News from Caritas Switzerland

Last night's explosion in the port of Beirut has hit a country which, in the middle of the Corona pandemic, is already on the brink of economic and social collapse. The people now need our support more than ever.

More than a year has passed since the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Sulawesi. The need for aid is still huge. With the support of Swiss Solidarity, Caritas is starting an additional reconstruction project amounting to CHF 1.5 million: 200 private homes will be repaired. At the same time, valuable knowledge in earthquake-proof construction ...

Despite several years of good economic activity and record low unemployment figures, Switzerland is still unable to reduce its poverty: for five years, the number of people affected by poverty has been increasing. Already from the age of 46, a person’s social welfare risk increases. In Caritas Switzerland’s recently published social almanac, establ...

The civilian population in Syria is exposed to fresh violence and need. More than 176,000 people have already fled their homes as a result of the military offensive in the north-east of the country. Tens of thousands more families could be forced to flee in the coming days and weeks. Thanks to its long-term involvement in the country, Caritas is ab...

Ten months after the major catastrophe in the Palu region of Indonesia, Caritas Switzerland is initiating a new phase of its assistance to the affected population. In five villages, it is restoring the water infrastructure for 1100 households. Also, 525 families can earn an income with clean-up work.

The Prix Caritas 2019 was presented in Lucerne to Frei Adailson Quintino dos Santos and Lucimar Correa in honour of their work with the Organisation São Martinho. Pascale Baeriswyl, State Secretary of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) of Switzerland, paid tribute to the commitment of the award recipients. For decades, they have striv...

After eight years of war, humanitarian aid in and around Syria remains vital. In the last eight years, Caritas Switzerland has committed more than 40 million Swiss francs and is now increasingly investing in education and income generation. Caritas considers that Switzer-land, too, has an obligation to make a long-term and structural commitment. Th...

A three-day international conference on Syria starts in Brussels today. Aid agencies active in the conflict region, including Caritas, are expressing their concern that the readiness of the international community to provide assistance is diminishing. 

According to estimates, up to 15,000 girls or women living in Switzerland have undergone or are at risk of female genital cutting. They all have a right to protection and appropriate care. 

Countries are doing far too little to stop climate change, with devastating consequences for developing countries. In its new position paper on the climate crisis, Caritas is calling on Switzerland to take responsibility and assume a leading role at the climate conference in Poland starting on 3 December – out of solidarity with the poorest and mos...

Caritas Switzerland is supporting the victims of the earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi at the end of September, by providing extensive emergency relief...

The situation in East Africa has deteriorated sharply in the past few months. Caritas is stepping up its emergency relief in the region and is providing a total amount of two million Swiss francs for this purpose...

The Prix Caritas 2018 was presented in Lucerne to the Cambodian doctor Sovannarith Sam. Yves Serra, CEO and President of Georg Fischer, paid tribute to the award winner’s commitment. He has been actively engaged in promoting child protection and children’s rights in Cambodia for decades. At the core of his efforts are disadvantaged children who hav...

Caritas Switzerland is intensifying its emergency aid and survival support for the Rohingya who fled Myanmar to Bangladesh in September of last year. In the face of the upcoming monsoon rains and associated storms, Caritas is providing emergency relief of one million francs.

Exactly three years have passed since Nepal was struck by a devastating earthquake. Together with Swiss Solidarity, Caritas Switzerland supports the people in the severely affected Sindhupalchok district in the reconstruction of their schools. Because their need is so great, Caritas has now embarked, in cooperation with the Swiss Red Cross and Helv...

The Syrian conflict has now been going on for seven years. Assad is more firmly in the saddle than ever. The people who have fled to neighbouring countries or to Europe cannot return home in the near future. Greater support for the Syrians displaced by the war is urgent.

The facts are sobering: Two billion people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water, and more than 2.5 billion are not able to use sanitary facilities. World Water Day on 22 March draws attention to these serious shortcomings. Caritas is committed to promoting universal and equitable access to water and hygiene for all. 

In 2017, Caritas Switzerland recorded an outstanding donation income of 34.3 million Swiss francs. 

In Syria and Jordan, many impoverished families are vulnerable to the cold winter weather. Caritas Switzerland has taken measures to enable them to better protect themselves. 

In Switzerland, around 14,700 women and girls are affected by or threatened with female genital cutting (FGM/C). They have a right to protection and support. For the first time, a nationwide Swiss platform is providing key information.