heks.ch

HEKS: 3 million collected for Haiti – Thank you for your support

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0100

The aid organisation has been working on development and emergency aid projects in Haiti for 37 years, has local partner organisations at its disposal and has a coordination office in Port-au-Prince. This good network of contacts and local staff on the ground made it possible to start organising emergency aid very soon after the earthquake. Within just a few days of the earthquake HEKS was constructing mobile kitchens.

It has been possible to implement further emergency aid projects in the meantime:

3000 meals per day: Every day 42 local employees prepare 3000 hot meals in a large kitchen. These are distributed in twelve camps in Pétion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince. Fresh, locally bought ingredients are used. There is often rice, beans and vegetables. This emergency aid is set up for an initial period of three months until the end of April.

Relief shelters for 1300 families: As the rainy season is now starting, HEKS is distributing protective shelters to 1300 families. At present, these families are living in the 12 camps in which HEKS also provides hot meals. The shelters provide the same level of protection from water as tents and can be erected in a variety of positions.

100 tents for 100 families: An overly long stay in the hastily erected transition camps (there are now 425 camps with more than half a million people) poses a serious health and safety problem. The camps are overcrowded. There is no privacy. It is therefore important that the earthquake victims are able to return to their own properties as soon as possible. People still want to sleep outside and the rainy season is starting. To encourage people to return and to point the way, in mid-February HEKS and DEZA took a joint decision with the mayor’s office in Pétion-Ville to give a tent each to one hundred families. Between 500 and 1000 people will now have a roof over their heads in their original homes.

Returning to live in what were once homes is hampered by the debris caused by collapsed houses, much of which is simply left lying around. HEKS is therefore providing people with tools such as shovels and wheelbarrows, so that they can clear their plots of land to erect tents. When the project ends the tools will be given to the residents’ committees to be used again.

Status of reconstruction planning: Reconstruction planning is now simultaneously underway. In mid-February two HEKS delegates, a construction expert and an all-rounder, flew to Haiti, where they are now planning the reconstruction projects on the ground. These will focus on rural areas, as remote regions destroyed by the earthquake have received hardly any aid to date. However, they are the very ones that are dependent on help, as they are faced with a multitude of refugees from Port-au-Prince. HEKS is planning the reconstruction of private houses and income-generating schemes - and will work with long-established local partner organisations here too.

Status of existing HEKS projects in Haiti: The existing projects are being continued and in some cases stepped up, as they are needed more than ever: in the southwest of the island, in the Departement Grand’Anse, HEKS has spent decades working on agricultural projects to boost earnings and safeguard food supplies. As the earthquake forces migration from the capital into the provinces – some 99,000 earthquake victims are returning to the Departement Grand’Anse alone – people face new problems. They must provide for much larger families but often have barely enough food for themselves. It will soon be time for sowing and there is a danger that, for a lack of other food, they will eat the seeds. Account for donations: PC 80-1115-1, please mark “Earthquake in Haiti”

HEKS is an accredited partner of Swiss Solidarity.

Contact: Susanne Stahel, Director of Media & Information, email: stahel@heks.ch,
Tel.: 044 360 88 27, emergency duty mobile: 076 461 88 70.

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Haiti emergency aid update: 100 tents for 100 families

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:26:00 +0100

People still want to sleep outside and the rainy season is due to start soon. To encourage people to return and to point the way, HEKS and DEZA have taken a joint decision with the mayor’s office in Pétion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, to give a tent each to one hundred families. Between 500 and 1000 people will now have a roof over their heads in their original homes – and longed-for privacy.
Account for donations: PC 80-1115-1, please mark “Earthquake in Haiti”

HEKS is an accredited partner of Swiss Solidarity. Thank you for supporting our work. We cannot unfortunately accept donations in kind or arrange the deployment of volunteers.

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Information updates on our emergency aid measures in Haiti

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:20:00 +0100

HEKS has started to implement emergency aid measures for the desperately needy population: having had a coordination office in Port-au-Prince for many years, HEKS was in a position to take preliminary measures quickly and purposefully. Every day 42 local employees prepare 3000 warm meals in a large kitchen. Fresh, locally bought ingredients are used. Rice, beans or vegetables are often served. These meals are distributed to needy people in eight camps. The emergency aid is initially set up for three months.

In addition, an expert from Switzerland will assist our employees in Haiti with the provision of emergency aid for three months, whilst ensuring that funds are used for the appropriate purpose.

At the same time, preparations are also being made for reconstruction. The responsible HEKS programme manager has taken care of the preliminary procedures in Port-au-Prince. Over the next few weeks two more HEKS delegates (a construction expert and an all-rounder) will be planning the reconstruction projects in Haiti. Reconstruction is to be focused on rural areas, which have received hardly any aid to date and which are faced with a multitude of refugees from Port-au-Prince. Reconstruction work is being carried out with long-established local partner organisations and the basic principles of the HEKS strategy for Haiti are being taken into account.

