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In the village of Panatau, where we have the Fountain of Hope project, Santa paid a special
visit on Christmas Day...
We had heard from our project manager Cristina that many of the children have never had their own toys, as their families cannot afford them. One little boy told her "You know, I don't like
Santa." Surprised, Cristina asked "But why? All children like Santa!" and he replied "He never comes to visit my house..." She said "Well, maybe he is busy and he has to visit to some children that are very poor..." and he replied "Yes, but my family is also very poor, but still he never visits. That is why I don't like Santa."
So in the week before Christmas, a letter was sent out to the parents of our 2 kindergartens in Bucharest, which received a warm and generous response - and 2 big duffle bags and 4 boxes of toys, food, and clothing were sent to Panatau to the Fountain of Hope after school center just in time for the last day of school. Cristina's eyes brimmed with tears when she saw how many things had been collected. The next morning, she arranged a Christmas party for them after their last session of school before the vacation. Each child received a special bag full of gifts selected according to the needs of their familiy situation, and all of them were delighted with the presents and food.
On Christmas Day, Santa Dada came to visit a few of the especially poor families in their house - a real magical Santa from Finland. He had also visited our kindergarten in Bucharest - arriving with an umbrella as their was no snow for his sleigh! He mesmerized the children with magic tricks and storytelling and created a unique and unforgettable experience for these children.
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