Swiss Solidarity has sent CHF30 million in aid to Ukraine
Lots to be done: a damaged building in Chernihiv, Ukraine.
Keystone / Roman Pilipey
Six months on from the Russian invasion, the Swiss Solidarity charity has financed 54 projects to the tune of CHF30 million ($31.1 million) to help people affected in and around Ukraine.
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Solidariedade suíça enviou 30 milhões em ajuda à Ucrânia
The total numbers of those in Ukraine who have received some form of help is 660,000, said Swiss Solidarity on Wednesday. The aid group is the humanitarian arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, which is also SWI swissinfo.ch’s parent company.
Thanks to the second-biggest fundraising campaign in its history, Swiss Solidarity raised over CHF127 million for Ukraine earlier this year, which it has since been funnelling into projects run by Swiss partner organisations in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.
NGOs involved include anti-poverty group Caritas Switzerland, Save the Children, the Swiss Demining Foundation (FSD), and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
On Wednesday, Swiss Solidarity said it would also now be concentrating on projects to secure heating for the winter; with so many homes destroyed or damaged in Ukraine, the goal is to make sure there is at least one heated room in every accommodation, it said.
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Over the years, the ‘humanitarian arm’ of Swiss public broadcasting has raised a total of nearly CHF2 billion.
Last month, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Switzerland criticised a perceived delay by Swiss Solidarity in allocating the funds. Ukraine would also like the donations to be invested in the reconstruction project “United2024”, presented by Volodymyr Zelensky at an international conference in Lugano in July.
Swiss Solidarity, which has a long history of working with partner organisations, remains however wary of working directly with states.
“We are an independent charitable organisation, a public service foundation,” said Swiss Solidarity director Miren Bengoa in response to the comments. “We do not have the means to work through a state body and we can guarantee the independence of the humanitarian assistance.”
The charity said at the time that the remaining funding for Ukraine-related projects should be used within the next five years.
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