This post captures the essence of Christmas and warms a proud father's heart; I'll let my daughter continue ... as the post (originally) belongs to her (and her children).
The sad reality of Xmas is that there are scores of children that go without, waking to exactly nothing on Xmas morning. There are thousands of children here in Valparaiso, Chile alone that hold out for Santa Claus to visit their homes and and wake to disppointment. For many children their parents can not afford to put food on their table for Xmas Eve, let alone a lavish celebration spread. Many a child went to bed hungry last night, many went to bed whispering a hopeful prayer to Santa Claus, and we partied in the mean time, filling our homes with toys and the scent of Xmas cookies. Or was that the scent of inequality?
Not to put a damper on Xmas, or steal the joy from our own experience, but it is important to remember that there are those less fortunate than ourselves. It's important to recognise the injustice that fills the world, moreso during these vastly overcommercialised festivities, and to take it upon ourselves to try to even the playing field even if only a little and only for one day.
Poverty is too big for one little boy to fight on his own, but one little boy can make a lasting impact on another child's life with a simple rememberance of his fortune and the act of giving, perhaps even from what he does not have to give. Last night, Banjo did just this.
Here in Chile the post offices place boxes outside their doors to collect letters to Santa from underprivileged children. Anybody is then free to collect one or more of these letters, read them, buy a gift for the child, and deliver it. It's a beautiful idea, a little bit dangerous because anyone can get a hold of a child's personal details including their address, but in the developing world where many a basic infrastructure is lacking, you take what you can get. The letters are heart-wrenching, many unbearable to read, and they come in thousands. Each year there are enough people to cover all of the letters, poverty is enormous in this country and, more than that, the inequality between those who 'have' and those who don't is huge.
Banjo and Matilda will take part in this experience each Xmas, each picking up some letters and delivering gifts. I believe it is essential that my kids understand the reality of this world and from an early age are trained to become driven to fight the system and make a difference. This scheme allows my kids to have personal connection with poverty and to see the 'other side' of life first hand. My kids will look in the eyes of a child that has nothing and they will feel that child's pain and at the same time that child's joy to receive. That is the unique opportunity that this service offers in comparison to may of the other giving schemes run at Xmas which, while doing 'good', do only that and a lot of people consign to them mostly to lighten their guilt and feel better that they've done something for the less fortunate. If these people could encounter the poverty first hand though their lives would be changed forever in an instant and perhaps then we could even dare to dream of eliminating social inequality forever.
This year we picked up 3 letters and last night Banjo delivered the gifts after our Xmas Eve baked dinner. We visited some very poor shanty towns high in the hills of Valparaiso. It took us just under 3 hours to accomplish as navigating the hills and slums of Valparaiso is not an easy task. The kids were brilliant and behaved the entire time without so much as a whine or a whimper.
Here is the first letter to Santa from the children that Banjo was able to help this year. I've translated but carried across the grammar and sentence structure for posterity...
Santa Claus,
My name is Joel ___. I am 11 years old. I live with my mum, she is sick in her ears given that the first husband she had broke her eardrum many years ago. Later she met my dad. I was born and shortly after my dad left her.
Well, I want to ask you if you could bring me a bicycle even if it is used, because I live in the 6th sector of ___ and the school that I study in is in the 2nd sector. If you can't if you'd like you could bring me Naruto figurines to play with or any other figurines.
I can't ask my mum because she receives 60,000 pesos monthly for eating all month and it doesn't cover anything else. Thank you Santa Claus. I live in ____. Santa I really like to draw and I did the drawing for the letter I hope you like it. I love you a lot.
When we went to where Joel live the sheer poverty in the shanty town that seemed to be falling down around us, was unbelievable. Unfortunately, a bicycle didn't fall within our Xmas budget this year but we were able to get him a gift he should enjoy and filled a bag up with Xmas chocolates and lollies for him too. I keep thinking about him, he seemed like such a nice boy, very quiet. We're going to keep our eye out on the post-Xmas sales for a bike with his name on it. Let me tell you that the 2nd and 6th sectors of the suburb he lives in are an extremely long way apart and bus travel is not free for high school students.
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