Volunteers from World Vision Romania bring joy and gifts to the children
Every year on the winter holidays, children from many Christian cultures are taught that on December the fifth they have to clean their boots and to expect to receive gifts from Saint Nicholas the next morning. This year, for the children from Scundu community, Saint Nicholas was represented by the volunteers of World Vision Romania’s Zonal Office Valcea.
Coming from different environments and of various ages, the volunteers joined forces with one mission - to bring to the children from Scundu Community the joy of winter holidays and let them know that Saint Nicholas did not forget them.
Every year on the winter holidays, children from many Christian cultures are taught that on December the fifth they have to clean their boots and to expect to receive gifts from Saint Nicholas the next morning. This year, for the children from Scundu community, Saint Nicholas was represented by the volunteers of World Vision Romania’s Zonal Office Valcea.
Scundu community is a forgotten place, being one of the poorest communities in Valcea County. To bring joy to the children from Scundu, volunteers from Zonal Office Valcea started a campaign called "Join Saint Nicholas"- a fundraising campaign for the children from Kindergarten Crangu, in Scundu, Valcea County. For two weeks, volunteers raised money from their colleagues and from their teachers and their friends.
On Saint Nicholas’ day they came loaded with toys, candies, gloves, hats, scarves and plates of cookies, all received from businesses in town. The little ones’ joy was huge; they rewarded the volunteers with carolls and theatre plays.
"We also joined Saint Nicholas and we proposed that this activity will bring joy and warmth in the hearts of 16 children from kindergarten Crangu. Volunteers offered, along with sweets and gifts, whatever the children needed to hold against cold weather, more energy, smiles, unforgettable moments spent in the company of the little ones. I am proud that these young people with generous souls are our volunteers, volunteers of World Vision,” said Cristina Samson, volunteer coordinator of Zonal Office Valcea.
“When you say kindergarten you think of children and when you say children you think of smiles, innocence and happiness. When I arrived in the middle of the little ones I saw smiles on their faces but sadness in their eyes, until I shared gifts. Then, the whole room glowed with happiness. This was the moment when I realized that all the work the volunteers and World Vision employees have done was really worth it.
“This is not the first action of its kind that I attended but I can say I had a wonderful time. Listening to their songs and their poems, seeing them hiding behind their parents when we tried to talk to them and watching their behaviour after they realized we only wanted them to smile, it was a unique moment for me. Then I watched my colleagues smiling; even those I didn’t think would, did smile, and I realized that an innocent smile from a child can change a person, even for a few hours. As a final statement I want to say that I don’t regret for a second the time I spent on this action and I hope I will be given again the chance to make more children happy,” declared volunteer Andreea Munteanu.
The volunteers also brought joy to the children with disabilities. During the winter holidays “Santa’s workshops” were organized by the Association “Together we save souls”, in collaboration with World Vision’s members and volunteers. At these workshops, the children had the opportunity to customize Christmas presents by painting on decorative plaster objects like stars, pictures and globes. Thus, more than 80 children enjoyed the activities they did inside the workshops, having the opportunity to customize the object they made and then give it to their parents and grandparents as a Christmas present.
The money from this fundraising campaign was used for children with disabilities (special equipment, medical treatment and recovery services), beneficiaries of the project "Multifunctional Centre, a chance for the future of children and youth with physical, mental and social disabilities in the North-West, South-East and South-West of Oltenia region”. This project is a natural addition to a World Vision initiative, knowing that the care of children and young people with disabilities is still limited by the under-development of community services in terms of coverage, diversity and quality of these services, especially in rural Romania. Day care centres in the country currently cover only 2.8% of needs.
The project provides access to specialized care, education and vocational training to over 700 children and youths with physical, mental and social disabilities, through the establishment of 10 new stationary centres in urban and rural environments, designed specifically for them in Cluj , Dolj, Valcea, Constanta counties and Bucharest.
“Workshops that we held during the winter holidays brought joy to the children’s souls. We, volunteers from Area Development Project, for a few weeks we felt like children, we painted, plastered, we made Christmas ornaments and the money that we gathered went to the children with disabilities within the Association "We Save Souls Together",” declared Mihaela, volunteer from World Vision Romania.