Caritas Switzerland Annual Report of Activities - CARITAS - Schweiz

Our support for human rights for all
With its projects to promote human rights and social
justice, Caritas works on behalf of poor and disadvantaged
population groups to enable them to participate in
society and live their life in dignity and peace. Caritas
supports groups that are particularly vulnerable, including
women, children or indigenous groups and minorities. In
2011, the Caritas projects around the world enabled
190,000 people to gain access to social institutions, and
460,000 people benefited from health services. 220,000
people learned in workshops about human rights and
peace promotion which rights they could claim and how
to participate in political life. Thanks to education projects,
120,000 children and young people were able to
attend primary school.
The example of Guatemala: In the Petén and Ixil
regions, Caritas helps indigenous communities who are
victims of discrimination, so that the truth about the civil
war is uncovered and the people receive compensation
from the political authorities. For example, in the Ixil
region, 28 indigenous communities have submitted their
truth list to the National Compensation Programme. Many
of them were forcibly displaced from their land and their
villages by military and paramilitary forces.
The example of Palestine: Thanks to Caritas, 3,500
children traumatised by war were given access to therapy,
psychosocial care, leisure activities and special
tutoring. This helps them to regain their confidence, and
to make a contribution to peace when they become
adults.
The example of Ethiopia: Although 80 per cent of all
children now have access to a primary school, the infrastructure
in the rural areas is still poor, and working in the
In the Republic of Moldova, 150 disadvantaged
young people gained access
to education and were able to start
an independent life, thanks to work, an
income and accommodation.
13
Access to
social
institutions
19,2
Access to primary school
In the Guatemalan region of Ixil, 28 indigenous
communities who were victims in
the civil war have called for truth finding
and reparations.
12,1
Beneficiaries of Caritas
human rights projects by
topic
%
46,5
22,2
Access to health
services
Attendance at
a workshop on
human rights and
peace promotion
home and in the fields is often seen as more important.
Caritas helped to ensure that a total of 6,750 children
were able to attend school or nursery school in 2011.
The example of Myanmar: On its difficult road to
greater democratic participation, the country needs
educated leaders who can organise and build links with
the population according to democratic principles. In
2011, 66 women and men from the most disadvantaged
population groups, as well as 144 high school graduates,
were given training to enable them to take on a key role in
the country’s development and its civil society.
In 2011, 300 Indian maidservants
were given training in their basic
rights regarding working hours,
minimum wage and health insurance.