Swisscross Foundation

What Swisscross Foundation does

Swisscross Foundation is a Swiss-registered humanitarian non-profit organization that provides reconstructive surgery and complex medical care to conflict-affected populations, primarily refugees and internally displaced people in Iraq, Afghanistan, and (via partnership) Lebanon. Founded in 2015 by war surgeon Dr. Enrique Steiger—who chairs the foundation—the organization operates through three delivery channels: a permanent Centre of Excellence for Complex Care (CECC) at Zheen International Hospital in Erbil, Iraq (launched September 2021 with UAE Aid funding), recurring humanitarian surgical missions in Afghanistan (since 2023, including a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory co-established with EurAsia Heart Foundation in Kabul), and the Global Medical Corps, a network of 40+ volunteer specialist surgeons and medical professionals mobilized per mission cycle. Supporting the clinical program are a multi-language Electronic Patient Triage Tool developed with non-profit Flatten, and the CREEW research fellowship co-run with the American University of Beirut Global Health Institute.

Name

Swisscross Foundation

Legal name

Swisscross Foundation

Website

https://swisscross.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Swisscross Foundation is a Swiss humanitarian non-profit providing reconstructive surgery and complex medical care to refugees and internally displaced populations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon, delivered through a permanent Erbil centre and volunteer-led surgical missions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Reconstructive Surgery Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAAAH

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Relief

Keywords

• Humanitarian reconstructive surgery
• Conflict medicine services
• Refugee healthcare programs
• Humanitarian surgical missions
• Nonprofit medical foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Zurich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Swisscross relies entirely on donations from individuals, organizations, and institutional funders to support its humanitarian reconstructive surgical missions. The organization offers specific donation tiers targeting different surgical interventions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Swisscross Foundation provides free humanitarian reconstructive surgery to refugees, internally displaced persons, and conflict-affected populations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It delivers care through short-term surgical missions and a permanent Centre of Excellence for Complex Care in Erbil, Iraq, drawing on a global network of volunteer surgeons (Global Medical Corps). Operations are funded by donations, with specific donation amounts tied to individual surgical procedures.

Product overview

Swisscross Foundation operates a unified humanitarian medical program focused on delivering reconstructive surgery to war-affected populations. The core offering is the Humanitarian Reconstructive Surgery Program, which is delivered through multiple delivery channels: the Centre of Excellence for Complex Care (CECC) in Erbil, Iraq serves as the permanent facility; humanitarian surgical missions extend coverage to Afghanistan; and the Global Medical Corps mobilizes volunteer specialists. Supporting infrastructure includes an Electronic Patient Triage Tool for patient referral management and a CREEW Fellowship program for research and training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Humanitarian Reconstructive Surgery Program Core service offering: free reconstructive surgery delivered to refugees, internally displaced persons, and conflict-affected populations in Iraq and Afghanistan, via short-term surgical missions and supported by partner hospitals.
• Centre of Excellence for Complex Care (Erbil, Iraq) Permanent in-country facility in Erbil, Iraq providing continuous complex reconstructive surgery and continuity of care to conflict victims — the foundation's flagship operational asset, distinguishing it from fly-in mission NGOs.
• Global Medical Corps Credentialed registry of qualified volunteer surgeons and medical professionals who deploy on Swisscross missions; enables access to senior specialist capacity without full-time payroll.
• CREEW Fellowship Fellowship program for surgeons from conflict zones, providing advanced training and mentorship through partnerships with the University of Zurich and other international teaching institutions.
• Electronic Patient Triage Tool Multi-language, scalable application developed by the foundation to screen and triage prospective surgical patients across language and geographic barriers, supporting patient intake for the surgical program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90%+ of patients are refugees or internally displaced populations who cannot afford treatment
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Barzani Charity FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2024Partnership to connect vulnerable populations in IDP and refugee camps to Swisscross Centre of Excellence in Complex Care in Erbil. Signed agreement in February 2024 to deliver complex surgical care.
• KRG Ministry of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment health ministry partnership to strengthen and build capacity in the health sector across the Kurdistan region through provision of orthopedic, plastics, maxillofacial and burn trauma surgery.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to bring surgical specialists to the Weapons Traumatology and Training Centre in Lebanon and facilitate care for weapon wounded in Iraq. Swisscross provided surgical expertise and advice on materials and methods for maxillofacial, plastic, and reconstructive surgery.
• Nadia's InitiativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad's charitable initiative to access victims of war, genocide, and gender violence in western Iraq to provide complex care.
• American University of Beirut - Global Health InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint program establishing Center for Research and Education in the Ecology of War (CREEW) fellowship that equips frontline health practitioners from conflict zones with research skills on health and war relationship.
• EurAsia Heart FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss-based NGO of European doctors and nurses working on cardiovascular diseases. Partnered with Swisscross to co-establish Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Institute of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Diseases in Kabul.
• Children's Hospital of Zurich (Kispi)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest pediatric and pediatric surgery center in Switzerland, one of the leading centers globally. Treats and cares for children and young people.
• Global Women LeadersmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity of women leveraging collective skills to improve wellbeing of people in neglected crises. Partnered with Swisscross to help access institutional philanthropic funding.
• SEED FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll-women led NGO working across refugee and displacement settings in the Kurdistan region. Partner in humanitarian missions.
• SWEDO (Swedish Development Aid Organization)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish development organization working with Swisscross and Barzani Charity Foundation in refugee camps including Domiz 1 Camp.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLetter of Intent signed to collaborate in care of injured patients in Iraq. Swisscross visited MSF health facility at Al Salaam Hospital in Mosul.
• Eurasia FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZurich-based foundation partnering with Swisscross to deliver complex cardiac care and co-establish Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory in Kabul, Afghanistan.
• Office of His Excellency Mulla Mustafa BarzanicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSigned February 2024 agreement to strengthen and build capacity in health sector across Kurdistan region through provision of complex surgical care.

