A doctor and a nurse who work in a hospital in Haiti have been named “Swiss of the Year” by a nationwide public television poll.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
Marianne Kaufmann, a 27-year-old nurse, and 67-year-old Rolf Maibach, who have both been active in a hospital north of Port-au-Prince for several years, won 19 per cent of the vote.
The humanitarian workers succeed a heart surgeon and a government minister who won the competition in the two previous years.
Prizes were also awarded for special categories, including business, culture, entertainment, politics and society.
The competition was launched in 2002 and the winners get their names engraved on a rock on an alp in central Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
A surgeon on a heartfelt mission
This content was published on
He told swissinfo.ch how a stint in New York opened up his eyes to amazing properties of the human heart – and how over all these years he has never lost this sense of wonder. Prêtre, 52, grew up on a farm in the French-speaking Jura and studied medicine in Geneva. He is now professor…
This content was published on
Other laureates of the SwissAward ceremony are Senator Dick Marty, who investigates secret CIA prisons in Europe, and leading watch entrepreneur Nicolas Hayek. The 63-year-old Kuhn is the fifth winner of the main prize and succeeds Peter Sauber, the founder of Switzerland’s former Formula One racing team. Actress Stephanie Glaser and snowboard Olympic gold medallist…
This content was published on
Latrous, who received the prize at SwissAward ceremony at the St Jakobshalle in Basel on Saturday, is the first woman to receive the accolade in its three-year history. The 51-year-old was chosen by television viewers from among 18 candidates from the world of politics, sport and entertainment. The wife of a Nestlé manager, Latrous moved…
This content was published on
On Saturday night, the inaugural “Swiss Awards” were given to seven outstanding Swiss personalities. Richner, who also works as a musician under the name “Beatocello”, was one of 18 nominees and received 21.3 per cent of the television audience’s votes. The 56-year-old spends much of his time in Cambodia, where he set up three hospitals…
This content was published on
Billions of dollars have been pledged to rebuild Haiti, but dollars in the bank mean little to families stuck between the need for immediate aid and a world waiting for them to recover their independence. There is precious little money to buy food and clean water, let alone school uniforms for the children or housing.…
This content was published on
Thomas Kern has documented the daily struggle of Haitians since 1997. These pictures show the difficulties ordinary people face as well as their relationship with voodoo religion. Thomas Kern works as a picture editor for swissinfo.ch and as a freelance photgrapher.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.