De Warmste Week, the annual solidarity action of VRT, raised 5,081,675 million euros. He announced it during the closing show on One and on radio stations MNM and Studio Brussels. The takings of the De Warmste week, which this year focuses on deprivation, are therefore considerably higher than last year’s 3.2 million euros.
Hundreds of pots were claimed over six days, sports fans went wild at the Warmathons and Niels De Stadsbader, Oscar and the Wolf and Pommelien, among others, used their votes to fuel the prize pool. And it has paid off: all these efforts have yielded no less than 5,081,675 euros for the DWW fund, which this year supports 270 projects related to hardship.
The closing show kicked off at 5pm with Siska Schoeters and Berre’s ‘Say my name’, alongside Kate Adjai (23). She ended up in poverty at the age of seventeen when she was completely alone. Meanwhile, presenters Fien Germijns, Eva De Roo and Sander Gillis looked back on last week, just like Kawtar Ehlalouch. She left Warmest House earlier following the death of a family member. But on the last day of the action she returned anyway. “I’m happy to be back for the final day,” Kawtar said earlier in the morning. “And I think I slept a little longer than my colleagues here in Hasselt.”
In the end it was Kate Adjai who was able to announce the amount. Of these, 314,698 euros come from the Warmathons which took place in Bruges, Sint-Niklaas, Brussels, Mechelen and Leuven. In addition to ambassadors Stephanie Planckaert, Dieter Coppens and actor Mathias Vergels, Crown Princess Elisabeth and Prince Emmanuel also made some rounds.
Just like last year, it was decided to focus on a topical issue. The King Baudouin Foundation, permanent partner of De Warmste Week, has assembled an independent jury which has selected 270 projects, each of which will now receive a part of the money raised.
Live for Life, the francophone public broadcaster RTBF’s solidarity action against child poverty, raised half a million more this year than last year. At the end of Friday evening’s live broadcast, there were exactly 8,034,120 euros on the counter.
