Editorial
“There is nothing permanent in life, but change”
“There is nothing permanent in life, but change”. This quote, from the Indian sage Buddha, sums up the period we are going through. Changes and uncertainty have been ongoing for some time now. While the disruption due to COVID-19 seemed to be behind us at last, and even though the effects are still being felt, the hope of some form of stability was short-lived. A new crisis, the war in Ukraine, came along very quicklyand its direct and indirect consequences are significant.
While inflation began to rise at the end of 2021, the onset of the war in Ukraine pushed it to levels that had not been seen for decades. The surge in energy prices, the difficulty in obtaining raw materials and the sudden reversal of central banks’ accommodating policies weighed on financial markets. At the end of the year, fears of a power shortage and the risks of a recession in Europe put the global economy under pressure.
Against this backdrop of anxiety, many people in Switzerland are in need of help, support and a sympathetic ear. We are convinced that it is our social and economic responsibility to do everything we can to remain by their side and to help them in the best way possible. It is in this collective spirit that Fondation Groupe Mutuel was created in 2018. In addition to being a foundation that owns Groupe Mutuel Holding SA, it aims to make a tangible commitment to those who need it most, particularly in terms of health and prevention.
In 2022, Fondation Groupe Mutuel once again supported many projects and associations, as well as people in need. It also continued to carry out studies and research into the health system, with a view to proposing ways of improving it.
We are very proud, for example, to have been able to support the foundation “Planètes Enfants Malades”, whose goal is to improve the daily life and well-being of some 8,500 children and teenagers aged from a few days to 18 years and who are hospitalised each year in the paediatric wards of the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV).
It is in the context of the future Children's Hospital of the CHUV, scheduled to open in 2024, that Fondation Groupe Mutuel is providing support to the “Planètes Enfants Malades” foundation. It will contribute to making this medical centre more welcoming by participating in the design and decoration of the premises.
In 2022, Fondation Groupe Mutuel also supported “Planètes Enfants Malades” through the “Groupe Mutuel Bouge” challenge. 582 employees in 42 teams took part in this challenge, which was launched within the company as part of the contest between towns known as “suisse.bouge inter-communal duel”, of which Groupe Mutuel is a sponsor. Thanks to everyone's efforts, CHF 8,000 was donated, in equal parts, to Planètes Enfants Malades and to Synapsis - Recherche Alzheimer Suisse RAS.
Fondation Groupe Mutuel also supports Nextherapy, the first high-tech outpatient rehabilitation centre for children and adults with brain and spinal cord injuries in Zurich.
Fondation Groupe Mutuel decided to support Nextherapy's work, in this case for two children and one adult who could not afford treatment themselves. These three people, who suffer from early-onset epilepsy, cerebral palsy and cerebral palsy respectively, receive care that improves their well-being.
In our activity report, you will find a summary of our activities and of the support provided in 2022. Some 50 associations from all over the country, whether in German, French or Italian-speaking Switzerland, were funded by Fondation Groupe Mutuel last year. These associations and foundations bring hope and their projects are sustainable, ambitious and concrete in terms of health, care, support, rehabilitation and prevention.
I am delighted to see that Fondation Groupe Mutuel is actively helping those who are suffering and in need.
This is the very meaning of its action, ambition and mission.
On behalf of the Foundation Board
Karin Perraudin,
President
