Caritas Switzerland Annual Report of Activities - CARITAS - Schweiz

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Inequality is on the increase
The lower income groups, the poor and needy in Switzerland, were scarcely
able to benefit from the improved economic situation, as the Social Almanac
published by Caritas at the end of 2011 noted. Thus, the number of individuals
earning more than a million Swiss francs a year rose fivefold between
1997 and 2008, while average gross income, adjusted for prices, has barely
risen since 1998. Figures released by the Federal Statistical Office show that
between 8 and 14.6 per cent of the Swiss population are at risk of poverty.
Recycling of old vegetable oil in Bali
Scapa draws for Caritas­Fairtrade
Hotels and restaurants in Bali produce large quantities of used vegetable oil
which until now was dumped in the environment. Caritas, in cooperation
with the charity MyClimate and the travel company Kuoni, has found a sustainable
solution for the problem: A Balinese social enterprise processes
the waste into bio diesel and sells it to local hotels for their minibuses. The
income from the sales covers the operating costs.
The artist, author, publisher and designer Ted Scapa put his trademark cartoons
on traditional mugs to support Caritas-Fairtrade. The porcelain cups are filled
with fairly traded honey from Guatemala and are available in three designs:
Happy bears, clowns, and animal get-together. With his involvement, Ted Scapa
is supporting disadvantaged bee-keepers in Guatemala.
Caritas personnel statistics 2011
At the end of 2011, Caritas Switzerland had 284 employees. This corresponds
to 195 full-time equivalent posts. 60 per cent of employees are female,
and around 75 per cent of all employees work part-time. The proportion
of employees with a foreign passport is 13.6 per cent. In addition, Caritas
Switzerland had 134 employees paid on an hourly basis, mainly interpreters.
Finally, around 220 locally employed staff work for Caritas Switzerland in
international cooperation projects.