The shoe box centre
Martin Evans, from BBC Radio Gloucester, recently embarked on his first ever distribution trip to Romania. Whilst he was there he recorded his experiences in a diary, and here is snippet of his journey …
On arrival in Fanate, the children were waiting for us and delighted to receive the gifts which, for most of them, will be the only sign of Christmas they have ever seen. We were invited into their homes, and I went to see Ion and his son David, who lived in one room with no electricity, with only a wood burning stove to keep them warm.
Ion told me that his wife and their other child were both in hospital and he has not worked since the local farm closed down many years ago. David couldn't stop playing with the toys and sweets in his box.
Just before we left to go to a children's hospital, Ion was decorating over the bricks on his wall with the Christmas paper from the shoe box and he thanked us for making this the best day ever for his son.
The Childrens Hospital
I first spoke with Lou. His mum was very upset because he has already been treated for cancer four times and she had just been told that it had returned in his spine. The outlook for Lou was not bright, but she was determined to make this a special Christmas for them together, and his shoe box had got that off to a great start.
In Lou's box, between the sweets and coloured pencils, were a toy fire engine and a bright blue car. His mum told us that this was his first ever toy car and he could not stop playing with it, and took great delight in showing it off around the ward.
To read Martin's complete diary account in Romania click here.
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