There is already great anticipation among fans: on Thursday, 5 December, Carmen Nebel will once again be hosting the fundraising gala "Die schönsten Weihnachts-Hits". Viewers can look forward to an atmospheric Advent evening with many stars on ZDF from 8.15 pm. The presenter will be asking for donations for Bread for the World and Misereor. Together with their local partner organisations, the two aid organisations for development cooperation stand by the side of disadvantaged people in poorer regions of the world and are committed to a dignified life for all.
Andrea Berg, Albert Hammond, ice queen Ann Sophie, the band Boss Hoss, Wincent Weiss and Matze Knop, among others, will be performing in the live programme.
Four short clips in the programme show the projects for which viewers' donations are urgently needed.
A look at four regions of Africa
One of the films highlights the situation in Uganda. Seven million people in this East African country suffer from a lack of water. Particularly in the mountainous central region, those affected often have to walk for hours to the nearest water point. The organisation ACORD (Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development), a partner of Bread for the World, is building cisterns for rainwater right next to people's homes. This means they have clean drinking water even in the dry season and can farm much better.
The focus then shifts to Togo, where the consequences of climate change are particularly dramatic. Destructive extreme weather is increasing, drought is causing wells to dry up, pastures and farmland are withering and small farmers are losing their livelihoods. Supported by Misereor's partner organisation INADES, the population is nevertheless finding hope: with the particularly resilient millet species fonio, people can feed themselves better and also improve their income.
Another film takes a look at West Africa. Sierra Leone is one of the countries with the highest infant mortality rate in the world. One in four people there is undernourished. Bread for the World's partner organisation FIOH SL (Future in our Hands Sierra Leone) wants to change this - through training in healthy nutrition, hygiene and agriculture. Pregnant women and nursing mothers are particularly at the centre of the aid. They learn how to increase the yield of their fields and feed their children a balanced diet.
Finally, viewers learn about the reality of life for children in Walmer Township, a disadvantaged area in the centre of the coastal town of Gqeberha in South Africa. High unemployment, neglect, crime and illiteracy characterise everyday life here. There are too few schools, which are also understaffed and inadequately equipped. This is where the Misereor partner organisation "Masifunde" comes in. It has set up a holistic youth development programme and established a modern Montessori pre-school.
Celebrities on the donation line
During the programme, celebrities such as Paul Breitner, Maria Höfl-Riesch, Christine Neubauer, Ingolf Lück, Katrin Müller-Hohenstein and Johann Lafer will be accepting donations over the phone. The donation hotline 0180 2 20 20 (6 cents/call from all German telephone networks) will be manned from 8.15 p.m. to midnight on 5 December and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on 6 December.
You can also donate online at www.gala-spende.de to make a donation.
Last year, almost two million euros were raised for the work of Bread for the World and Misereor. It is a very special programme for presenter Carmen Nebel: she is hosting the ZDF fundraising gala for the last time. Nebel appeals to the television audience to generously support people in countries with a high poverty rate: "They need a hand that grasps with them, a voice that rises with them, a smile that gives compassion and shows: You are not alone."
Misereor and Bread for the World have set up a joint account for donations to the gala:
Keyword: Christmas Hits 2024 // G05001
IBAN: DE80 3702 0500 0008 0880 07
Bank: Misereor / Bread for the World Sozial Bank AG, Cologne
