On Monday March 18, 2008, Pastor Milanzi made a surprise visit to the Jacaranda school. He brought shoe boxes filled with presents for each and every of our 230 orphaned students and the school exploded with joy and laughter. The children were in disbelief, as you can see on the pictures... It was like an early Christmas, and we just could not control the children anymore... We had never seen the kids like this, it's as simple as that! During the whole week, every day they would bring some of the items they received that day, especially pens and notebooks. For many of them, it was the first time receving a doll or a toy car, so these gifts meant the world to them. Each box also had toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap.

Pastor Milanzi is a Malawian pastor who works in coordination with Edukans, a national organization based in the Netherlands. Children in the Netherlands are encouraged to prepare gifts for the children of Africa, and during Christmas Eve, they pack themselves the shoe boxes filled with presents they have chosen. From one child to another, across the globe...

"For the children in the Netherlands this campaign is a way to learn about the life of their peers who are less fortunate than they are themselves", says Maaike Huijgen, from Edukans. "They learn to share their possessions and to care about other children. By filling up a shoe box they can do something for another child. It is a small gesture, but all these small gestures together can make a difference."

Pastor Milanzi came to the Jacaranda school after hearing about Marie Da Silva's story in Malawi's daily newspaper, the Nation.