| WORKING TOGETHER FOR LOCALLY LED ACTION | HEKS/EPER participates in international and national initiatives to further strengthen its commitment to localisation. Other Swiss organisations & HEKS/EPER have signed the manifesto "Locally owned. Globally backed. A manifesto for Locally Led Action"

| TRAUMA UPON TRAUMA – SYRIA ONE YEAR AFTER THE FALL OF ASSAD | What is happening in Syria now? Join our webinar for firsthand perspectives from church representatives with Rev. Dr. Harout Selimian and George Sarkis (FMEEC). 12 February 2026, 12 - 13 CET Register now: shorturl.at/W8Rek

| VOICES FROM PALESTINE/ISRAEL: ISKANDAR MAJLATON | Since 2001, the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme (EAPPI) has sent international volunteers to the occupied Palestinian territories as human rights observers, standing in solidarity and supporting human rights.

| VOICES FROM PALESTINE/ISRAEL: SAMAH MUSAMEH | Samah Musameh, Shelter Programme Officer at HEKS/EPER, coordinates emergency aid and remains determined to carry on despite the challenges.

| RESTORING WATER SECURITY AT AL-RASTAN DAM | Built in 1958, Syria’s 3rd-largest dam supports 72,000 ha and 80,000 families. In 2024, HEKS/EPER, in coordination with the Directorate of Water Resources, rehabilitated the dam, restoring safety, water security, and climate resilience.

| BEYOND DISABILITY: KHALED'S STORY OF STRENGTH AND DETERMINATION | On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we highlight the story of Khaled Al-Ra’i from Gaza, a farmer who returned to his fields after losing his leg.

| BUILDING AGAINST DISCRIMINATION | During the Kosovo War, many Roma lost everything: their homes, their security, and their prospects. To this day, many of them live marginalized from society and in precarious housing conditions without water or electricity.

| NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN RURAL SOUTH SERBIA | In the community of Lebane, a local initiative is transforming lives. Biagica (57), Bijjana (50), and Tanja (46) have embarked on new careers, breaking employment barriers for middle-aged women in rural Serbia.

| HOPE THANKS TO THE CEASEFIRE | through agricultural projects.

| SEMPRE VIVA: The new HEKS/EPER film is now online | In Brazil’s Cerrado savannah, traditional flower-picking communities are standing up to land grabbing and environmental destruction.

| Rethinking finance: Impact-driven solutions in Senegal | As traditional development cooperation faces increasing pressure, new models are urgently needed. 1/4

| UNDROP Report 2025: Rural Land Rights in Crisis | At the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Working Group on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP) presented its second report. www.ohchr.org/en/documents...

| ACCESS IN FRAGILE CONTEXTS – AidEx 2025 | What shapes humanitarian access today, and how do we reach people in the most challenging contexts? At AidEx 2025, Karolina Frischkopf, Executive Director of HEKS/EPER, will moderate the session “Reaching the Hardest Places”. Register now: aid-expo.com

| Uganda: Refugees Helping Each Other Build Safer Homes | In Nakivale, refugees from DRC face long-term displacement. Many have only tarpaulins for shelter, especially those who are elderly or living with disabilities.

| Building Foundations for Peaceful and Inclusive Futures | On this #LiteracyDay, HEKS/EPER affirms that education is a right, not a privilege.

The main hearing in the climate litigation brought by four Indonesian fishers against the Swiss cement company Holcim ended today, Wednesday 3 September 2025, at the Cantonal Court of Zug without a decision having been reached. Photos: Daniel Rihs

Today, an initial hearing in the climate litigation brought by four Indonesian fishers against the Swiss cement company Holcim is being held at the Cantonal Court of Zug. Ibu Asmania and Arif Pujianto are attending the hearing. (Photos: Daniel Rihs)

| WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY | This #worldhumanitarianday2025, we are proud to see our Safety and Access Coordinator HEKS/EPER Ukraine, Borys Yaschuk, being featured in GISF’s (Global Interagency Security Forum) Faces of Security powerful campaign. #FacesOfSecurity #WHD2025 #hekseperworld

