BERN, SWITZERLAND – Swiss solidarity and aid organizations have raised up to 6 million Swiss Francs to help victims of recent natural disasters in Asia including the Philippines.

This developed even as the Association of Filipino Communities in Switzerland, the Philippine Catholic Mission-Switzerland and the Philippine Nurses Association of Switzerland aired an appeal in Switzerland for more help to the victims in the Philippines.

The Swiss Solidarity Foundation, Switzerland's humanitarian solidarity and fund-raising platform, raised about 5 million Swiss Francs in a national fund raiser last Friday, October 9. Together with funds raised in the days right after the string of natural disasters in Asia, the total donations could come up to more than SFr6.25 million, said Swiss Solidarity in its Web site.

The amount will be apportioned to fund projects for flood victims in Southeast Asia including the Philippines, earthquake survivors in Sumatra and flood victims in India. Swiss Solidarity works with over 30 aid and relief organizations, among them Caritas, Swiss Interchurch Aid, Terre des hommes, Children's Aid, Doctors Without Borders Switzerland, the Swiss Red Cross, Handicap International, Swiss Labour Assistance, ADRA Adventist Development and Relief Agency and Medair.

Swiss Solidarity reported that in its 1-day fundraiser held last October 9, over 300 volunteers in Geneva, Bern, Zurich, Basel, Chur and Lugano manned 85 telephones for 18 hours, taking donation pledges. The money will flow into emergency aid in the affected regions, while a second phase will involve rebuilding and rehabilitation.

Task Force Asia

The Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce meanwhile launched “Task Force Asia” to raise funds for relief operations in the Philippines and Indonesia. Aside from emergency aid, the Task Force’s main objective is reconstruction of destroyed homes. The Task Force, whose members include the Ambassadors of the Philippines and Indonesia, said it will forward all donations to the Swiss Solidarity fund.

The Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Maria Theresa P. Lazaro has written to Felix Bollman, director of Swiss Solidarity Foundation, to express thanks for the foundation’s inclusion of Tropical Storm “Ondoy” victims in its fundraiser.

“The families of the victims will always remember the role of Swiss Solidarity in helping them regain their normal lives,” Lazaro said in her letter.

'Collosal' devastation

Meanwhile, the Association of Filipino Communities in Switzerland, the Philippine Catholic Mission-Switzerland and the Philippine Nurses Association of Switzerland in a media release last October 8 said they support the efforts of the Swiss Solidarity/Glueckskette and were “very grateful” for the help. They appealed however that more help was needed in the Philippines.

“The destruction of this magnitude is so colossal that we are not in the position to mobilize such enormous relief effort. We do not have the resources and the means to airlift food, medicines, tents, clean water and clothes,” the 3 groups said in its appeal.

They said that organizations in Switzerland had collected money from their members and have sent them directly to the needy, while many individuals have sent money straight to their affected families.

But the group said there should be focus on families with no relatives working abroad. “Who will help those Filipinos who have no sons, daughters, cousins or relatives abroad? Who can alleviate their needs?”, the groups asked. By Brady Eviota, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau