Solidarity campaign collects CHF1 million 

Humanitarian charity Swiss Solidarity has collected just over CHF1 million ($1 million) in its 250th fundraising campaign, which is aimed at helping women in distress. 

The charity said on Thursday evening that it had received CHF1.02 million in donations and promises of donations from the Swiss public over the course of the campaign, which ran from September 12-19. Money can still be pledged. 

The aim is to help women in distress in forgotten crises around the world, such as in Sudan, the Congo, Syria and Yemen, and in Switzerland, where a third of the donations collected will be distributed. Women are often holding the family together in times of need and may face the threat of sexual harassment, rape, human trafficking and domestic violence, Swiss Solidarity said. 

“These donations will allow us to support specific projects or to continue with existing projects,” explained Swiss Solidarity’s director Tony Burgener in a statement. The goal is to support around a dozen projects with between CHF100,000 and CHF200,000. 

In its 73 years of existence, the humanitarian arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (that includes swissinfo.ch), has raised CHF1.8 billion for those in need.