Success stories

Doing good feels good.

• 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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  Volunteers lend an ear!

  Our volunteers are at the heart of our project and central to what we do.

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  Caritas Aargau project “Wohnstart”

  “Wohnstart” is focused on people fleeing harm, who are moving into their own home for the first time and need practical support. Volunteers visit the families or individuals and together they check the instructions for household appliances, ensure rooms are ventilated properly, explain how to clean carpets and floors and find out which areas the building’s caretaker is responsible for.

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  Aladdin vacation weeks

  Aladdin vacation weeks allow families with children with disabilities or illnesses, as well as their brothers and sisters, to take a week-long break from their challenging home life. Parents and children can take part in activities together without worrying about organizational issues.

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  Promoting integration

  Language is essential to coping with everyday situations, establishing a social life and achieving professional success. But what if you can't speak German? The consequences are often social isolation and major hurdles when looking for a job. The problem mainly affects migrants who often do not speak German on arrival. A volunteer project by Caritas Lucerne in collaboration with UBS Helpetica shows how integration can still succeed.

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  Mission to save nature

  Neeracherried is a habitat for countless animals and plants – including populations of national importance. Without protective measures, invasive species can endanger this diversity. That's why regular missions are organized in the field – as happened in September 2022.

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  Awakening enthusiasm for STEM

  Determine the speed of sound, program small microcontrollers, generate 3D prints, build robots: Since August 2020, Startbahn 29 has been running workshops, summer courses and open afternoons for children and young people in the inspiring space of the Innovation Park Zurich – actively supported by volunteer lab coaches.

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  Promoting biodiversity

  The Neeracherried provides a habitat for countless animals and plants – including native populations of national importance. The nature center in Neerach is dedicated to the conservation of habitats and biodiversity, and its focus is on raising awareness. “Many of us have a human-centered view and divide animals into those at are beneficial and those that are pests. But this ignores the natural cycle of nature,” says Stefan Heller, director of the nature center.

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  Crossing the Alps despite retinal disease

  Something that was Mario Kämpfen’s big dream six months ago has now become reality: to walk from the Simplon Pass to Lake Maggiore – despite his handicap. Mario and his colleague Andreas suffer from the eye disease retinitis pigmentosa (retinal degeneration) and have severely impaired vision.

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  Emotions at the Special Olympics National Summer Games 2022

  This year’s Special Olympics National Summer Games were held in St. Gallen from 16 to 19 June 2022. Numerous athletes with intellectual disabilities gave their all and fought tirelessly for medals in 14 sports.

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  Full of self-confidence thanks to mentoring

  On the path to a profession, young people must overcome a fair number of challenges. A volunteering project in canton Zug stands by their side. When she talks about her job, Basma Babeker’s entire face lights up: “I landed my dream apprenticeship!” Last summer, the 16-year-old from Eritrea began training as a dental assistant. She found the position with the help of MUNTERwegs, an association dedicated to bringing children and young people, whether from Swiss families or immigrant backgrounds, together with volunteers who act as mentors. This is how 49-year-old Franziska Filliger became Basma’s mentor for eight months, helping her to prepare and search for an apprenticeship. The Zug native is glad to have found the project at UBS Helpetica: “Working with young people is so rewarding. I believe that, as a society, we should pass on our experience to younger generations and support them.”