Aid Fund & Donations

Migros Aid Fund

From improving the milk value chain in Mali, restoring Alpe Arami in Gorduno and helping young people in Bolivia find work through to environmentally friendly agriculture in Haiti: The Migros Aid Fund has been supporting social and ecological development aid projects in Switzerland and abroad since 1979, making CHF 1 million available each year. In 2016, the Federation of Migros Cooperatives adapted the fund's guidelines and criteria to the current requirements.

The fund's money comes from the profits of the ten Migros Cooperatives. The submissions are assessed by a working group of the FMC Assembly of Delegates. In line with Gottlieb Duttweiler's vision, Migros helps disadvantaged people and groups of society, especially children, adolescents and women. The supported projects are professionally organised, have a sustainable approach and follow the principle of helping people to help themselves. The organisations usually receive between CHF 40'000 and CHF 100'000.

In 2016, twenty projects were supported by well-known development aid organisations based in Switzerland, including several that campaign to improve the lives of children and young people, as well as sustainable agriculture initiatives. The supported projects include:

• Daycare, not roads: Pre-school support for unsupervised refugee children in Columbia (Vivamos Mejor)
• Empower My Life!: Comprehensive sport and play-based prevention programme against sexual violence in Kenya (Swiss Academy for Development)
• Productive farmers, more food security and healthy cattle, thanks to water access in Burkina Faso (Aqua Alimenta)

Donations

With its donation measures, Migros makes a commitment to helping disadvantaged people and those in need. Various projects provide specific support and help to alleviate hardship. The most important charitable contributions in the reporting year included:

• Almost CHF 3.8 million raised by the Christmas donation campaign for children in need in Switzerland. Migros customers donated CHF 2.8 million and Migros topped up the amount by CHF 1 million. The funds were distributed equally to the aid organisations Caritas, HEKS, Pro Juventute, Pro Senectute and Winterhilfe Schweiz.
• In addition, donations in kind (unsold goods from the non-food area) worth CHF 2 million were given to the aid organisations AVC and Caritas and to the Sozialwerke Pfarrer Ernst Sieber Foundation.
• Caritas and Tischlein deck dich received food donations worth about CHF 770'000.
• As part of the World Animal Day campaign, Migros donated CHF 50'000 to Swiss Animal Protection SAP, the Wildtier Schweiz Association and the Susy Utzinger Foundation.
• With a donation of CHF 500'000 to Glückskette, Migros helped the victims of the devastation left behind by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti.