The actress and host has been a part of the campaign for 15 years.
By Lutz Deckwerth
Who doesn‘t know them – the red „A Heart for Children“ stickers. The red heart stands for kindness to children. In 1978, as the story goes, publisher Axel Springer heard on the radio that almost 1500 children die in road accidents in Germany every year. Axel Springer, himself a father of four children, immediately had a plan: he wanted to call on people to show more consideration for children when driving. To do this, the publisher used the BILD, Germany´s largest daily newspaper, and the red „A Heart for Children“ stickers were created. It was the beginning of a large BILD charity. Millions of car drivers stuck the stickers on their cars or rear windows, demonstrating their concern for children in road traffic.
In the beginning, „A Heart for Children“ fought for more zebra crossings, traffic-calming zones and protected play streets. Success was not long in coming. The number of children killed in road traffic was actually reduced.
„A Heart for Children“ – an internationally active aid organisation.
Over the past few decades, the campaign for more road safety has developed into an internationally active aid organisation. Collected donations flow into children‘s aid projects in Germany, but also abroad, where children become victims of wars or natural disasters destroy their homes. One of the active supporters of „A Heart for Children“ (EHfK) is actress and presenter Sophia Thomalla. She gives On Location a good reason for her commitment: „Apart from some other advantages, is the fact that EHfK is the only organisation that covers all costs completely through their donors. This ensures that every € goes in full to the cause being donated to – without any deductions.“ The annual report 2021 shows: „A Heart for Children“ supported 59 schools in Germany and abroad, 749,392 children in disaster areas received help, 610 children received vouchers for new clothes and 6351 children‘s lives could be saved with thanks to operation.
Since 2020, „A Heart for Children“ also provides Corona aid.
The year 2020 presented the aid organisation „A Heart for Children“ with a very special task. The Corona pandemic hit the whole world, but it especially affected the poor and children. An estimated 33 million children worldwide dropped out of school. Even in Germany, Corona has affected children‘s lives. School closures, home-schooling and the elimination of childcare services caused hardship for parents and children alike. The number of children living in poverty increased drastically and is now estimated at 2.8 million. The charity provided Corona aid to 1.24 million children worldwide for the first time in 2020.
Africa: A school bus brings education to many children
Zambia, located in southern Africa, is known for its diverse wildlife. In the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage, 130 chimpanzees are guarded and protected in outdoor enclosures. 70 staff members and their families with a total of 160 children live in five villages in the sanctuary. As there is no local transport system, the children need a school bus to reach the school, which is in some cases more than ten kilometres away. „A Heart for Children“ has provided a new school bus with 28 seats. The vehicle collects the children at four pick-up points and in this way ensures the children‘s education.
The German TV channel ZDF to broadcast the fundraising gala again in 2022
When Germany‘s biggest daily newspaper, the BILD, holds the big fundraising gala for „Ein Herz für Kinder“ (A Heart for Children) every December, the Who‘s Who of German celebrities walk down the red carpet past the spotlights and cameras of ZDF. In 2021, a record donation sum of 27,618,170 million euros flashed on the red heart at the end of the gala. In the run-up to Christmas, it is an evening full of emotion, compassion and spectacular donations amounting to several tens of millions of euros. Will Sophia Thomalla be there in 2022? „Most likely yes. As she has been every year for the past 15 years. “It‘s a ‚must‘ for me, if I‘m not prevented by illness or some other circumstance that can‘t be postponed.“
The organisers of the fundraising gala have confirmed that this year the television broadcast will take place on 17 December at 8.15 pm on ZDF. Which celebrities will be manning the phones to receive the numerous donations is still a secret. However, actress and presenter Sophia Thomalla will almost certainly be manning one of the donation phones again.
