MIVA AUSTRIA
MIVA Austria is a relief organisation of the Catholic Church. The name arises from “Missionary Vehicle Association”. This long term is no longer used nowadays. Since its foundation MIVA has served the Catholic mission and supports the fight against poverty and underdevelopment. Mission means: work for the gospel – the bright message, which means the whole human being. In Europe it is impossible to imagine a priest or a doctor without a vehicle – all the more so in sparsely populated areas in Africa or Latin America in which parishes are often as large as Austrian provinces. In these areas it has to be the right vehicles – marsh in rainy season, dust in the dry season, deep pot holes, fords through the river, high grass in the savannah or low hanging branches on the jungle paths all create a big challenge. For every project MIVA selects the most suitable vehicle. It can also be a bicycle or a motorbike, a boat, a tractor, a lorry or also a small aeroplane. Even mules, oxen and elephants are financed by MIVA. MIVA does not restrict its aid to one region on Earth. Latin America, Africa, Asia, Oceania, South and South East Europe: wherever project partners make a request for a means of transportation which is under the responsibility of MIVA – the request is checked and assisted if the financial resources of MIVA allow it. As a result there is a big network of solidarity and in many cases also friendship from Stadl-Paura to partners in the whole world.