HEKS has been working on development and emergency aid projects in Haiti for 37 years, has local partner organisations at its disposal and has a coordination office in Port-au-Prince. The aim of the HEKS projects in Haiti is to support farmers and agricultural organisations in such a way as to equip people to drive forward progress under their own steam.

Account for donations: PC 80-1115-1, please mark “Earthquake in Haiti”

HEKS is an accredited partner of Swiss Solidarity.

Contact: Susanne Stahel, Director of Media & Information, email: stahel@heks.ch,
Tel.: 044 360 88 27, emergency duty mobile: 076 461 88 70.

Donate online

HEKS provides emergency aid for those affected by storms in Albania

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:12:00 +0100

Over 10,000 hectares of agricultural land on the River Drin have been flooded and around 5000 people have had to be evacuated. The total cost of damage is estimated to be around 70 million Euro. The Roma, who lived in settlements by the river, are the worst affected by the consequences of this catastrophe.

As part of the emergency aid provision, a mobile kitchen serves a warm meal to 70 children every day. Food stamps are issued to ensure the feeding of another 200 people. School materials and sanitary products are issued at the same time, and health courses and leisure activities are provided for children.

As part of the reconstruction effort HEKS is committed to improving the living conditions of the Roma and to strengthening their rights.

HEKS increases aid for earthquake victims in Haiti to 1 million francs: emergency aid already reaching 2500 people

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:00:00 +0100

The HEKS coordination office in Port-au-Prince has started to provide emergency aid for the desperately needy population. Every day 2500 people in the capital are receiving a hot meal and water through two distribution centres. For now, provision is planned for three months. Up to 500,000 francs has been made available for this purpose.

At the same time, preparations are also being made for reconstruction. The responsible programme manager is expected in Haiti on Wednesday. She will take care of the preliminaries and will receive reinforcements next week in the shape of two more HEKS delegates (a construction expert and a logistician). Reconstruction is to be focused on rural areas, which have received hardly any aid to date. Along with temporary accommodation, the reconstruction of school buildings is being considered.

Account for donations: PC 80-1115-1, please mark “Earthquake in Haiti”

HEKS is an accredited partner of Swiss Solidarity.

Contact: Susanne Stahel, Director of Media & Information, email: stahel@heks.ch,
Tel.: 044 360 88 27, emergency duty mobile: 076 461 88 70.

Donate online

HEKS: Half a million francs for earthquake victims in Haiti

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:05:00 +0100

HEKS will be providing emergency aid and reconstruction. In the first phase this will essentially consist of the distribution of basic foodstuffs, clean water, cooking utensils and sanitary products, as well as the construction of sanitation facilities to prevent the spread of disease.

During the early hours of Wednesday a severe earthquake measuring 7.0 rocked the Caribbean state of Haiti. The epicentre lay 15 kilometres west of the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Many buildings have collapsed and people are buried beneath them.

The aim of the HEKS projects in Haiti is to support farmers and agricultural organisations in a way that will equip people to drive forward development under their own steam.

Account for donations: PC 80-1115-1, please mark “Earthquake in Haiti”

HEKS is an accredited partner of Swiss Solidarity.

Contact: Susanne Stahel, Director of Media & Information, email: stahel@heks.ch,
Tel.: 044 360 88 27, emergency duty mobile: 076 461 88 70.

Donate online

HEKS endorses initiative “For a ban on arms exports”

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0200

In many cases, by exporting arms Switzerland foils its own efforts in terms of development policy. Swiss arms end up in countries where HEKS is active, in Bangladesh, India, Lebanon and Pakistan for example. Weapons exports have various implications for development: instead of going into development projects, vast resources flow into military expenditure and armaments, with too little money left over for spending on health, education, social services and the environment, whilst authoritarian regimes are the very ones using their weapons against the civilian population.

The commitment of HEKS is based on fundamental Christian values and human rights: the dignity of every human being is central to its work on behalf of socially disadvantaged population groups. One of the points of focus of HEKS in its project work is the promotion of peace and conflict resolution.

To this end HEKS works in many countries in which people’s everyday lives are scarred by violence and human rights violations. This hinders a peaceful coexistence. HEKS therefore promotes the non-violent conduct of conflicts and supports specific initiatives for the promotion of peace by local and regional civilian organisations, as well as the latter’s integration and participation in peace processes. In addition, HEKS and its partner organisations analyse the different characteristics of violence, and their projects include the development of strategies for the early detection of potential conflicts and preventing or resolving them.

Given its years of commitment to the promotion and preservation of peace, HEKS can in no way endorse commercial dealings in weapons and armaments.
Back in 1995 HEKS supported the two political peace initiatives “For a ban on arms exports” and “For less military expenditure and more politics of peace”.

