European Solidarity Challenge

After two editions of the European Solidarity Challenge, the campaign continued in 2022 as “Songs of Solidarity” — once again for people who depend on support.

For the second time, the youth campaign “Wir gegen Rassismus” in the Diocese of Trier staged a musical event together with Caritas international, the relief agency of the German Caritas Association: the European Solidarity Challenge. Through performances by international artists we wanted to support the people who urgently depend on help in the refugee camps on the Greek island of Lesbos, in the Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh and in South Sudan.

From our screens we travelled by video stream into the living rooms and studios of musicians across Germany and Europe. During the benefit concert, viewers could donate to the refugee relief work of Caritas international and watch the donation barometer — and the aid it made possible — climb live.

The coronavirus was holding the whole world in suspense. While we in Germany could largely rely on our health system and on state support, hundreds of thousands of people in refugee camps did not even know how to wash their hands without clean water and soap. One thing was clear: quarantine in such cramped conditions is impossible. People in the world’s poorest countries in particular were left defenceless against the pandemic — unless we supported them.

On 15 May 2020, “Wir gegen Rassismus — youth campaign in the Diocese of Trier” staged a musical event together with Caritas international: the first European Solidarity Challenge. Through performances by international artists we collected donations for the people worst affected by the coronavirus crisis worldwide — for example, refugees in the camps on the Greek island of Lesbos and in the Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh.

From our screens we travelled by video stream into the living rooms of musicians across Germany and Europe. During the benefit concert, viewers could donate to the coronavirus relief fund of Caritas international and watch the donation barometer — and the aid it made possible — climb live.