THE IDEA “Chistmas in the Box” – SRI LANKA starting the Christmas box project

Dear Engelbert
I am pleased to inform you that your idea of starting the Christmas box project in Sri Lanka has finally taken off.
For the 1st time we managed to do 325 boxes as a joint project between 41ers and the Tangents.  Table 3 also supported us by giving 50 boxes.  Enclosed are some photos for your reference.
We hope to distribute the boxes next week.  Will keep you posted.

Once again,  THANK YOU for giving the IDEA and supporting us.
Sivamohan
Club 41 Sri Lanka

THE IDEA “Christmas in the box”

On the recent Brazil visit Sivamohan and his wife from Sri Lanka were part of the visiting Group of members of the Round Table Family. In one of the conversations related to Round Table Service Projects I mentioned the German RT/OT/ LC/Tangent  “Christmas in the box” Project story that is now running for about 15 years with amazing success. The numbers of the presents have been growing year on year from about 600 boxes (shoebox size is the target size) to 132000 boxes in 2017, which were transported / delivered beginning of December to Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Moldavia  by about 30 trucks. The convoy has been accompanied by about 250 persons this year, mainly from all parts of the German RT-Family to personally handing over the presents at orphan homes, kindergardens, primary schools, … and make 132000 kids in 38299138294_581d58de33_keastern Europe smile and happy before Christmas. The project idea is driven by bringing a smile to every child by handing over a present. Everybody joining the convoy have been participating before and are keen to repeat again. Every participant has been again overwhelmed by this emotional experience with the children in need.

 

Where do all the filled boxes come from? Very simple. Tablers introduce this project at local schools or kindergardens in their local areas and motivate the teachers and children with their parents to do this activity with the children in the classes to pack a box / boxes as a gift to a unknown child in eastern Europe and with that make the world a little better.  The spirit is: “Children help children in need”.  When they participate once, they want to continue doing this. So in the next years it is more easy as the children know what needs to be done, so not much additional effort from Table needed anymore to get the boxes done. Of course the collection of the gift boxes is still to be organized by Tablers. For more details and direct contacts please visit the website stated below.       

The guidelines for the content of a box is as follows:

Basically everything that fits into a shoe box is suitable for a parcel (sweets like chocolate), small toys, clothes, in our case scarfs, gloves and everything warm, also articles for personal hygiene like tooth brushes / paste, shower gel, etc. and also articles for school like pens, pads of paper and so on.

What we do not recommend due to customs issues is everything containing nuts. Also heavily used things should not be put into the box. The individual box needs information for example on age range, sex, … 

Sivamohan took the idea with him to Sri Lanka and introduced the project to the Sri Lanka Table community he managed to fill about 325 boxes as presents to the selected children, as stated below. Just ask him about his experience to activate the RT / 41ers with the partners to carry out this activity and the feedback they have got when they distributed the boxes as Christmas presents…

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Of course the convoy responsible persons are very happy to give you more info. Also please look at the website www.weihnachtspaeckchenkonvoi.de of this project for more info and pictures and videos unfortunately most is in German….)

Hope this helps for  a start…

Yicf

Engelbert

 

more Information:

Interview: Barry Durman on the “Christmas Parcel Convoy” Moldovan Tour