The most beautiful gift to close this wonderful year came from a 3-year-old boy who, together with his mother, organized an amazing initiative for our orphanage and all its residents! The big heart of this little boy is truly indescribable and has brought so much joy to us all!

Here’s what his mom shared with us:

For days, watching Christmas gift ads, crowded stores, and long lines of people doing last-minute holiday shopping and wrapping presents, I couldn’t help but wonder—where has all the warmth and true meaning of Advent and Christmas gone? Each day as I entered my son’s room, I saw it shrinking under the growing pile of toys gifted by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and our large family.

Although every Advent we set aside some toys to donate, this year we realized that the place where toys are most needed is far away, on the other side of the world, in Africa. As we thought about what we could do, we decided to change our perspective. The only way we could help was by raising money to ease, at least a little, the challenging conditions of life there.

At the start of Advent, we came up with a great idea. We printed stories, created a small board with photos of the children from Kolajna's orphanage, set up a small table and a donation box, and combined fun with purpose. Since we have a large and beautifully decorated yard and love spending time outdoors, we decided to “charge” for yard tours through donations.

Every day, we stopped passersby and invited them to explore our yard, and at the end, Roko, in his unique way, explained exactly what he was raising money for.

After preschool, our first activity was lunch, then dressing up warmly, and straight into the yard. No one could resist this little boy without leaving a contribution in his donation box. At the end of the day, the box was brought inside, emptied, and returned to Roko’s table the next morning. This continued daily until Christmas.

Sometimes, he wouldn’t collect anything, and he’d feel a bit sad. But he always knew that a new day would bring new people and new coins. Donations came from our family, preschool friends, their parents, acquaintances, and everyone who visited us for any reason. We also sold Kolajna ljubavi calendars.

Our days began and ended with stories about Vanessa, African girl whose education we help as Kolajna's godparents. Vanessa's smile got from ear to ear because of new shoes, about Catherine, who excels in mathematics, about Alhaji, who earns top grades in every subject, and about the many other children at the orphanage and their daily routines at preschool and school — things children in Europe can hardly imagine.

Our lives revolved around Africa. As Christmas approached, the pile of coins grew bigger, and so did the little boy’s smile and pride. Even though we didn’t declutter the dozens of Hot Wheels cars or the massive collection of Lego bricks, we learned about Songea, a place where the biggest worry is whether or not it will rain — a necessity for survival.

With the passing of Christmas, our mini project came to an end. A small tear hid in the corner of an eye, but the pride was greater than ever before. Looking back on the past weeks, we couldn’t have imagined how much we’d learn, how many people we’d raise awareness among, and how grateful we’d feel for this Advent, which unfolded exactly as it should — in giving ourselves to others. We truly believe there is nothing more beautiful than that.

Mungu ibariki Afrika! (God bless Africa!)