Swiss dig deeper for charity
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The Swiss gave record sums to charity in 1999, according to new statistics from the body responsible for co-ordinating donations.
The Central bureau for charitable works said SFr1.2 billion was collected for a variety of good causes, SFr200 million more than the previous year, and almost double what was given ten years ago.
Between 1998 and 1999 there was a 14 per cent rise in donations to charities working in Switzerland, and an increase of just under 9 per cent to those helping people abroad. The biggest winner was the Solidarity Chain, a charity organised by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation.
The Solidarity Chain collected around SFr90 million. But only a third of smaller charities benefited from the rise in donations.
While almost half the donations came from individuals, charitable contributions from the authorities dropped by 3 per cent, to only 32 per cent of the total.
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