This year, the parcel packers of the humedica Christmas campaign "Gift with a Heart" are giving more than 97 thousand children a very special treat. In total, the aid organization distributed 97.403 parcels to needy children all over the world.
The majority of the packages were delivered with 85.571 packages packed again this year by people in Bavaria. The recipients are mainly needy children in Ukraine, Serbia, Moldova, Romania, Albania or Kosovo. Here, for example, the packages are distributed in orphanages or hospitals as well as kindergartens and schools to children who have to grow up under difficult conditions and are also supported by humedica or partners of the organization during the rest of the year.
Like this girl in Romania, 97 are happy this year.000 children worldwide about their very special "gift with a heart" at Christmas. Photo: Plantogether
"There are so many children in this world who have to live in miserable conditions. Being able to make them happy at Christmas is a great experience every year," says "Gift with Heart" campaign manager Roswitha Bahner-Gutsche. "Our heartfelt thanks go to the hard-working parcel packers, but also to the many volunteers, without whom this campaign would not be possible."
Especially the pick-up trips, the control of the parcels, but also many packing actions had to take place under special hygienic conditions again this year due to Corona. The distribution of parcels, which was delayed in part due to the Orthodox Christmas on 6. The countries that will be affected by the pandemic between January and next month face particular challenges.
In addition to the parcel packers and countless volunteers, the campaign is made possible above all thanks to the support of Sternstunden e.V. and the media partner Radio Bayern 2.
Just like here in Colombia, more than 11 people overseas are also delighted.000 children about the fact that someone is thinking of them at Christmas. Foro: Save a child
The campaign also brings joy to boys and girls outside Europe. In countries such as Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Colombia, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and Togo, partners of humedica are packing the packages directly on site. This not only maintains value creation in the respective country, it also saves transport costs.
This is made possible by donors from all over Germany, who have donated 20 euros per package to humedica. In the next few days, an additional 12,000 children will receive.000 parcels make children’s eyes light up.
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Relief organization humedica, Sternstunden e. V., and the radio program Bayern 2 help together
This year, the Bavarian aid organization humedica is once again bringing special joy to children in need through its major Christmas parcel drive "Gifts with Heart. The campaign is once again supported by "Sternstunden e.V", which covers the logistics costs for parcels distributed in Eastern Europe and Bavaria. As a media partner, the radio program Bayern 2 will again accompany "Gift with Heart" with appeals and reports on how the aid is organized and reaches the children.
If you don’t just want to give presents to your loved ones this Christmas, but would also like to bring Christmas joy to children in great need, then the "Gift with Heart" Christmas parcel drive is the right place to go. Since 2003, this campaign has been helping children from particularly needy families, mainly in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, thanks to the support of Sternstunden e.V. presents at Christmas. Last year, the campaign made more than 100 presents worldwide.000 children a very special Christmas joy. Without the tireless efforts of hundreds of helpers and volunteer Christmas parcel packers, these children would often not even have their own toothbrushes or warm hats.
The "Gifts with Heart" packed in Bavaria benefit children in need in Eastern Europe. Photo: Plantogether
Many people throughout Bavaria pack shoeboxes with beautiful and useful gifts for children, such as toys or exercise books, and bring them to one of the most recent over 1.500 collection points throughout Bavaria. You will play a key role in the realization of the campaign. Many other hard-working helpers then collect the parcels from the collection points and bring them to the humedica headquarters, where the parcels are checked and prepared for shipment.
The "Gifts with a Heart" are delivered by truck to six Eastern European destinations, such as Romania, Albania or Ukraine. There charitable institutions with which humedica also cooperates during the year distribute them to needy children.
But "Gift with Heart" is not just limited to Europe. Packages are also given away to children in need overseas. To avoid high transport costs in countries such as Ethiopia, Brazil, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Haiti or Zimbabwe, the parcels are packed according to local needs.
Children overseas are also happy about "gifts with heart" – like here in Indonesia
humedica asks for a donation of 20 euros per parcel so that this special help can be implemented. The sum represents the equivalent of a Christmas parcel. The staff teams of humedica subsidiary organizations, friendly institutions and many volunteers accompany the implementation in the above-mentioned countries.
From now on it is possible to register from all over Bavaria as a collection point and pack Christmas parcels.
