'One Million Stars' Against Poverty Light Up Swiss Parliament Square

1/12/2025 7:00:13 AM

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Swiss charity Caritas lit thousands of candles on parliament square in Bern on Saturday evening to mark the "A Million Stars" solidarity campaign. The campaign is a reminder that many people in Switzerland still live in poverty.

This content was published on January 12, 2025 - 10:22 2 minutes Keystone-SDA

Deutsch de “Eine Million Sterne” auf dem Bundesplatz gegen die Armut Original Read more:“Eine Million Sterne” auf dem Bundesplatz gegen die Armu

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According to a statement from Caritas Bern, around 800 people took part in the action on parliament square. Each candle represented a symbol of hope and solidarity.“With this campaign, we want to show that no one is alone,” said Silja Wenk, co-managing director of Caritas Bern, in the press release.

+ Let's Talk: Poverty in wealthy Switzerland

As part of the campaign, Caritas Bern, together with other Caritas organisations in Switzerland, organised solidarity events at over 100 locations throughout the country. The campaigns take place annually.

The poverty rate in Switzerland has risen continuously since 2014. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 702,000 people in Switzerland are affected by poverty. Almost as many live at subsistence level.

+ Cost-of-living squeeze puts Swiss households at poverty risk

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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