Charities Switzerland Education Verein SAO
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Verein SAO

SAO is committed to helping particularly vulnerable displaced women and mothers in Greece. In our Day Centres we offer them shelter space where they can find refuge, assistance …

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30
Integrity Assessment
Limited data available
30/100 · methodology
This score reflects limited public data, not concerns about the organization.

About Verein SAO

SAO is committed to helping particularly vulnerable displaced women and mothers in Greece. In our Day Centres we offer them shelter space where they can find refuge, assistance and new perspectives. The work of our specialist staff focuses on trauma-oriented, psychosocial support. In cooperation with other humanitarian actors and partner organisations, SAO also provides women with access to medical and legal assistance. --- SAO Association is a tax-exempt Swiss relief organisation. SAO was founded in 2016 by Raquel Herzog who was very moved by the refugee crisis and therefore travelled to Lesvos in Autumn 2015 to volunteer actively on site. Through the intensive contact with four young Syrian women and their 92-year-old grandmother, Raquel became aware of the specific needs …

Headquarters
Zürich
Operating in
1 countries

Mission

SAO is committed to helping particularly vulnerable displaced women and mothers in Greece. In our Day Centres we offer them shelter space where they can find refuge, assistance and new perspectives. The work of our specialist staff focuses on trauma-oriented, psychosocial support. In cooperation with other humanitarian actors and partner organisations, SAO also provides women with access to medical and legal assistance. --- SAO Association is a tax-exempt Swiss relief organisation. SAO was founded in 2016 by Raquel Herzog who was very moved by the refugee crisis and therefore travelled to Lesvos in Autumn 2015 to volunteer actively on site. Through the intensive contact with four young Syrian women and their 92-year-old grandmother, Raquel became aware of the specific needs of displaced women. Since 2017 SAO has been focusing on the work with particularly vulnerable displaced women and has been operating two on trauma-oriented, psychosocial services specialised Day Centres on Lesvos and in Athens. In the spirit of sustainability, SAO also accompanies the clients with the "Back on Track" programme to promote individual skills useful for their professional or academic paths. Displaced women receive specific and individual access to information, assistance and consultation. The primary goal of SAO Association is to support the most vulnerable displaced women in strengthening their resilience, in breaking through isolation patterns, in developing coping mechanisms for their experiences, in building new social networks and in strengthening their self-determination and independence. SAO achieves those goals through a professional programme for trauma relief which is offered in a protected space where individuality is appreciated and religious, cultural and ethnical values are acknowledged and respected. In this way, SAO creates conditions to mitigate the effects of fleeing on body and soul, to point out individual possibilities and abilities to act as well as to promote

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
📚 Education
Operating countries (1)
Greece

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar education in Switzerland
Integrity Assessment This charity: 30
Peer average: 33

Red flags

· All clear
ESA / Zefix status change
Open investigations
Governance scandals
Related-party deals
Excessive exec comp

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Verein SAO is a registered education nonprofit based in Zürich, Switzerland. It is registered with the Swiss Commercial Register (Zefix). It has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 30/100 (Limited data available). This reflects limited public data, not concerns about the organization.

Verein SAO has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 30/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 30 ('Limited data available') reflects limited public data, not concerns about the organization. This is common for smaller, newer, or non-US charities that file fewer public records. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for education charities in Switzerland is 32/100.

Verein SAO is located in Zürich, Switzerland. Its registered address is Ottikerstrasse 8, Switzerland.

Verein SAO is classified as a Education organization, registered in Switzerland.

Verein SAO has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 30/100. We recommend reviewing the full profile before making a donation decision. The organization is overseen by the cantonal commercial registry. You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research purposes and does not endorse any organization. Always do your own due diligence.

SAO is committed to helping particularly vulnerable displaced women and mothers in Greece. In our Day Centres we offer them shelter space where they can find refuge, assistance and new perspectives. The work of our specialist staff focuses on trauma-oriented, psychosocial support. In cooperation with other humanitarian actors and partner organisations, SAO also provides women with access to medical and legal assistance. --- SAO Association is a tax-exempt Swiss relief organisation. SAO was founded in 2016 by Raquel Herzog who was very moved by the refugee crisis and therefore travelled to Lesvos in Autumn 2015 to volunteer actively on site. Through the intensive contact with four young Syrian women and... Verein SAO is classified as a education organization registered in Switzerland.

Among education charities registered in Switzerland: Verein SAO's GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 30/100 is in line with the peer average of 32/100.

Verein SAO is registered in Switzerland. Donations to recognized tax-exempt Swiss nonprofits are deductible from federal and cantonal taxes. The deduction limit varies by canton but is typically up to 20% of net income for federal taxes.

Verified against 2 official sources, last refreshed .

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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of Switzerland under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Still gathering leadership data

We check government filings and charity disclosures quarterly. If you represent this charity, claim this page to add officers directly.

Latest news

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No recent news coverage found

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Peer charities

Other education in Switzerland, by integrity assessment

Sources and verification

Refreshed

Registration and legal identity
Zefix (Swiss Commercial Register)
Supplementary verification
GlobalGiving partner directory

Data freshness

Last updated
Apr 21, 2026
Profile completeness
35%

What we don't know

Honest gaps - our score reflects transparency, not impact

Financial filings
No annual financial filings on file
Executive compensation
Top-officer pay not disclosed
Named leadership
Board and officer list not yet indexed
Programs & projects
No named programs listed by the charity
Direct contact
No email or phone published
Tax-deductibility status
Whether donations are tax-deductible has not been verified

Methodology

GiveRadar combines public registry filings, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and news archives into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Quick facts about Verein SAO

What is Verein SAO?
Verein SAO is a education nonprofit organization based in Zürich, Switzerland. SAO is committed to helping particularly vulnerable displaced women and mothers in Greece. In our Day Centres we offer them shelter space where they can find refuge, assistance and new perspectives. The work of our specialist staff focuses on trauma-oriented, psychosocial support. In cooperation with other humanitarian actors and partner organisations, SAO also provides women with access to medical and legal assistance. --- SAO Association is a tax-exempt Swiss relief organisation. SAO was founded in 2016 by Raquel Herzog who was very moved by the refugee crisis and therefore travelled to Lesvos in Autumn 2015 to volunteer actively on site. Through the intensive contact with four young Syrian women and their 92-year-old grandmother, Raquel became aware of the specific needs of displaced women. Since 2017 SAO has been focusing on the work with particularly vulnerable displaced women and has been operating two on trauma-oriented, psychosocial services specialised Day Centres on Lesvos and in Athens. In the spirit of sustainability, SAO also accompanies the clients with the "Back on Track" programme to promote individual skills useful for their professional or academic paths. Displaced women receive specific and individual access to information, assistance and consultation. The primary goal of SAO Association is to support the most vulnerable displaced women in strengthening their resilience, in breaking through isolation patterns, in developing coping mechanisms for their experiences, in building new social networks and in strengthening their self-determination and independence. SAO achieves those goals through a professional programme for trauma relief which is offered in a protected space where individuality is appreciated and religious, cultural and ethnical values are acknowledged and respected. In this way, SAO creates conditions to mitigate the effects of fleeing on body and soul, to point out individual possibilities and abilities to act as well as to promote
Where is Verein SAO located?
Headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland.
Is Verein SAO trustworthy?
Verein SAO has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 30 out of 100 (Limited data available). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is Verein SAO's website?
https://www.sao.ngo/
Are donations to Verein SAO tax-deductible?
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of Switzerland under local rules. US donors should check whether the charity has an equivalency-determination letter or a US-based fiscal sponsor before claiming a deduction.