EUROPE/GERMANY - In 52nd Funding Campaign, German HCA members raise second highest sum in history

Aachen (Agenzia Fides) – The children of the Holy Childhood Association in Germany can boast of an excellent result in their fundraising event: this year they raised the second highest sum in their history: 40.6 million euros. For 52 years now, in the days leading up to and shortly after Epiphany, the "Star Singers" (Sternsinger) of Holy Childhood Association of Germany have been present on the streets of Germany. The motto of this year's campaign was "Children Find New Paths." About half a million German girls and boys in all German dioceses went door to door wearing the clothes of the Magi, bringing the comet with them.
"It is amazing to see what children are capable of. The Star Singers – especially in this year's extremely cold winter - have shown how unity strengthens," said Monsignor Klaus Krämer, the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies for Germany, who this year is also head of the Holy Childhood Association. Msgr. Kramer also highlighted the generosity of donors, despite the economic crisis.
The 40.6 million euros raised by the German children will be used to support almost 2,400 projects for children in Africa, Latin America, Asia, Oceania, and Eastern Europe. In 2009, 2,383 projects were initiated in 110 different countries. Since its establishment in 1959, the collection taken up by the German "Star Singers" has become the largest initiative of solidarity throughout the world, which features children who work to help their peers in need. (MS) (Agenzia Fides 06/08/2010)