A few years ago, three Dutch public radio DJs spent the week before Christmas locked up in a glass house on a public square without food. For the entire six days, the DJs made uninterrupted live radio and television, playing requests in return for donations.

That experiment - called "Serious Request" but also known as "Glass House" - has become a Christmas tradition in the Netherlands and the idea has spread as far as Africa, with a Glass House in Nairobi supported by Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

After last year's Serious Request fast in Groningen, Glass House veteran DJ Giel Beelen said, “It's not something you get used to. And that edition was bizarre with the freezing cold.” But Mr Beelen is quite happy to take part again this year: anything for charity. This year, the DJ's are hoping to collect as much money as possible for AIDS orphans in Africa.

Princess participation
Serious Request is hot: Dutch cities fight for the honour of hosting the glass studio on one of their squares and the event attracts a lot of people, not least because of the large number of VIPs who drop in.

Last year, Princess Máxima locked the DJs in the house, the starting signal for the event. This year, the queen’s sister Princess Margriet will turn the key. Many famous popstars will visit the house or stay for a night.

Kenyan cooperation
And now the event has gone global. In 2006, Studio Brussels joined in, followed by radio stations in Sweden and Switzerland. Since 2008, there has even been a Glass House as far away as the Kenyan capital Nairobi, thanks to Ghetto Radio. The local FM radio station was set up in 2007 with the help of Dutch funding.

The Glass House in Nairobi is situated in the centre of the city, close to the Hilton hotel. The event can be followed live on the website thisisafrica.me and has the same theme this year as the Dutch version: AIDS orphans in Africa.

In Nairobi, the event is more about raising awareness than funds. Kenya has 1.5 million HIV sufferers and 1.2 million orphans as the result of AIDS. “Breaking social taboos about AIDS in Kenya could play an important role in ending the pandemic,” says the organisation of 3FM Serious Request. The three participating African DJs want to persuade Kenyans to get tested for HIV. They hope 1000 people will take the test.

Highest bidder wins
Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) supports the Nairobi Glass House initiative. Stories about children and AIDS will be published on a special Radio Netherlands blog called 'Icare' where people are being asked to send in their own stories; the best contribution will receive a prize.

RNW is also helping to support the Dutch version of Serious Request. People can bid for a placement at any of RNW’s 3300 media partners. The highest bidder will even be allowed to choose which country he or she wants to do the placement. See the auction page on eBay; bids can be entered up until Tuesday 21 December.

Making money
Meanwhile, in Eindhoven, Serious Request hopes to raise as much money as possible. Last year, the event raised over seven million euros, a record amount. This sum included three million euros from the government.

This year however, cuts mean there will be no government contribution, which is a disappointment for the fasting DJs. But they're still hoping - after all, what would Christmas be without a miracle?