Photographer Sandra Brigger (39) receives hardly any state corona aid, thanks to donations she hopes again
“Don’t be ashamed to ask for help!”
The federal government is spending billions to support people in need during the pandemic. But not everyone benefits. Some help themselves. With cries for help. And meet people who are better off. Two portraits.
Published: 02/21/2022 at 00:32
722 days. That’s how long it took from the first corona case in Switzerland to last Wednesday, when the Federal Council declared the acute phase of the pandemic to be over. It was 722 days that brought so much suffering that even the treasury reflects emotions. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the federal government has poured over CHF 23 billion into social welfare, figures published this week show (see chart). This is help for people and companies who have lost their jobs or have had a major drop in sales. Despite this dense network of immediate measures, there are people who have fallen through the cracks.
People like Sandra Brigger (39). The Valaisan had worked hard and with a lot of passion to build up her independence over the years. In 2019 she can make a nice profit with her photo studio. Can even hire a part-time employee and look to the future with optimism. Then Corona comes.
In one month there were 26.40 francs
The orders are gone because nobody is getting married anymore, wants portraits or has marketing budgets for real estate brochures. The profit from 2019 will soon be gone. At some point, the part-time employee will also be gone. And the optimism. In order not to go bankrupt, Brigger had to inject 40,000 francs from her inheritance into the company. Most of their retirement savings. In order to save costs, she moves to her partner. “I was desperate, seriously considered giving up my dream and doing something else,” she says to Blick.
Even the federal government can’t really help her. She does not receive short-time work compensation because she founded a GmbH shortly before the outbreak of the pandemic. She misses the hardship case compensation because her sales only drop by 50 and not by the required 55 percent. When she continues to fill out her applications and finally receives money from the state, it is so little that her throat is tight. Once she receives 26.40 francs compensation for loss of earnings for one month.
6000 francs donated
She decides to help herself. And meet like-minded people. She posts an emotional video on Facebook in which she describes her needs and fears. It’s going viral. This is how she found out about the wage sharing association. Anyone who gets into financial difficulties because of the pandemic explains the situation to the organization in an e-mail and receives support – if money is available. Because the amounts come from donations.
Bernhard Schmutz (58) is one of those who paid in there. The man from Biel donated 6,000 francs to various organizations during the pandemic, including wage sharing. The 58-year-old also recorded a drop in sales of over 50 percent as a self-employed person in the first Corona year. “All orders were canceled or postponed at some point,” he says.
“It’s no use having too much money”
But in contrast to Sandra Brigger, dirt benefited from the state and received partial income compensation. He says: “I got away with a black eye. That’s why I want to give something back.” He is fortunate to have grown children and a wife who also works. In addition, he lives quite modestly and pays attention to manageable fixed costs. His sales have still not reached the pre-corona level. But business is now doing a little better again, and he is satisfied anyway. “There’s no point in having too much money. The main thing is that I can make a living from it.”
Sandra Brigger receives 900 francs from wages. It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s a turning point for Brigger. She regains hope. From spring 2021, people will remarry and independence is no longer in danger. Brigger continues his education. Can even dream again: “This year I’m really taking off with iris photography!”
It certainly helped that she never gave up. “People shouldn’t be ashamed to ask for help,” is Brigger’s core message. It is important to her to give back as soon as possible. “If you feel better, you give. If it’s worse, you can also take. If we treat each other like this, life will be better for everyone.”