Further information: Christina Wallat, Media & Information, Tel.: +41 44 360 88 27,
email: wallat@heks.ch, emergency mobile: +41 76 461 88 70

HEKS: Half a million francs for earthquake and storm victims in Asia

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:28:00 +0200

250 000 francs for emergency aid in the Philippines
Tropical storm “Ketsana” swept across the Philippines on 26 September with wind speeds of over one hundred kilometres per hour, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Around 300 000 people are affected by floods, many of them have lost their homes and are now living in makeshift accommodation. The Philippine authorities are talking about the worst floods in over forty years:

The HEKS coordination office in Manila is setting up an initial emergency aid project in collaboration with Christian Aid. The initial plan is to support 4500 families in Quezon with food, water, clothing, cooking equipment, mosquito nets and mattresses.

250 000 francs for emergency aid in Indonesia
Just one day after the heavy earthquake off Sumatra on 30 September, the Indonesian island has been rocked by further severe tremors: the epicentre lay deep in the country’s interior. The first earthquake alone caused massive destruction and the Indonesian Government expects thousands of bodies to be buried beneath the rubble:
The HEKS coordinator for the tsunami projects in Indonesia is launching the necessary steps for emergency aid in Sumatra together with the HEKS partner organisation Holiana.

Account for donations: PC 80-1115-1 to be marked “Humanitarian Aid Asia” HEKS is an accredited partner of Swiss Solidarity. Contact HEKS Zurich:
Christina Wallat, Communications, emergency mobile no: +41 76 461 88 70, email: wallat@heks.ch

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Honduras: HEKS calls for defence of human rights

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:40:00 +0200

In view of the crisis in Honduras HEKS is supporting a project run by the human rights organisation Cofadeh which speaks out on behalf of victims of violence and human rights abuses. For years HEKS has been supporting the programmes and projects run by partner organisations located in Honduras as they work towards food supply security, rural development, prevention of violence and the promotion of peace. HEKS has a national office in Tegucigalpa and maintains close and constant contact with Leticia Flores Chavez, who is in charge of the programme locally.

In addition to its support for Cofadeh at project level, HEKS is also keen to clarify the local situation and is supporting the CLAI mission when a delegation from CLAI (Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias) will be visiting churches and human rights organisations in Honduras from 28 September to 2 October. The CLAI mission is a pastoral visit aimed at finding out about the current situation, the background causes and the effects of the political crisis. It will also be an opportunity to sound out ways in which it might be possible to support the churches in their efforts to achieve justice and peace. “It is important to get down to the facts and have an objective discussion, so CLAI will not be speaking out either for or against Zelaya or Micheletti”, said pastor Bernhard Erni, who will be representing HEKS on the CLAI mission. The stance taken by CLAI, he added, was to condemn all manner of abuse of human rights and to point out the significance of the democratisation process and the importance of upholding the constitution. A report will be compiled at the end of the visit. Pastor Bernhard Erni will be accompanying the CLAI mission on behalf of HEKS, BFA, Mission 21 and DM-échange et mission, and is available for interviews. HEKS is taking care of administrative matters, so if you require more information please contact Susanne Stahel: tel.: 044 360 88 66; emergency duty mobile: 076 461 88 70; email: stahel@heks.ch.

Tsunami aid: Official opening of new school complex in Mirissa/Sri Lanka

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:14:00 +0200

Ambassador of Switzerland Ruth Flint, Director of HEKS Ueli Locher, President of the Board of Trustees of Swiss Solidarity Walter Ruegg, and Director of Swiss Solidarity Felix Bollmann will join ministers from Sri Lanka at the official opening ceremony.

The tsunami in Sri Lanka at the end of 2004 destroyed large parts of the country’s infrastructure. The disaster really took its toll in Matara District where many state schools near the coast were among the buildings which fell victim to the damage. In close collaboration with the SDC and generously co-financed by Swiss Solidarity, HEKS has rebuilt a primary school which was completely destroyed and a secondary school which was partly destroyed at a new location, hence the inauguration of the new school complex “Mirissa Madhya Maha Vidyalaya” (Mirissa Central College). The building is situated on a hill surrounded by paddy fields just under one kilometre from the coast, ensuring that the facilities will not be damaged or destroyed in the event of another tsunami.

The school complex boasts 18 buildings including an auditorium and a canteen. The initial intake of the new school will be around 1000 pupils taken charge of by 68 members of teaching staff. Overall, the school can accommodate a maximum of 1470 pupils. The sports facilities are allocated 2000m2. The facilities can also be used by the general public outside school hours.

Designed and built by HEKS, the new school complex is already regarded as a flagship project in Sri Lanka and is widely praised for its high quality. The school complex was built in sympathy with national traditions using local materials and boasts wheelchair access throughout.

The school complex will be officially handed over to the Sri Lankan government on 13 June 2009 when normal schooling will be resumed. In the meanwhile the pupils have been attending classes in temporary accommodation. The handover of this school complex will mark the end of HEKS’ tsunami relief work in Sri Lanka. The approximate total successfully invested in reconstruction projects in this connection is 14 million Swiss francs.

For further information please contact:
Hanspeter Bigler, Head of Communications, tel.: 044 360 88 80,
email: bigler@heks.ch
Emergency duty mobile: 076 461 88 70

HEKS is an accredited partner of Swiss Solidarity.