First Mission of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit

A symbol of humanity

This special stamp commemorates the first mission of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA). In 1974, a group of volunteers travelled to drought-stricken Chad, among them Jost Rüegg from Kreuzlingen.

It­came­about­as­follows:­the­formation­of­a­disaster­ relief­corps­had­been­the­subject­of­debate­among­ the­general­public­and­policymakers­for­some­ ­considerable­time.­Until­finally,­in­1974,­the­corps­ ­rehearsed­the­emergency­for­the­first­time,­when­ 80­trained­volunteers­were­deployed­in­a­major­ ­operation­in­the­Lake­Chad­region­(Niger,­Chad,­Nige-ria­and­Cameroon).­The­objective:­to­help­the­popu- lation­cope­with­a­terrible­drought.­

The SHA mission in the Lake Chad region in figures

– October­1974­to­February­1975­
– From­80­corps­members­to­50­at­the­end­
– From­200­local­helpers­to­650­at­the­end­
– 260­tonnes­of­local­grain­distributed­to­8­supply­points­­ – 5­large­food­warehouses­built­
– 15­hospitals­and­wards­renovated,­3­of­them­newly­built­ – 14­wells­renovated­or­newly­tapped­
– 1­river­ferry­built­­

An account of a humanitarian journey
50 years ago, when Jost Rüegg from Kreuzlingen read an appeal from the SHA in the newspaper, he was immediately motivated to go on a mission. He looks back on that time in this interview.

Travelling there
On the flight from Zurich to N'Djamena, we all sat together in rows in the cargo hold of a Douglas DC-3, very tense about what might await us.

First impression on the ground
Once we arrived, we couldn’t start distrib- uting the food straight away, because the ships with the vehicles from Switzerland that we needed were delayed. I was pre- pared for the fact that not everything would be highly efficient under difficult conditions.

Mission
We transported several tonnes of lo- cal grain by truck to a town called Mao, where there was a central warehouse. Later, we drove medi- cal staff and medicines to the hospi- tals and transported bricks for the construction of an airstrip.

Challenges
To avoid getting stuck in the sand, we had to drive fast, which disrupted the sense of time that our local guides used to orient themselves. It made for some adventur- ous journeys.

Most memorable experience
There are plenty. But I was most impressed by the local people. Despite their difficult situation, they were confident, cheerful and on an equal footing in their dealings with us.