About us
An exchange at eye level, mutual respect for each other and an honest interest in the realities on the ground are the strong fundaments of our collaboration with partner organisations that empower people to help themselves.
How does EcoSolidar work?
A long lasting positive change can only be achieved by empowering local communities in their autonomous actions. EcoSolidar only supports projects that are initiated by local people in their own organisations. These projects are sustainable because they have evolved out of a personal initiative. Often small steps are sufficient for a fundamental change and no expensive foreign consultants are necessary. This is why EcoSolidar also encourages and supports projects with small budgets and a high amount of self-help.
To us development is always strongly linked to a process of liberation and the redistribution of knowledge and power. That’s why solidarity and cooperation constitute key aspects of our work: by bringing people together that work on similar goals, we enable them to exchange their experiences and practical knowledge.
EcoSolidar and our partner organisations maintain a cooperation at eye level that takes into account the respective context of the partner. This is maintained through good and bad times, and we aim to respond to the initiative of the partners with openness and interest. In Switzerland structural changes are also absolutely necessary in order to improve the opportunities for people here as well as in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Just as everywhere marginalized social groups do exist and are excluded from social development. In this sense we at EcoSolidar can learn a lot from the experience and knowledge of the partner
Annual Report 2020
Latest “INFO”
Development concept
Association
Contact
Tel.: +41 44 272 42 00
info@ecosolidar.ch
Team
“I consider it a privilege to work in partnership with so many different people in so many different places around the world. The fact that I can witness how they transform their own lives and those of others into something better even under the most difficult conditions is a great gift and motivates me anew every day.”
ANDRÉ | 
“The relationships with the people in the projects, with business partners in Switzerland and in the team at EcoSolidar are characterised by mutual respect, trust and a positive attitude to differences. I consider these criteria to be decisive for the success of our work. I can learn a lot from all these relationships, get fully involved and make friends in the most diverse places in the world. It is a privilege that I am very happy about and which motivates me for my work.”
CHRISTINE | 
“Having worked in large development cooperation institutions, I particularly appreciate the close and direct contact with the people in our projects. I can fully identify with the way EcoSolidar works and with its attitude. Our partners are impressive people. Their commitment and their views on life inspire and motivate me a lot.”
XENIA | 
“EcoSolidar stands for working together at eye level - this also inspired me for the internship position. I didn't have to be part of the team for a week to see how consistently and authentically this is implemented. On the one hand in the exchange with our partner organisations, but on the other hand also in the involvement of me as an intern from day one. This is how I enjoy working together!”
ZORA ALINA |
Project Partners
“We promote organic farming so poor families can learn about low cost methods of farming and improve their living standard.”
HENDERSON | 
“I was born with a clubfoot and can understand the difficulties of people with a walking disability very well. That is why I, as managing director of KODO, concentrate on this target group. I am very happy that we can contribute to their food security. This fulfils my dream of supporting people with a walking disability.”
GEORGE | 
“ACAT Swaziland promotes a greener and healthier basis of life for small farmers in Swaziland”
ENOCK | 
“Since 1980 Pukllasunchis has cultivated human values, encouraged the equality of all human beings and promoted diversity as an enrichment for everybody.”
CHRISTINE |
“BSDA has been successful at developing strong and positive relationships with the communities where we work. Our mission is to work together to empower vulnerable people, promote compassionate engagement and enhance the quality of life, especially for women, children and youth, through education, health and livelihood development initiatives.”
Vandong | 
“I started XtraOrdinary Women because I saw a way to provide a community with the tools to lift themselves out of poverty. I believe that small businesses and social enterprise charities can offer communities a lasting solution to problems they have come across such as lack of education and a lack of employment opportunities.”
Andrea | 
“For me Circus is a philosophy of life strongly linked to aesthetic and ethical values. The experience of solidarity, freedom and tenderness as well as the total absorption in the artistic performance are all elements that help to develop a self-confident, emancipated and open-minded personality.”
Roland | 
“One of the basic principles underlying the community work is the belief that a woman has the right and ability to make decisions about her life; our role is to facilitate this decision-making process.”
SIEDS |
“The main objective of FENAMAD is the defense of the rights of indigenous people to self-determination, territory and cultural identity. For us it is a priority to include the young indigenous people of our communities in our activities since its them who inherit our history and on whom the future of our peoples depends.”
Julio | 
“As a grassroots civil society organization created by the Bunong themselves, we have the mission to strengthen the self-help capacity of the Bunong people to solve the pressing land conflicts, enhance the sustainability of their livelihoods and to improve access to education for the Bunong youth. It is one of our strengths that our team, consisting of Bunong people, shares the everyday life of affected communities. That is why we gain knowledge of their needs and together with them we find ways to support them best.”
Neth | 
“I personally love working with rural communities, particularly with women and children, in solving problems related to food security, nutrition and environment. I have learnt that investing in women benefits everyone in a household as they are directly responsible for the family welfare and that children keep what they learn and the knowledge benefit is long term.”
Thomas | 
“Our aim is for women, children and young people to be able to strengthen and develop their human and entrepreneurial skills under dignified conditions. To this end, we create and promote space for self-help. We want to contribute to the construction of a just, solidarity-based, non-violent and healthy society in coexistence with its environment.”
Sandra Tabita |
ECOSOLIDAR IS AN ASSOCIATION – JOIN US NOW!
EcoSolidar, founded in 1986, is a non-profit organisation with 2000 members and over 16,500 donors. EcoSolidar is supported by cantons, cities, municipalities, foundations, parishes, companies and third world shops. The board members include experts in the area of projects and evaluation, human resources, finances, advertisement and communication, law, politics and psychology.
The INFO informs about the projects of EcoSolidar on a regular basis. In March the annual report and the annual financial statement is published. Thereby the project work and the use of the donations is publically reported. The board members control and decide on running projects. An independent trust agency controls the financial statement and the ZEWO (Swiss monitoring agency for charitable fundraising) gives EcoSolidar accreditation in the form of a seal of quality.
EcoSolidar also establishes networks in Switzerland in order to allow for a knowledge transfer with the partner organisations in the south. If need be EcoSolidar will collaborate with other Swiss organisations.
You will find the statutes of the association here.
PRESIDENT
Guido Ehrler
VICE PRESIDENT
Emilio Modena
CASHIER
Marie-Therese Fasser (Compliance Officer)
ACTUARY & COMMUNICATION
Ariane Lang
FURTHER BOARD MEMBERS
Diether Grünenfelder (Gründer und ehemaliger Geschäftsleiter. Also board member of fair-fish.)
Christa Sulser
Isabella Augustin-Hitz