Swiss Stories

Alver: Protein Soup

Algae to feed the planet

Science & Education
Mine Uran stepped down as Head of Protein R&D at Nestlé to set up a start-up. Her vision is to produce food for the future by growing micro-algae in the dark.
Sophie Lavaud on the summit of Everest

Conquering the Himalayas

History
Known as the '88,000 lady' among the mountaineering cognoscenti, Sophie Lavaud is the first Swiss woman to have climbed eleven peaks of over 8,000 metres in the Himalayas. Quite a topical achievement, as mountaineering was added to UNESCO's list of Intangible World Heritage in December 2019. Portrait of an astonishing woman at the top of her game.

by Lea Huszno

The Hérens – queen of the cows

Queen of the Cows

Environment
The Hérens breed of cattle has a special place in Swiss hearts.

by Lea Huszno

Val Poschiavo - Lago Saoseo

The Swiss valley on the verge of becoming 100% organic

Environment
Val Poschiavo in the canton of Graubünden is a global pioneer of organic farming. The people there have been cultivating the land this way for about 30 years and are aiming to be 100% organic within the next two years.
Senegal © Secours Protestant

The Swiss tap that saves water and lives

Science & Education
Good hand washing practice has come firmly into focus during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the clamour for hand sanitiser and protective face coverings in Europe, it must not be forgotten that there are around 3 billion people who are not able to wash their hands at home with soap and clean water. 1.7 million children die each year due to diseases transmitted by unclean hands. Exciting Swiss innovations, such as The Drop, recently recognised on UNICEF’s May 2020 list of ‘Handwashing Stations and Supplies for the COVID-19 response’, are being developed to meet these needs.
Florence Schelling

Florence Schelling, the woman at the top of a once male-dominated world

Society
SC Bern is Switzerland's largest ice hockey club, with a CHF 60 million budget and home crowds of up to 17,000 spectators. It has won the Swiss championships 16 times. And it has just appointed a woman as its new general manager and sports director, a first in the sport's history. The smart, self-assured 31-year-old from Zurich used to play in goal for the women's national team. Now she's ready for her next challenge, and it's a surprise choice that has created a stir around the world.

by Bertrand Monnard

Community feedback at the Yii Adult Basic Education Centre in Moyen-Chari Region (run by PADI) © Enfants du Monde (Florent Dupertuis)

Multilingualism in Swiss schools inspires international cooperation

Science & Education
For students in Switzerland, being taught in their regional language – French, German, Italian or Romansh – is the norm. Many children around the world, however, attend school in a language they don't understand. Plurilingualism and teaching languages in schools have long been important values in Switzerland – and this strength of the Swiss school system serves as a blueprint for the country's international cooperation in its programmes to support education.