsunami disaster of 2004 did the Swiss population donate more, around 228 million Swiss francs.

With the donations, Swiss Solidarity has so far financed almost 90 humanitarian projects with a total of more than 50 million Swiss francs.

“This vote of confidence from the Swiss population goes hand in hand with a great deal of responsibility, which Swiss Solidarity takes very seriously,” says the foundation. Through controls and evaluations, she wants to ensure that every donation is used as efficiently and effectively as possible for the people who need it most.

Huge humanitarian needs

It has been a year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began and it has caused tremendous suffering. The United Nations estimates that 17.6 million people in Ukraine are currently in need of humanitarian assistance.

Swiss Solidarity calls for donations for Ukraine


open box
close the box

In view of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Swiss Solidarity is collecting donations for the affected Ukrainian population. Millions of people – mostly children, women and the elderly – have already fled, seeking refuge in neighboring countries or in inland areas untouched by fighting. Swiss Solidarity supports refugees through its partner organizations in Ukraine, the neighboring countries of Poland, Romania, Moldova and Hungary, as well as in Switzerland.

Donations can be made at www.glueckskette.ch or to the postal account 10-15000-6, note “Crisis in the Ukraine”.

Over eight million Ukrainians are still displaced within Europe and 5.9 million people have been displaced from their homes in Ukraine. In addition, important civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and maternity clinics has been massively damaged since the beginning of the war.

help of Swiss Solidarity

In addition to emergency aid, which was provided in the first few weeks after the outbreak of war, Swiss Solidarity is now also implementing larger medium- and long-term projects. The focus is on people who live close to the fighting or who have had to flee their homes. The people supported include in particular single parents with children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, the elderly and people with disabilities.

In the first few days after the attack on Ukraine, Swiss Solidarity sent humanitarian experts to the Polish border to assess the most urgent needs on site, followed by a project inspection in Romania.

Swiss Solidarity wants to secure on-site help in the long term in order to continue to support the Ukrainian population in view of the ongoing war and to one day enable them to return to as normal a life as possible.

From March 11, Swiss Solidarity financed the first projects of its local Swiss partner organizations to provide urgently needed help, especially for refugees in Romania, Moldova, Poland and western Ukraine.

From June 2022, Swiss Solidarity partner organizations were able to expand to Kiev and ever further into eastern Ukraine. From this point on, larger, longer-term projects in Ukraine were also financed, while activities in neighboring countries were reduced as the number of refugees decreased.

Outlook of Help

The war in Ukraine will be prolonged and the humanitarian needs remain immense. Swiss Solidarity’s experience shows that public interest in humanitarian crises declines over time, as Miren Bengoa, director of Swiss Solidarity, emphasizes: “Swiss Solidarity wants to ensure long-term help on site in order to continue to support the Ukrainian population in view of the ongoing war and one day to enable her to return to as normal a life as possible.”

source site-72