The Sisters of Mary have begun preparing for Christmas at each of the Boystowns and Girlstowns. The children in our programs have known such hardship and poverty during their lives. Many had never received a Christmas present before coming to our schools. The sisters strive to ensure that each child in their care experiences joy and excitement this Christmas season. Knowing that they are loved and cared for and that someone thought of them this Christmas means so much these children.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, the sisters are able to purchase a simple gift for each of the 22,000 children in their care. Each child receives an article of clothing, such as a t-shirt or a pair of shoes for school, something to help them pursue their hobbies (often books or drawing materials), and fruit or some candy. Though these gifts seem modest by modern standards the children are overwhelmed to receive them.
The Sisters at each school purchase, wrap, and label all of the gifts with the gift tags from our donors. They start at the end of October and set aside an hour every evening around 10:00 pm wrapping as many as they can before bed. It is an enormous undertaking. In the Girlstown in Biga for example, there are 3,300 children enrolled and so the Sisters have to wrap 3,300 presents! However, they do this each year with joy, so grateful for the support that has enabled them to share the magic of Christmas with the children in their care. The present wrapping won’t finish until nearly Christmas day and then the children will have a Christmas party in their gym and will all open their presents together.
On behalf of everyone at World Villages for Children and the Sisters of Mary, thank you for helping us to make this a memorable Christmas for all our children. You are the reason the sisters have been able to bring happiness, hope, and the possibility of a bright future to more than 170,000 thus far. Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas season!
