What was this event about?
At the end of November some students from Soteekki participated in a Christmas present activity. It was organized by Ohjaamo in collaboration with the Diakonia University of Applied Sciences. The idea was, to send Christmas presents to children in the Ukraine. So, people from the area of Pori could bring gifts and we – meaning, all the volunteers – would then put together nice packages with different items and wrap them.
The whole event lasted for one week. Of course, this doesn’t include all the preparations that have been done in advance by the organizers. On Monday and Tuesday people could bring their gifts. During those two days, as well as on Thursday, all the presents were wrapped. Finally, on Friday, the packages were loaded to the truck of Fida International and shipped to Ukraine.
What did the students of Soteekki do there?
The students of Soteekki were offered the opportunity to work on this project for the week and gather working hours and receive a certificate. Once we arrived, we helped in all the different activities. We were there to receive the presents and thank the donors. A big part of our work was to help with the present wrapping. Finally, we also packed the packages into huge boxes to store them safely for their journey.
What do the students think about the event?
It was a very lovely experience. There were so many people donating presents – especially handmade wool socks. It was heartwarming to meet the people who just spent their money for kids they don’t know and from whom they won’t get any reaction or a personal thank you. Wrapping the presents was sometimes very hard, as there were also items like teddy bears or toy tractors. However, we had a lot of fun and it was good to practice our skills as Christmas time was coming up.
What is happening to the presents now?
The presents were shipped to the Ukraine and arrived there at the beginning of December. Fida International distributed the presents to children living in the front line and to orphans. You can find more information of the journey of the presents under “Ukrainan Kansalle” on the internet and Instagram.
https://www.diak.fi/hakeminen/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIp9SZ2rb_ggMVDQCiAx2iygGIEAAYASAAEgJSZfD_BwE
https://www.instagram.com/ohjaamo_pori/
Foto from: sunfish.photography
#christmaspresentstoukraine
Writers: Anna Hagmann, Vilma Kaisla & Jemina Nurminen