Christmas in a shoebox

At Öldutúnsskóli, it was decided to take part in the SHOEBOX CHRISTMAS project this year. Preparation began the week before Friendship Week. Then, shoeboxes and items for them started to arrive from the homes of pupils and staff. During Friendship Week, the items were sorted into the boxes and they were wrapped. To help the pupils connect with the project even more, they were shown a video of the shoeboxes being handed over. The joy and gratitude shining from the children's faces as they receive the gifts is wonderful.  The questions and discussion that followed from watching the video were interesting, and the learning from this project was immense.

All the school's classes, from Year 1 to Year 10, took part in the project and we collected around 200 shoeboxes. Each box contains a toothbrush, toothpaste, a bar of soap, toys, clothes, sweets and school supplies. The pupils packed the boxes according to gender and age. The boxes will be sent to Ukraine. 46 million people live there. Unemployment is high and the situation is dire in many places. The Icelandic shoeboxes will be distributed to orphanages, children's hospitals, and to the children of single mothers living in extreme poverty.

Christmas in a Shoebox is an international project which involves bringing joy to children living in poverty, illness and hardship by giving them Christmas presents. The gifts are placed in a shoebox, which is then decorated and labelled for a child of a specific age.