Our help is only possible thanks to your support
Please remain part of this important help and support us with a valuable donation.
Observations from the parcel distributions
The car bumps the last few meters over the brittle asphalt. Arrival in a Roma neighborhood in Serbia. Children run fast to the wagon, some run, others are hesitant. Like a boy hiding behind his father and peering curiously through his legs. Packages are loaded from the trunk: A girl receives one with a purple lid on which is written in ballpoint pen: "For you – From Sophie". The package is decorated and wrapped in reindeer gift paper.
This is the lovingly packed package from Sophie. Whom it will probably please? Photo: humedica
When the volunteers from humedica which has over 102.000 packages from the "Gift with a Heart" campaign send to 17 countries worldwide, no one in Kaufbeuren knows yet which hands will receive the colorful packages. Over 5000 were transported in a truck to Serbia – 1600 to Romania. There, the project partner "Plantogether Visiting a Sinti and Roma camp a few meters outside a village.
Johannes Klein was on site for humedica and describes his impressions from Romania:
The "Gifts with Heart" are distributed in a Sinti and Roma village in Romania. Photo: Plantogether
The joy about the "gift with heart is great for this boy in Romania. Photo: Plantogether
Decaying houses, tents used as sleeping quarters, children running around barefoot and in filthy clothes in winter – you would certainly not expect such conditions in Europe. They live cut off from electricity, water, gas – and from the outside world.
Hygiene also suffers. This ensures that people are socially discriminated against, isolated and not integrated. The hopelessness makes many sink into drug and alcohol abuse. Poverty ensures that children repeatedly go begging in the city, which prevents them from going to school.
Creating opportunities for the younger generation to break out of these conditions is a major challenge. Our project partner "Plantogether" wants to work on the improvement of hygienic conditions work in the future. Projects on personal and clothing hygiene are intended to improve social acceptance of this marginalized group: workshops are planned to establish regular showering and laundry washing. This can then make it easier for children to access the public education system and reduce discrimination.
This family was able to realize their dream of owning a house outside the city. There they generate electricity, pump water, farm and keep a few animals. Photo: Plantogether
Bianca is five years old and goes to school. Her wish for Christmas and the New Year is that classes will start again. Because it is very important to her that she can meet her friends there again. The pandemic has also hit schools in Romania hard in recent months. Since March, school has been mostly cancelled, only from September to November there was normal operation.
The principal of a local school estimates that 80% of the learning material could not be taught. Home schooling doesn’t work so well here, she says. There would be a lack of teaching materials, but also of digital devices for the students. Children who are educationally deprived or poor are particularly disadvantaged: Previously, some students did not have a tablet, laptop or Internet connection at home.
Last week, the tablets long promised by the state arrived. The handling of the new equipment has to be practiced laboriously by the teachers in individual meetings. Some of the parents are illiterate, so just sharing information is a big challenge. Especially the parents of schoolchildren from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds can hardly compensate for the missed school: Some work a lot and have no time for it, then often the grandparents take over the care. Others are unemployed and do not have sufficient schooling themselves.
Until now, children with learning difficulties were often taken care of in the afternoon care, where it was ensured that everyone remained on the same learning level. This has been eliminated without replacement since spring. The director faces a lot of challenges and continues to look for solutions. Because at all costs, it is important to prevent students from having to drop out of school due to CoVid-19.
Next stop: Niš. The van with Sophie’s purple package stops in the third largest city in Serbia, which is surrounded by mountains in the south of the country. The distribution of the packages on site has humedicas Partner organization "Love Your Neighbor (LYN) organized. Christmas is celebrated there by Orthodox Christians, a majority of Serbs, on 6. January and 7. January. Carolin was there for humedica on the spot – and accompanied Sophie’s package.
To comply with the Corona protection measures, not all children are allowed to come to a distribution at the same time, they have to keep their distance and wear masks. Serbia has also been hit hard by the Corona crisis. More than 3700 people have died from the virus so far (as of 19 September).1.2021). Some distributions take three times as long as in previous years due to the measures taken, LYN employees say.
