MIVA Austria
Overview
Our mission is to support people in the poorest regions of the world with mobility. Mobility is multifaceted. It secures livelihoods, it makes education possible, it gives people hope, it helps overcome distances and saves lives in an emergency.
MIVA Austria is a relief organisation of the Catholic Church. MIVA stands for Missions-Verkehrs-Arbeitsgemeinschaft (Mission Transport Working Group) Its task is to provide means of transport for the development cooperation projects. Depending on the need, we finance cars or off-road vehicles, motorbikes, bicycles, tractors, boats, wheelchairs or pack animals. The focus is on means of transport for pastoral, social and medical missions.
MIVA receives well over one thousand applications per year. Through the support of our donors, between 300 and 400 projects can be supported annually in more than 60 countries of the world.
INSIGHTS
More about us
MIVA is based at ChristophorusHaus in Stadl-Paura, Upper Austria. ChristophorusHaus was built in 2003 as an innovative, climate-friendly building. It is a house that facilitates human interactions. It brings guests into conversation, is a place for dialogue and cooperation. The person is the centre of attention here. In addition to MIVA, it is also home to MIVA's procurement company, BBM for short. BBM is a non-profit service provider, procurement company and trading partner for engaged people in the poorest countries of the world. It supports relief organisations, religious orders and missionaries in development cooperation. Its focus is on procurement, logistics and the implementation of technical-ecological projects. If you would like to find out more about one of the areas mentioned, click on the logo linked to it:
1927 – MIVA founded by Fr Paul Schulte, OMI
The German priest, Father Otto Fuhrmann falls ill with a tropical fever in Namibia. The nearest hospital is a day's walk away. He dies. He could have been saved if there had been a means of transport. His friend Paul Schulte makes the decision to provide missionaries with vehicles and communication equipment to increase their chances of survival. The MIVA idea is born.
1950 – Revival of the old carol-singing custom
12 bicycles for the mission can be blessed at the foundation of MIVA. Donation turnover grows strongly right from the start. MIVA Director Karl Kumpfmüller encourages the Catholic Children's Movement to revive the old carol-singing custom. MIVA receives all the proceeds from the campaign in the first few years.
1960 – Start of MIVA Christophorus campaign
The Epiphany campaign becomes independent. MIVA needs its own campaign. During a transfer trip to Hamburg, Karl Kumpfmüller has a brilliant idea: If every motorist gave just one penny per accident-free kilometre, MIVA could do a lot of good. The Christophorus campaign, under the motto "For every accident-free kilometre, a penny for a mission car", was born.
1977 – Handover in the management
After almost 30 years, Karl Kumpfmüller hands over the management to his son Franz Xaver Kumpfmüller.
1989 – Foundation of BBM – MIVA procurement company
BBM is founded as a subsidiary of MIVA. The ultimate goal is to further professionalise the delivery of MIVA vehicles. BBM can also offer its know-how to other aid organisations so that, in addition to vehicles, a wide variety of relief supplies will soon be delivered to the areas of operation. With its expertise in logistics and exports, BBM actively helps to save costs and thus make the best possible use of the donations.
2003 – A new office building is built
The ChristophorusHaus is constructed as an innovative passive house. It facilitates the work of MIVA and BBM and provides space for international meetings. Moreover, the ecological and innovative building expresses: Not only we, but also future generations should benefit from our actions today.
2012 – Handover in the management
After 35 years, Franz Xaver Kumpfmüller hands over the management to his daughter Christine Parzer.
2015 – Implementation of first MIVA image campaign
MIVA is well established in Austria and is pleased to have many loyal donors. Nevertheless, we are also looking to the future. In order to inspire new target groups for the MIVA idea, a separate image campaign is being designed for the first time. In the course of this, MIVA will also become active on Facebook and thus strengthen its online presence.
2022 – Relaunch MIVA image campaign
In 2022, we decide to give the MIVA image campaign a new face. In addition to the posters, a new TV and radio spot is being created. Banners are created for a wide variety of websites. The online presence is also strengthened: a new website is created and MIVA expands its digitalisation to include Instagram.
Donating is a matter of trust
Transparency has the highest priority for us. What we promise we deliver: high efficiency and transparency, as well as low ancillary costs.
Idea & Concept
Mobility is shareable.
What does MIVA stand for?
MIVA is the abbreviation for a long word: Missions- Verkehrs- Arbeitsgemeinschaft (Mission Transport Working Group). MIVA Austria is a relief organisation of the Catholic Church in Austria. It is 100% funded by donations. Its mission is to finance all kinds of transport for use in mission and development aid.
The MIVA concept.
In Europe, we suffer from too much traffic. We often put up with long traffic jams to reach our destinations. Mobility is often lacking in the poorest regions of the world. For example, there are still areas of several thousand square kilometres without reliable means of transport. This is exactly where MIVA's focus lies.
The MIVA idea.
Our guiding principle is "Mobility is shareable" A piece of mobility should be shared with those who urgently need it. As a thank you for being on the road without accidents and as a sign of international solidarity. MIVA means of transport are not luxury goods. It is about providing essential care services and about living in dignity.
What makes MIVA unique?
MIVA is a relief organisation with a clear focus: Mobility for the poorest regions of the world. Not a single aid project can be realised without mobility. Thus, MIVA acts as the contact point for many relief organisations and religious congregations in Austria and around the world when mobility is required.
MIVA Austria
People in focus
MIVA projects seem very technical at first glance. But it is first and foremost about people – outstanding, wonderful people:
- People on the ground in the project countries who benefit from MIVA transport.
- People with whom we carry out the projects: our project partners and the staff in our partner organisations.
- People who make MIVA's work possible: our numerous donors
- People we work with every day: our colleagues in the MIVA team.
Appreciative cooperation is MIVA's top priority.
MIVA Austria
MIVA International
MIVA is an internationally active organisation. From Stadl-Paura, it is literally in contact with the whole world. But the MIVA idea itself is also international. MIVA organisations exist in many countries. The individual MIVAs are networked with each other, but work independently of each other. Time and again, projects are also jointly financed.
MIVA Switzerland (1932), MIVA Netherlands (1935), MIVA USA (1971), MIVA Great Britain (1974), MIVA South Korea (1981), MIVA Slovenia (1987), MIVA Slovakia (1998), MIVA Poland (2000), MIVA Australia (2002), MIVA Croatia (2012), MIVA Bosnia (2015).