Success stories

Doing good feels good.

• Volunteer work to protect endangered wild bees

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  Environment

  In the Gruyère region, volunteers are restoring a discovery trail that provides an urgently needed habitat for wild bees. A good deed in a forest of the Parc de la Pépinière that benefits both the bees, which are threatened with extinction, and the numerous helpers.

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• Volunteering with UBS Helpetica for snakes and ermine

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  Environment

  Volunteers renovated a 100-year-old dry stone wall on Alp Durnan in the Beverin Nature Park. The team not only worked to help this mountain landscape but also created new habitats for rare animals and plants.

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• Volunteer work on the highest mountain farm in the Bernese Oberland

  

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  Environment

  As part of its Bergeinsatz project, Caritas Switzerland places volunteers with mountain farming families in need. Recently, Jürg Grossenbacher helped out on a farm in the Bernese Oberland.

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• Livestock protection program

  

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  Environment

  Chiara and Emma report on their unique volunteering experience with the livestock protection program run by the Oppal organization on the Pontimia alp. Continuous monitoring of sheep flocks keeps predators like wolves away. The aim is to achieve a more sustainable coexistence between pasture farmers and natural predators. Meeting shepherds helps volunteers understand the realities in the field and Switzerland’s wolf problem.

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• Tree hollow habitat

  

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  Environment

  The non-profit organization FREETHEBEES carves out tree hollows in forests to provide nesting sites for wild honeybees and a range of other endangered insects that dwell in the cavities of trees. The organization’s dedicated volunteers have learned how to carve out tree hollows (called a Zeidlerhöhle in German) into living trees. These cavities serve as a shelter for many different species in need of protection, such as wild honeybees, as well as a place for these species to feed and reproduce.

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• Experience running with other senses

  

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  Social issues

  The Association «Blind-Jogging» trains volunteers to be guides for the blind and help them to do sports in the fresh air. After completing a one-day training, they accompany visually impaired and blind people on a run once or twice a week.

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• Switzerland's first Snoezelen bus is a success

  

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  Social issues

  Volunteers spent a day converting an old van into a mobile Snoezelen station for children with autism. Everyone involved put their heart and soul into this project, and did so with plenty of love, kindness and good spirits. Thanks to the hard work of the entire team, what was once an old yellow bus is now a special place full of lights, sounds, scents and shapes. It is designed to help children and young people with autism to relax, dream and experience all of their senses. “We are so happy that we can now start using the bus,” says General Manager Sandra Kalbassi with a smile. “We are expanding our school over the summer and so we plan on providing a Snoezelen room for all the children we admit,” she explains.

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Other projects already implemented

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  Heartfelt stories over the phone

  Our volunteers, who serve on the everyday phone line for young and old against loneliness, often experience very touching moments with people who use this free phone service.

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  Solidarity in action during Samedi du Partage

  Discover solidarity in action with Yanick and Lucas! They explain their vision of unity and sharing based on their volunteering experience as part of the Samedi du Partage initiative. Yanick emphasizes the direct impact that the individual donations have, while Lucas points out the importance of every contribution, whether big or small. Volunteer alongside them to experience moments of happiness and togetherness – and help expand the reach of this worthy show of solidarity. Join them in the fight against poverty!

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  Breaking down barriers as a language partner

  Living in a new country poses many challenges, especially if you don’t speak the local language. Refugees often face the difficult task of having to integrate into everyday life while coming to terms with a new language and a new culture. This is where the “fokusnetzwerk” language partner network program run by the association “prointegration” comes in. The program brings people together with the aim of breaking down barriers and creating new perspectives.

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  Emirhan discovers a new profession with his mentor

  Emirhan Turkoglu, who moved to Switzerland from Turkey two and a half years ago, is considering an apprenticeship as an agricultural practitioner. Thanks to the support of Janine Eberle and the “ROCK YOUR LIFE!” program, he has discovered new career opportunities.

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  Support for seniors

  For the past two years, UBS Helpetica has supported the project of Dôme Seniors, a registered non-profit association that has been helping isolated seniors in the canton of Geneva since 2020.

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  Saving fruit and vegetables

  UBS Helpetica has been supporting projects from Tischlein deck dich for several years, where food is saved from going to waste and distributed to people affected by poverty.

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  Hedgerow management day Lantsch/Lenz

  In October, the national hedge day also took place in Zurtail near Lantsch/Lenz in cooperation with: 13 volunteers aged from 8 to 70, two Parc Ela employees and two farmers with tractors tended around 300 meters of wild hedge, which is part of a hedge landscape of regional importance.

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  Preserving nature and plants

  The Neeracherried provides a habitat for countless animals and plants, including populations of national importance. Without protective measures, however, problem plants such as neophytes can threaten this diversity. To counteract this, the BirdLife association organizes regular nature missions, such as the one that took place on 26 June 2023.

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  Talking is the first step

  The aim of the telephone service malreden is to alleviate the loneliness experienced by elderly people, at least for a moment. The volunteers staffing the lines listen without judging, taking the caller seriously and treating them with respect. Talking about loneliness and other difficulties really helps.

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  Sustainable use of resources

  The mission of the Repair Café Canton Zug is to avoid waste and conserve resources by restoring everyday objects that would otherwise be discarded before their time, though they could still be repaired. In this way, the association is contributing to preserving the environment and resources.