Public aid campaign wins record pledges

The charity, Swiss Solidarity, has collected a record CHF7.58 million ($7.65 million) towards aid projects for children and families across the world.

The humanitarian arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) -swissinfo.ch’s parent company, said the pledges were made during a week-long pre-Christmas series of events in all Swiss language regions.

The money will be used for housing programmes benefiting children and their families abroad and for children in Switzerland who became victims of violence and abuse in Switzerland.

Dozens of volunteers, personalities and organisations as well as companies contributed to the success of this year’s campaign according to the humanitarian foundation.

A team of radio and television moderators spends one week in a glass box in a Swiss city, receiving guests from the worlds of music, sport and culture, and reporting on the theme of the appeal.

It was the tenth and final edition of this kind organised by the public radio and television channels.

Over the past decade, Swiss Solidarity collected a total of CHF65 million in numerous fundraising campaigns.