Caritas Switzerland Annual Report of Activities - CARITAS - Schweiz

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Why do mountain farmers need help? The Swiss mountains are a part of our homeland that is looked after by mountain farmers. But the farmers are under pressure: They have to become competitive entrepreneurs and survive in the market. It is important to shape structural change so it is socially acceptable. Solidarity between the regions must not be called into question. And it pays off: The mountain farmers preserve a rich and varied cultural landscape that everyone can enjoy. 22
Volunteers support mountain farmers in emergencies Every day, the mountain farmers work hard on steep slopes. But the strenuous work is spread across ever fewer shoulders, and at the end of a long day, there is not much income to show for it. It doesn’t take a lot for a mountain farmer’s family to find itself unable to cope with the workload. An accident, an illness or a pregnancy are enough to seriously reduce a family’s labour resources. A landslide, an avalanche, a fire or just a fairly major repair on the house or a necessary new building can mean extra work for which there are not enough hands. Sometimes, this relentless pressure, without the chance of a break, leads to a situation where help with childcare, in the household or in the field is urgently needed. To provide support in such situations, Caritas recruits volunteer helpers for mountain farmers in emergency situations via its Website www.bergeinsatz.ch (in German and French). They can provide temporary relief to those in need, and help to keep the farm going in difficult situations. Conversely, the temporary work is an opportunity for the volunteers to have active time out from their normal life, and at the same time do something meaningful for themselves and others – from haymaking via childcare to building a new stable. Working together builds bridges, and creates the kind of solidarity that is necessary to ensure the long-term balance between the city and the countryside. In the past year, Caritas recruited around 900 volunteers aged between 18 and 70 to assist 123 mountain In 2011, Caritas volunteers carried out mountain missions with 123 families. In total, volunteer work was carried out on 6,330 days. 23 Illness and accident 20 Construction work on the farm 17 Reasons for the use of a volunteer in a mountain farmer’s family In the last year, Caritas recruited 890 volunteers to work with mountain farmers in German and French-speaking Switzerland. % Excessive workload Care and supervision of family members farmers’ families throughout Switzerland. The reasons for these vital mountain missions were: Construction work on the farm (17 per cent), illness and accident (20 per cent), excessive workload (45 per cent) and care and supervision of family members (18 per cent). With these actions, Caritas contributes to solving social problems as well as maintaining natural livelihoods. It also encourages voluntary work. 18 45 The most frequent reason (45 per cent) for a volunteer mission was the excessive workload of the mountain farmer’s family.
Page 1 and 2: Answers 2011 Caritas Switzerland An
Page 3: tion policy and the introduction of
Page 6 and 7: Our work to ensure access to water
Page 8 and 9: How can East Africa be helped effec
Page 10 and 11: Our effort to assist the drought vi
Page 12 and 13: How do people achieve their rights?
Page 14 and 15: Caritas projects worldwide 1 In Ban
Page 16 and 17: Does debt counselling help to tackl
Page 18 and 19: Our involvement in the fight agains
Page 20 and 21: Third-class citizens? Headlines abo
Page 24 and 25: Caritas in figures Balance as per 3
Page 26 and 27: In brief 26 Almost free holidays fo
Page 28 and 29: Strong partnerships We thank our do
Page 30 and 31: Organs Fulvio Caccia Michèle Berge
Page 32: We help people. 32

Caritas Switzerland Annual Report of Activities - CARITAS - Schweiz

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