Smiles at Miles2smiles

Miles2smiles is really the perfect name for this project. We have heard many different explanations about this name, but this day we got to experience something by our self.

Miles2smiles were lucky to take part in an organisation called Operation Christmas Child. They collect shoeboxes, full of toys, sweets and clothes, during whole December in UK and send them to children in disadvantaged situasions through projects like Miles2smiles. This year they sent over 1.18 million shoeboxes.

Finally the day was here when we got the boxes. I think we were just as excited as the children. We sorted out the boxes into age and were ready to hand them over. But when you have 120 children an no organised system it is doomed to be chaotic.

Still when we got to see the smiles the children got when they got their package, how proud and excited they were when they where walking home with their own shoebox full of things, it made everything worth it.

To see their excitement over one shoebox, it made me think about Christmas. In Norway we used about 43,8 billion kroner this Christmas (2009), 9 245 per person (SSB 14/12-09), think how many children we could have helped if we only received one shoebox each and sent rest of the money to someone who really need it.

webpages to vissit: http://www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/ (if you want to know more)