HEKS stands for the Hilfswerk der Evangelischen Kirchen Schweiz (the aid organisation of the Protestant Churches of Switzerland), is based in Zurich and has an office for French-speaking Switzerland in Lausanne. The French abbreviation is EPER (Entraide Protestante Suisse).
HEKS was set up in 1946 by the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches (FSPC) and has been organised as a trust since 2004. The Board of Trustees is the highest governing body of the trust. It has six to nine members, one of whom is elected by the FSPC Council and the remainder by the FSPC Assembly of Delegates. Member of the Board of Trustees serve a four-year term of office.
HEKS gives humanitarian and emergency aid and fights the causes of hunger, injustice and social deprivation. All people should be able to live a life of dignity and of safety in social, economic and political terms.
The aid organisation has five regional offices in Switzerland and is engaged in about 200 projects worldwide. HEKS has its own coordination offices in 20 key countries.
HEKS has some 247 employees on its monthly payroll in Switzerland. HEKS also invests in training and employs three trainees (Kaufmännischer Verband [Association of Commercial Employees]) and 11 interns. 526 workers are paid by the hour.
HEKS cooperates with local partner organisations whenever possible and only sends Swiss citizens abroad in exceptional cases. As a matter of principle, local workers are recruited to staff the coordination offices.
HEKS has been awarded the Swiss ZEWO Seal of Approval. This seal of quality is granted in recognition of excellence in charitable fundraising organisations, acknowledging their diligent handling of the funds held in trust. It attests an efficient, economic approach in directing donations to the intended causes. HEKS has adopted the NPO-Code (www.swiss-npocode.ch) which sets out corporate governance guidelines for non-profit organisations in Switzerland.
