Timeline

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in Indonesia this year, Swisscontact continues its journey to create opportunities in the country. For over 50 years, Swisscontact has brought Swiss expertise and innovation to the development sector in Indonesia, fostering strong and invaluable partnerships that lead to impactful results.

The PROMOST program strengthened vocational education in Rwanda, Burundi, and the DRC over twelve years to improve employment and income opportunities for young people. By 2023, around 20,000 disadvantaged individuals received training, and the Rwandan government now plans to permanently adopt the dual training system.

Swisscontact builds bridges to the private sector by partnering with governments, civil society, and businesses to create sustainable development solutions. One example is a dual training model in Kenya, developed in collaboration with the Hilti Foundation, which equips young people with in-demand skills in the construction sector.

The former Chairman of the Swisscontact Foundation Board, Heinrich M. Lanz, passed the torch to his successor Thomas D. Meyer on 2 June 2021. Meyer and the new CEO, Philippe Schneuwly, who takes over from Samuel Bon, will form the new team at the head of Swisscontact from June 2021.

In 2019, Swisscontact celebrates its 60th anniversary. 120 projects in 38 countries and seven regions with 1,100 employees and 100 million CHF turnover.

In terms of our goals, nothing has changed for Swisscontact since being founded in 1959: we will continue creating opportunities for economically and socially disadvantaged people to improve their lives on their own initiative.

The Springfield Centre for Business in Development and Swisscontact join forces. The UK-based consulting firm is a global leader in inclusive market systems and development.

After 12 years the major programme for vocational training promotion ends successfully. More than 60 000 persons completed a vocational training.

Swisscontact begins implementing the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO). The project work is implemented simultaneously in several countries.

Swisscontact’s pioneering market development work in Bangladesh approaches its end after 17 years. Over the entire course of the Katalyst project, Swisscontact was able to assist a total 4.7 million smallholder farm businesses and SMEs, integrating them more closely into the market.

Swisscontact has been working in Peru since 1966. Peru is the first country in which Swisscontact has been implementing development projects continuously for 50 years.

In Kakuma, Kenya, work starts on developing basic qualifications for youth in and around Africa’s largest refugee camp. Swisscontact Germany is sold to employees as part of a management buyout and becomes "Fair Ventures".

Heinrich M. Lanz becomes President.

As part of the Momentum for Change initiative, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) names the EELA energy efficiency programme as a reference project.

Samuel Bon becomes CEO.

Swisscontact North America is founded in the USA for fundraising and acquisition.

Peter Grüschow becomes President. Swisscontact Germany is founded.

In East Africa, Swisscontact begins supporting commercial banks in their efforts to introduce and develop financial services.

Clean air projects – which introduced lead-free petrol in the entire region – are closed out in Central America. Swisscontact wins global project financing and grows rapidly.

Dr. Hanspeter Ming becomes President.

The first SDC tenders won by Swisscontact: skills development in Mali and financial services in Ecuador.

A new approach to SME development is tested in Peru and Ecuador and involves building for-profit business advisory centres. The Swiss federal government tenders out new contracts.

Dr. Urs Egger replaces Robert Jenny as Executive Director.

Our training project in Vietnam is the first to focus on brief courses.

The first environmental project is launched in Costa Rica.

Dr. Thomas Bechtler becomes President of Swisscontact.

The first business development project starts up in Costa Rica.

In Indonesia, a large project financed by the government is launched – the development of six technical schools for 5,000 students, as well as a teacher-training center.

Swisscontact yields great success after 20 years: 10 completed and eight ongoing projects; 3,500 trainee graduates and 2,000 in training; 26 million CHF donated by businesses; 14 million CHF in Swiss Federal grants; and 1 million CHF in community donations.

The Swisscontact Senior Expert Corps is founded. The experts support and advise small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries and Eastern Europe on a voluntary basis.

Dr. Max Gloor becomes President after Giuseppe Bertola.

The first project in Indonesia – a mechanics’ training school in Bandung – is launched; Indonesia would later become a key partner country.

Thanks to a technical and scientific cooperation agreement, the first courses in precision mechanics are offered in Brazil by Swiss technicians in the early 1970s. The SENAI "Paulo Ernesto Tolle" school, co-founded by Swisscontact, still exists today and offers various technical courses.

Robert Jenny takes over management of the foundation, and the name is changed to Swisscontact.

The first federal contract project in Gabès, Tunisia. The Governor of Gabès says 1971 to a Swisscontact representative:
"If this training centre did not exist, it would have to be created, as it shows us the real problems of our region, such as the lack of jobs. We in the developing countries must be put under pressure to achieve something."

An agricultural training school is opened in Sékou (Dahomey, today Benin), as the foundation’s second project.

In Chandigarh, India, the first vocational school in precision engineering is opened.

Anne-Marie Im Hof-Piguet, one of the founders of the foundation and, together with the first president, a successful fundraiser.

The “Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation” is founded. Its first President is Dr. Hans Schindler and the first Executive Director is Dr. Fritz Real.