Licht ins Dunkel
Light in the darkness is the largest humanitarian campaign in Austria, as well as an association with headquarters in Vienna.
Organization and History
The action of light in the darkness by the then ORF regional director of Lower Austria, Kurt Bergmann, initiated in 1973. A visit to the Disabled village Sollenau had inspired him. The first show was broadcast on the radio; the result of the fundraising campaign were (converted ) 2,500 Euro. Since 2009, the charity action forwards the former business manager of the ORF Sissy Mayerhoffer.
Since 1978, light takes place in the dark on television. Every year on Christmas Eve presents the ORF a 14- hour television broadcast in which to raise funds for social assistance and disability projects in Austria would be appreciated.
The 2.2 million viewers give this evening about 5.7 million euros (2010, 2009: € 5.5 million, 2013: EUR 5.5 million ); Charity projects throughout the year provide further 6.5 million euros.
Since 1989, the association is composed of light into the darkness, the
- The life coaching Austria
- Save the Child
- The Society of Austrian Children's Villages, GÖK
- Kinderfreunde Austria
- UNICEF
And since 2001 also
- Caritas Austria and
- Diakonia Austria
Belong.
Since 1986, the Peace Light is a fixed part of the action.
In 1993, the idea was taken up by the Bavarian television and realized as moments.
In 2003, a commemorative stamp of the Austrian postal service was launched on the occasion of the 30 years' existence of the action.
Criticism
The fundraising campaign is criticized among others by people with disabilities. It drives like many other events of its kind on the sorry track, and persons with disabilities are not shown as full members of our society, but as people who need our compassion. It is also criticized the fact that the company would buy out by donations from its responsibility. In November 2007, the People's Party parliamentarian Franz -Joseph Huainigg launched a campaign that he not called into the darkness.