On September 3rd, the first hearing in the climate litigation against the Swiss cement company Holcim is taking place at the Cantonal Court of Zug. Stay informed about the climate litigation: www.callforclimatejustice.org/en/newsletter/

| INVESTIGATION CONFIRMS ABUSES ON SOCFIN PLANTATIONS | A two-year investigation confirms widespread complaints -including land grabbing, displacement, sexual violence and pollution- near Socfin's palm oil and rubber plantations in Africa and Asia. Luxembourg-based Socfin operates from Switzerland

| Colombia's "Seeds Guardians" | @theguardian.com highlights Colombian seed guardians for their fight to protect native seeds from corporate GMOs and patent laws, a battle for biodiversity, farmers' rights, and our planet’s future.

On September 3, 2025, the Cantonal Court of Zug will hold its first hearing in the climate lawsuit filed by Ibu Asmania, Arif Pujianto, Edi Mulyono, and Pak Bobby from Indonesia against Holcim – supported by @hekseperworld, @ecchr.eu , and @walhi.nasional

| Local Businesses, Leading the Way | On #MSMEDay, the UN reminds us that small enterprises are key to building inclusive and sustainable economies. HEKS/EPER supports this vision through Balim Investments, which provides rural SMEs with the capital and expertise they need to realise their own goals

| New Publication: sclr – Realising Forgotten Dreams | When crisis hits, local communities are often the first and last responders. #sclr puts them in the lead—rebuilding, supporting, and organising through trust and equity.

| WORKING WITH NATURE, NOT AGAINST IT 1/4 Mrs. Sao Yeng from Tapreach, Cambodia, struggled for years with poor cashew harvests. “I used chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, but the soil became dry and lifeless. My trees did not thrive.”

| World Environment Day | 1/5 In partnership with Bread for the World and Agri Service Ethiopia, #hekseperworld is supporting communities in the East Gojjam Zone of Ethiopia’s #Amhara Region to restore their environment. #WorldEnvironmentDay

| Leading with Local Expertise: Our Role in Ethiopia’s Agriculture Response | HEKS/EPER has been recognised as the leading responder for Agriculture in Emergencies in Ethiopia, having supported over 71,000 people between January and April 2025.

| A Stolen Childhood | Today, on the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, we remember the devastating impact of war on children in Ukraine. Since the full-scale invasion began, over 2,500 have been affected.

| CAPITAL WITH PURPOSE: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SWISSFUNDRAISING TALK | Yesterday’s full house at the Swissfundraising Talk confirmed it: impact investing is gaining traction as a meaningful complement to traditional fundraising. Learn more about HEKS/EPER’s work in impact investing: www.balim.ch

HEKS/EPER REVIEW 2024: MORE GLOBAL CRISES, MORE AID For HEKS/EPER, 2024 was once again a year of crises and conflicts. This is reflected in the recently published annual and financial reports. www.heks.ch/en/about-us/...

| International Day of Plant Health | (1/5) Today, we observe the International Day of Plant Health. Protecting plant health is essential for ensuring food security, supporting rural livelihoods, and fostering climate resilience. #PlantHealthDay

| The Power of Numbers and of People | What do 122.6 million displaced people, $40.8 billion in unmet humanitarian needs, and shrinking global aid budgets tell us? That solidarity is more vital than ever.

| International Girls in ITC Day | As yesterday was the International Girls in ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) Day, we proudly reaffirm: digital skills mean equal opportunities.

What Does a Drop in Aid Really Mean? This week, the OECD confirmed that global development aid dropped significantly in 2024 by 8.6% for EU donor countries. For the first time in years, support for humanitarian needs, development cooperation, and the world’s most vulnerable regions is in decline.

| Learning Exchange in Ethiopia | 1/4 Our colleague Sandro Schmidlin, Monitoring Evaluation Accountability Learning (MEAL) Advisor based in Zurich, was recently in Ethiopia for a learning exchange with the team in Addis Ababa and Yabello.

| Responding to Uncertainty: What Future for Cooperation? | 1/4 On April 29, Karolina Frischkopf, HEKS/EPER Director, will join directors and experts from Alliance Sud, Terre des hommes and Caritas Schweiz in a collective reflection organized at the Geneva Press Club.