Swissaid
Swissaid is a Swiss aid organization that was founded in 1948 and is active in development cooperation in nine countries. The foundation is politically and religiously independent and operates in the poorest, mostly rural regions of developing countries. The organization relies on self-help projects in the areas of food security through agro-ecological farming , advancement of women, access to water and support for civil society. The foundation also influences development issues in Switzerland.
The organization employs 189 people worldwide, 38 of them in Switzerland (in Bern and Lausanne). The offices abroad are mostly run by local employees. The foundation is headed by Markus Allemann.
history
On July 1, 1948, the Swiss donation resulted in the Swiss European Aid (SEH) as the umbrella organization for Swiss aid organizations. After the end of aid to West Germany in the mid-1950s, the funds were used in Greece and it was decided to carry out future actions in distressed areas on other continents. That is why the SEH was renamed Swiss Foreign Aid (SAH) in 1956 and later, in 1969, Swissaid .
In 1960 the first projects were carried out in India and shortly afterwards in Chad . Together with the aid organizations Bread for All , Fastenopfer and Helvetas , Swissaid founded what was then the AG der Hilfswerke, today Alliance Sud, in 1971 . Swissaid was also a co-founder of the Max Havelaar Foundation .
The Foundation was chaired from 1973 to 1985 by Rudolf von Albertini , a historian and researcher into decolonization . He was followed by Andreas Blum (1985–1990), Gabrielle Nanchen (1990–1998), Lilian Uchtenhagen (1998–2003), Simonetta Sommaruga (2003–2007) and former National Councilor Rudolf Rechsteiner (2007–2018). Since 2018, SWISSAID has had a co-presidency for the first time with Bastienne Joerchel and Fabian Molina .
Budget and projects
The foundation has an annual budget, which is shown in the table below. The Directorate for Development and Cooperation contributes around 30 percent annually, the rest comes from municipalities, cantons, foundations, private donors in Switzerland and mandates.
| year | Total operating expenses | Administrative tasks in% |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 17.7 million | 22% |
| 2017 | 19.4 million | 19% |
| 2016 | 23 million | 16% |
| 2015 | 18.8 million | 19% |
The foundation supports projects in Tanzania , Chad, Niger , Guinea-Bissau , Colombia , Ecuador , Nicaragua , Myanmar and India. In addition, Swissaid is a member of the Swiss Climate Alliance and, together with other organizations, supports the group responsibility initiative .
organization
The Foundation Council Committee, which is responsible for the appointment of the managing director, is formed from a larger foundation council, the highest foundation body. He is a member of a five-person management, the executive body of the foundation.
Web links
- Official website
- Cindy Eggs , Suzanne Schär Pfister : Swissaid. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- Swiss European Aid in the archive database of the Swiss Federal Archives
Individual evidence
- ↑ As of 2012 , accessed on July 17, 2012.
- ↑ milestones
- ^ Markus Bürgi: Albertini, Rudolf von. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ↑ Data and facts
- ↑ Swissaid: Focus on corporate responsibility initiative. Accessed August 21, 2020 .
- ↑ Foundation regulations (PDF; 40 kB)
- ↑ Organization
- ↑ vision