Dear readers,
Even the best social safety net is still full of holes. As we know, despite the wide range of support available, a large number of people still fall through the sometimes quite loosely woven net of private provision and state welfare. Foundations have noticed this too. Their achievements here are formidable – they react with flexibility, agility and efficiency. They can also delve into individual cases for which the authorities and private businesses have no procedures or concepts in place. Over the past two years in particular, we have seen this very clearly. There were many individual cases where foundations stepped into the breach, where help from elsewhere would have arrived too late, or not at all. Their complementary services render our social welfare safety net much more effective.
Refugees are particularly vulnerable. They become, completely involuntarily, dependent on the support of strangers. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, talks to THE PHILANTHROPIST in an exclusive interview about the unbelievable number of 82 million displaced people worldwide.
In this issue, you can read about the diverse array of projects in our society to combat poverty as well as support children and culture. Let yourself be inspired by what people can achieve for others. No Christmas stories. Just tales of life and standing together in an extraordinary time.
I wish you happy holidays and all the best for 2022.
Dr. Peter Buss
Managing director and publisher
Philanthropy Services AG
