Helvetas Supported More Than 5.1 Million People Last Year
From the climate crisis to wars and inflation: multiple crises are shaking the world. Poverty is on the rise again worldwide. Helvetas, the Swiss organization for development cooperation and humanitarian aid, provided increased emergency aid in 2022. In total, the NGO was able to support more than 5.1 million people last year, in large part due to the generosity of our donors. This is shown in the Annual Report 2022.
Millions of people in the global south are currently suffering from various crises: Floods, droughts, wars, food crises and inflation. This is leading to more suffering, hunger and poverty.
Helvetas, the organization for development cooperation and humanitarian aid, received more donations and bequests last year than ever before, totaling around $51.5 million. Together with mandates from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and other government clients, also from abroad, Helvetas was able to implement development and emergency aid projects worth around $144.6 million. The NGO thus supported more than 5.1 million people worldwide in working to lift themselves out of poverty. Administrative expenses remained at a low level of 3.5 percent. Fundraising expenses fell to 5.6 percent of the funds used. This is shown in the newly published Annual Report 2022.
Focus on sustainable development - increasingly combined with emergency aid
Helvetas continues to focus on long-term development cooperation and is committed to ensuring that poor and disadvantaged people have local prospects and can live in dignity and security. This means:
- Helvetas ensures basic needs: Almost 3 million people gained access to water, sanitation, hygiene, better nutrition or natural resources with Helvetas' support in 2022. They were able to increase their crop yields and become better equipped to deal with the climate crisis.
- Helvetas creates prospects: Last year, more than 724,000 young women and men gained access to schooling and vocational training, found a job or started their own business thanks to Helvetas. At the same time, nearly 13,000 small and medium-sized enterprises have gained better access to markets and created jobs for disadvantaged people.
- Helvetas strengthens co-determination: Thanks to Helvetas, around 98,000 women and men learned how to demand their right to basic public services or resolve conflicts in 2022.
Last year Helvetas also increased its emergency aid to those affected by war or disasters. Its long-standing presence in numerous countries and its collaboration with the local population, the local private sector and local authorities enable the Swiss NGO, together with partner organizations, to provide rapid and targeted relief where it is most needed. This emergency aid gives support to people in exceptional situations. Last year alone, Helvetas provided over 409,300 people with emergency aid, including:
- Refugees from Ukraine and their host families
- People who lost everything after the record floods in Pakistan or because of the drought in Ethiopia
- Those affected by the hurricanes in Madagascar and Mozambique
Helvetas links this short-term humanitarian aid with long-term development cooperation so that the people affected have the chance to quickly rebuild their daily lives and create prospects on the ground.