The girl with the torn jeans who received Sophie’s purple parcel is called Miona and is ten years old. The road to her home leads down a slope into a narrow alley, with occasional cracks or stumbling blocks in the street. The "house is a room about 20 square meters in size. Except for a brightly flashing string of lights on a plastic tree on a shelf, there is hardly anything to remind us of Christmas. The new Corona virus would probably have an easy time here: Miona lives in the room with her parents and eight siblings. Originally there were nine, but the eldest sister died shortly before she turned 19. Birthday from a brain tumor.
Miona and her brother in front of the house. Her sister’s obituary hangs next to the door. Photo: Carolin Gissibl
"I am sure she is in a better place now", says her uncle Dragan, who organized the distribution together with LYN. He has lived for twenty years in the Roma quarter, where houses nestle close to each other. Its entrance is about three meters away from Miona’s family. The 10-year-old sits on his couch and opens Sophie’s package: brush, toiletries, puzzle, coloring book, pen, hat, stuffed animal. Miona proudly holds up a package of so-called "Schleckmuscheln," plastic shells shaped like seashells and filled with candy. "It’s probably the only candy she’ll eat at Christmas.", says her uncle.
Miona unwrapping the parcel. Photo: Carolin Gissibl
Dragan suffers from muscular dystrophy, a hereditary disease that leads to muscle weakness and atrophy. Only when walking does the 50-year-old notice his illness, the typical wobbly gait. Dragan has no wishes. "I know that there are people who are worse off."
Dragan in front of his door. Miona lives with her family in the house across the street. Photo: Carolin Gissibl
Despite his walking disability, Dragan often accompanies the children to school, friends tell us. He wants to make sure that they attend the lessons. His nieces and nephews should have it better. So Dragan hopes that through education they will eventually make their way out of poverty on their own.
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Please remain part of this important help and support us with a valuable donation.
About 102.000 times Christmas joy for children in need
The parcel packers of the humedica-Christmas campaign "Gift with Heart" have exceeded last year’s number of packages again. With more than 102.000 packages they make this year well 1.300 more children a Christmas joy than last year.
The recipients of the parcels live in poverty. Often they belong to a minority, as here in Romania. Photo: humedica
The majority of the packages were delivered with 87.356 parcels packed again this year by people in Bavaria. Recipients are mainly needy children in Ukraine, Serbia, Moldova, Romania, Albania or Kosovo. Here, the packages are distributed, for example, in orphanages or hospitals as well as kindergartens and schools to children who have to grow up under difficult conditions and also in the further course of the year from humedica or partners of the organization.
Outside Europe, too, the campaign makes boys and girls happy. In countries such as Ethiopia, Brazil, Niger, Pakistan, the Philippines, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka or Indonesia, partners pack from humedica the parcels directly at the location. This not only maintains the added value in the respective country, it also saves transport costs. This is made possible by donors from all over Germany, who have sent humedica 20 euros per package given away have provided. In the next few days, an additional nearly 15 should be sent in this way.000 packages to make children’s eyes light up.
Like here in Kosovo "gifts with heart" are distributed at school, among other places. Photo: humedica
"There are so many children in this world who have to live in miserable conditions. Being able to make them happy at Christmas is a great experience every year," says "Gift with Heart" campaign manager Roswitha Bahner-Gutsche. "I am particularly pleased that this year, despite the special challenges posed by Corona, we were able to top last year’s figures. Our heartfelt thanks go to the hard-working parcel packers, but also to the many volunteers, without whom this campaign would not be possible."
Especially the pick-up trips, the control of the parcels, but also many packing actions had to take place this year under special hygiene conditions due to Corona. The distribution of the parcels, which is partly due to the Orthodox Christmas on 6. January into next month are facing very special challenges due to the pandemic.
"Gift with Heart" is only possible thanks to the commitment of countless volunteers. In total, the drivers drove more than 74.000 km to deliver the parcels at around 1.500 collection points throughout Bavaria to pick up. Photo: humedica
Last year, "Gift with Heart" had over 100.000 times Christmas joy can give away. The best parcel result was in 2014, when more than 110 parcels were collected worldwide.000 children received a very special gift. In addition to the parcel packers and countless volunteers, the campaign is made possible primarily thanks to the support provided by Sternstunden e.V., which this year once again is significantly covering the logistics costs for the parcels distributed in Bavaria and Eastern Europe, as well as the media partner, the radio station Bavaria 2.
Our help is only possible thanks to your support
Please stay part of this important help and support us with a valuable donation.