Administration and Finance

General Financial Situation

Fondation Hirondelle saw its volume decrease by 14.5 % compared with 2021, with an overall realized volume of CHF12.4 million. This decline is explained both by external factors that complicated the planned deployment of activities in the field (growing insecurity in the Sahel, particularly in Burkina Faso) and by several staff departures at headquarters, resulting in delays and insufficient  monitoring during the second half of the year. Corrective measures are being implemented in 2023.

Despite this setback, Fondation Hirondelle achieved a positive result of around CHF 484,000, which is comparable to that of 2021. This result allows the organization to strengthen its equity base.

Almost 90% of the Fondation’s expenses are allocated to our projects in the field (87.45%). Management and administration expenses (Finance, HR, IT) represent 9.89% of expenses, while communication and fundraising represent 2.66%. All 2022 accounts and expenditure indicators are presented in accordance with Zewo standards, for which Fondation Hirondelle has been certified since 2019.

An independent auditor has certified that the financial statements summarized below give a true and fair view of Fondation Hirondelle’s financial position. The complete report on the 2022 annual accounts is available on our website www.hirondelle.org.

Human Resources

At the end of 2022, Fondation Hirondelle employed 245 professionals worldwide (2021: 246). The number of national staff working for the Fondation increased to 214 (2021: 208). There were 10 expatriates on long-term contracts at the end of 2022 (2021: 10). In addition to these employees, there were 100 interns and correspondents (2021: 199), supported by 20 expert missions in the field (2021: 23). The size of headquarters has remained relatively stable. As of December 31, 2022, the head office had 9 employees (FTE 7.8) working directly on projects and 13 employees (FTE 10.8) working in management, cross-functional and support posts. Fondation Hirondelle is also training an apprentice, and in 2022 benefited from the help of two interns (FTE 1.6)

Project Expenditure

Financial Resources

Foundations & Corporate donors

We wish to thank the following for their support in 2022 : Büchi Foundation, Fondation d’Aide à l’Enfance et au Tiers-Monde, Fondazione aiuto alla cooperazione e allo sviluppo, Fondation E. Balzan, Fondation Alfred & Eugénie Baur, Loterie Romande, Fondation Madeleine, Fondation Jan Michalski pour l’écriture et la littérature, Fondation Karl Popper, Fondation Nicolas Puech, Fondation Philanthropique Famille Sandoz, Fondation genevoise de bienfaisance «Valeria Rossi di Montelera», fondation et donateur anonymes.

Summary of Fondation Hirondelle accounts

The overall presentation of Fondation Hirondelle accounts meets the requirements of the Swiss norms GAAP RPC and GAAP RPC 21. This presentation gives a true and fair view of the financial situation and in-come of the organization. The accounts comply with Swiss law and the Fondation’s statutes.

The summary of accounts is based on the annual accounts as of December 31, 2022, which have been prepared in accordance with the above-mentioned principles.

Balance sheet as of december 31 (in Swiss francs)

Operating account of Fondation Hirondelle (in Swiss francs)

Table of capital variation (in Swiss francs)