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mercy Ships: Operates hospital ships providing free surgery (including reconstructive procedures) in low-resource settings with a volunteer-driven model; matches Swisscross on mission-driven surgical delivery and volunteer mobilization, though via a maritime platform.
• ReSurge International: Non-profit dedicated specifically to reconstructive plastic surgery in developing countries, training local surgeons and delivering care to underserved patients; overlaps directly with Swisscross's reconstructive surgery mission and capacity-building model.
• International Medical Corps: Global humanitarian organization providing healthcare, including surgical services, in conflict-affected regions including Iraq and Afghanistan; directly comparable in geography, patient population, and surgical mission model.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): Largest independent medical humanitarian organization delivering emergency and surgical care in conflict zones; Swisscross has an active Letter of Intent and joint work at MSF's Al Salaam Hospital in Mosul, directly overlapping in mission, geography, and patient population.
• Relief International: Humanitarian NGO operating health programs in fragile and conflict-affected states, including Iraq and Afghanistan; comparable target population and reliance on institutional donor funding for surgical and complex care delivery.
• Médecins du Monde: International humanitarian medical organization delivering surgical and emergency care in conflict-affected and low-resource settings; competes for the same donor pool and works with overlapping patient cohorts (refugees, IDPs, conflict wounded).
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): Operates the Weapons Traumatology and Training Centre in Lebanon and runs reconstructive surgery programs for war-wounded; Swisscross is an active partner supplying maxillofacial/plastic surgery expertise, making ICRC a direct operational peer in conflict surgical care.
• EMERGENCY NGO: Italian NGO that builds and runs hospitals in war and post-war zones, providing free reconstructive and trauma surgery to civilians — the closest analog to Swisscross's CECC model in terms of permanent surgical capacity for conflict-affected populations.

Emerging players

• Global Response Management: Conflict-medicine nonprofit deploying field medical teams to active war zones and providing training in trauma care; smaller and earlier-stage than Swisscross but operates in an overlapping space of frontline surgical and trauma response.

Broad incumbents

• Direct Relief: Large humanitarian medical aid organization supporting health systems in conflict-affected and disaster regions; broader portfolio (medical supply, health system strengthening) but competes for similar institutional donors and addresses related refugee/IDP populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SWISSCROSS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swisscross-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Swisscross Foundation