Helping alone is not enough

International cooperation

Effective poverty reduction today requires a holistic approach. Projects need to be created specifically for each context, taking into account both local circumstances and global contexts, geared towards people’s individual needs.

Caritas Switzerland’s international cooperation is therefore based on tried, tested and tailored approaches and decades of experience. This is far more than just ‘helping’. To make the overall scope and the important interrelationships between individual activities clearer, we explain the most important approaches in concrete terms through our projects in which we provided diverse and sustainable support to people in need in 2024.

Triple Nexus Approach

More and more people around the world are struggling with simultaneous crises. In such a volatile environment, it is crucial to be able to react flexibly and adapt our approaches to these contexts. This is why Caritas Switzerland implements the Nexus approach in every fourth project. This combines short-term emergency aid with long-term strategies so that those affected in crisis situations can quickly find relief and better prepare themselves for future shocks through durable activities.

This is the case in Chad, for example, where there are frequent conflicts between agriculturalists and pastoralists. Climate change and migration flows further exacerbate the struggle for scarce natural resources. Caritas Switzerland and its partners are working in various areas to provide emergency relief and sustainable solutions to these overlapping challenges. During periods of drought, people receive humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs. Through training and a small amount of start-up funding, they are encouraged to open their own business in order to generate their own income. In addition, social cohesion and conflict resolution activities ensure that local communities live in peaceful cohabitation and are supported in dealing with intercommunity conflicts. As inclusivity is rooted in the development of these measures, long-lasting impact can be achieved.

Outreach and Advocacy Activities

In order to combat poverty effectively, social structures need to be changed sustainably. Caritas Switzerland therefore engages in dialog with local communities, civil society and government authorities to ensure inclusive and constructive change. This is the case in the Bolivian rainforest, where deforestation is destroying the livelihood of the local population as well as that of native animals and plants. To counter these negative practices, we develop forest management plans together with the communities. At the same time, we sensitise and train farming families to grow suitable mixed crops – this not only secures their harvest, but also protects the Amazon for future generations.

Graduation Approach

The Graduation Approach aims to lead households out of extreme poverty in several successive steps. First, the poorest families are identified, and their basic needs covered through cash transfers. They are then accompanied towards self-sufficiency through training or financial subsidies. The model has proven its worth: in 2024, Caritas Switzerland implemented the Graduation Approach in Brazil, Cambodia, Uganda and Burkina Faso.

Access to Sustainable Employment

Helping people support themselves is a core priority of Caritas Switzerland. That is why 36 percent of our projects promote small-scale entrepreneurship or sustainable employment – in Lebanon, for example. Two groups particularly affected by unemployment there are young people and refugees from Syria. Under the leadership of Caritas, a consortium of aid organizations has identified the obstacles to accessing the labour market and developed countermeasures. In Lebanon, the project has improved the lives of 660 people, and worldwide, we were able to give around 37,696 people access to work in 2024. The knowledge gained is now being incorporated into the implementation of future concepts.

Cash and Voucher Assistance

Distributing goods in crisis regions is extremely challenging logistically. Especially when people in need require rapid support, Caritas Switzerland often relies on the targeted distribution of cash or vouchers, for example in Ukraine. This allows those affected to receive what they need most urgently. At the same time, the newly enabled purchasing power of the population strengthens local markets. In 2024, we supported 46,182 people with cash aid or vouchers.

Knowledge management

Collecting information and absorbing key learnings and knowledge into our International Cooperation programmes to improve their quality is a key area of expertise for Caritas Switzerland. This is done through the identification, capitalization and dissemination of knowledge to and from our projects and programmes, as well as from international practices and standards. This is a key component of a current project focusing on the protection of children and youth on the move in East, West and North Africa. In this region, many children and young people are fleeing alone and are exposed to a number of dangers. However, there is a lack of knowledge and coordinated political solutions to improve their situation and ensure their protection.

That is why we are working on improving the protection of these vulnerable groups through key knowledge management practices. To this end, we are capitalising on research, facilitating dialogue with key actors on the ground and developing tailored packages to improve support measures and ensure that children are better protected. The project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Specialized Protection Services

Caritas Switzerland is committed to protecting members of displaced communities and particularly vulnerable migrants. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example, we support children and youth who have fled without their parents and are seeking asylum in Europe. We give them access to reception facilities where they can receive psychological support, learn the local language and access education. In 2024, we were able to improve the living conditions of 89 children and young people. We also support vulnerable people in other countries, for example victims of exploitation, human trafficking or smugglers.

Equality and Empowerment

We are committed to ensuring that all people can exercise their rights – regardless of their ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or age. In Mali, the situation of children who have migrated within the country and have to fend for themselves is particularly precarious. Many are unable to attend school or are forced into exploitation. We advise children and youth on legal issues and help them to register officially, providing access to state support. Measures like these enabled us to improve the living conditions of a total of 6,606 children and young people in 2024.