Did you know that popular radio deejays Domien Verschuuren, Angelique Houtveen and Sander Hoogendoorn are being locked up in a glass house studio in Apeldoorn in the week before Christmas to collect money for charity?
Red Cross initiative
From 18 to 24 December the 3FM deejays will play requests for donations for the Red Cross to reunite parents with their children in conflict zones and after natural disasters. In conflict zones such as Nigeria and the Congo but also after natural disasters like in Nepal, millions of children are forced to live separately from their parents and siblings.
There are more than 1 million missing persons registered with the Red Cross. Most people are searched by more than three family members. This means that around 4 million parents and children worldwide have lost each other. Red Cross aid workers trace missing children, restore contact with their families and bring them back home.
No food, just music
The deejays will not eat anything for six days and make non-stop live radio from the Glass House. They can be followed on the radio, on tv and online. During these six days they will receive many famous guests like artists, politicians and other celebrities.
Professional nutritionists will provide the three deejays with wholesome fruit and vegetable juices. These deejays work incredibly hard, making a least eight hours of radio a day and have little sleep (which they also do in the Glass House).
Previous editions of 3FM Serious Request
Previous editions of this annual charity event have raised millions of euros for Red Cross initiatives.
| City | Location | Red Cross initiative | Donations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Utrecht | Neude | Darfur, Sudan | € 915,955 |
| 2005 | Utrecht | Neude | Children in the Congo | € 2,203,549 |
| 2006 | Utrecht | Neude | Land mines | € 2,648,495 |
| 2007 | The Hague | Plein | Drinking water | € 5,249,466 |
| 2008 | Breda | Grote Markt | Refugees | € 5,637,937 |
| 2009 | Groningen | Grote Markt | Malaria | € 7,113,447 |
| 2010 | Eindhoven | Markt | HIV/AIDS and children | € 7,471,000 |
| 2011 | Leiden | Beestenmarkt | Mothers in war zones | € 8,621,004 |
| 2012 | Enschede | Oude Markt | Infant mortality | € 13,839,731 |
| 2013 | Leeuwarden | Wilhelminaplein | Child death from diarrhea | € 12,302,747 |
| 2014 | Haarlem | Houtplein | Victims of sexual violence in wars and conflict areas | € 12,000,438 |
| 2015 | Heerlen | Pancratiusplein | Children and young adults in war zones | € 8,671,288 |
| 2016 | Breda | Grote Markt | Pneumonia | € 8,744,131 |
| 2017 | Apeldoorn | Marktplein | Reunite families | € 5,026,144 |
Update 24 December 2017: This year’s edition of 3FM Serious Request raised an amount of € 5,026,144 for the Red Cross.
Glass Houses in other countries
Serious Request is an initiative of the Dutch radio station NPO 3FM, but several countries have taken over the concept. In 2016 there were Glass Houses in Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, Sweden and Latvia.
