Swiss sponsorship for mountain communities
The Swiss Sponsorship for Mountain Communities is a Swiss association and offers project-related help for mountain areas. In addition to private initiatives ( Swiss mountain aid , etc.), the infrastructure in the mountain areas was also supported by the federal government from 1974 through the IHG investment aid fund . The aid abroad was provided ( Swiss donation ) and is provided by other organizations.
Purpose of the association
The association wants to help reduce the gap between the affluent and economically disadvantaged regions of Switzerland and contribute to the fact that the mountain regions remain habitable and cultivated
- Providing assistance to communities, cooperatives and corporations in need of support in the Swiss mountain region, primarily financially in solving infrastructure tasks
- supports families and individuals in need in the mountain areas
- cultivates and promotes solidarity with the mountain population.
Foundation of an association
In October 1940 , the year of the war , the association “ Swiss sponsorship for oppressed communities ” was founded by the Swiss surgeon Paul Cattani together with his wife and three other initiators. With this, the Cattanis wanted to expand their personal sponsorship with the Ticino mountain community of Corticiasca to a model for the whole of Switzerland. Despite initial difficulties - the Canton of Zurich wanted to prohibit the planned collection of money due to the Poor Law, which banned begging and the War Welfare Office initially rejected the request - the vision finally succeeded with the help of the media and thanks to generous donations from wealthy communities, consumer associations and large companies to realize, as the annual report at the time confirmed: «The sponsorship movement is well on the way to weaving a beautiful and strong bond of federal solidarity between the Göttis in the lowlands and those needy communities who are not able to help themselves on their own . "
Club activity
The sponsorship receives around 350 requests for assistance (as of 2019) from municipalities, which they have on-site checked by experts. Funders for the planned projects are then sought. The type of projects is very diverse. In addition to infrastructure projects such as the construction and maintenance of roads, water supply, sewage treatment plants and sewer systems, torrent control, school renovation, etc., they can also include contributions for young people from remote mountain communities to attend secondary school. In the event of natural disasters such as avalanches, floods, landslides and storm damage, special collection campaigns are carried out. In addition to financial support, there are also courses in shoemaking, carpentry and medicinal herb collection, as well as courses on caring for old people and children. Medical care for the mountain population has always been an important concern of the association. In the beginning, medical practices were built and outpatient clinics purchased, while today the focus is on care for the elderly and the construction of old people's and nursing homes.
With the quarterly magazine Patenschafts-Post - which can also be viewed on the Internet homepage - donors and interested parties are informed about new and finished projects as well as the progress of the supported ongoing projects with detailed text and beautiful photos.
The former Federal Councilor Hans Rudolf Merz has been President of the Sponsorship for Mountain Communities since May 2014 .
Financed projects
Period and amount in Swiss francs
- 1940 to 1950 361,787 .--
- 1951 to 1960 656,269 .--
- 1961 to 1970 2,366,550 .--
- 1971 to 1980 14,959,548 .--
- 1981 to 1995 153,484,856
- 1996 to 2000 113,718,800
- 2001 to 2004 108,268,785 .--
Donations and mutual aid
With the regular donation mailings, many small amounts from Switzerland come together. In addition, there are temporary and long-term, permanent sponsorships in which affluent communities from the Unterland support individual mountain communities. There are currently (2006) 56 permanent sponsorships.
According to the company, sponsorship is not a one-way street. It not only helps to make the mountain landscape attractive for tourists from the lowlands and abroad, but also connects mountain people and valley dwellers in an ideal way: “... that in a beautiful interaction of give and take, of help and understanding, many lasting ties are woven that holds people of different kinds together to form a unit of a truly federal people ”. (P. Cattani).
When the federal government's new regional policy (NRP) came into force , the IHG investment aid fund was abolished on January 1, 2008. Since then, the mountain areas have increasingly had to make use of private aid organizations such as sponsorships or Swiss mountain aid .
Web links
- Official website
- Zeit -frage from December 3, 2019: Werner Wüthrich: The rescue of Alp Vorderdurnachtal - an example of support and solidarity in Switzerland