The reversed advent calendar

Our children are lucky and spoiled. That is a fact. They have lots of toys, books, plenty of clothes, go to a good school, have a beautiful home and always plenty of food on the table.

Lots of children in Africa aren't that lucky. Living in an African capital, the difference between rich and poor is very, very visible.  

In November, Thorsten and I saw the movie Queen of Katwe, a touching true story about a girl in a slum of Kampala who, through a game of chess, brought her family out of the poverty (and absolutely must-see!).  As you can imagine, the story lingered, it stayed with me for some time. I realised how lucky our children are. Actually, they are so lucky they don't always appreciate it. When the milk is finished, we just go out and buy new. When the glue is finished, there's always spare in the house. Their shoes are too small, don't worry, tomorrow you get new ones. Every birthday, family visit, Christmas they are overloaded with presents. 
I wanted the girls to realise not everyone is as lucky as they are. We are living in a city where the division between the rich and the poor is very strong and visible. Everyday we walk to school, we look out over the slums. I do want them to be happy and have all the things they have. But I also want them to realise not every child is that lucky. 

So we decided that they, as every year, will get their shared advent calendar. But, this year, we will also do a reversed advent calendar. Everyday, when they open a door get something new, they will take one thing of their own (toys, clothes, etc) and put it in a box. In the New Year, we will then give those things to children who are not so lucky. 

This weekend we met with Lisette, Jara and Lisa's Dutch teacher, who is volunteering with Hope, Care and Love Uganda, an organisation that works in the slums. They sponsor kids through primary and secondary school, do activities, etc. We drove to one of the slums where she's working and knows the children and the families. 

Even though the visit wasn't entirely as we imagined it would be, it did leave an impression on the girls (and us). 
When we arrived, lots of kids ran to the car (nothing new here, that happens everywhere) and they know what's coming when Lisette comes to the slum with muzungus (white people). So it did feel a bit like being father Christmas. We expected the organisation to take care of the gifts but it turned out that we gave away all the things ourselves. And as we have only girls for example, very few boys got clothes. 

The families living in that slum will not be able to live there forever. It is in the middle of the city and with the building boom happening right now, their houses will no longer be there in less than 10 years. Already now families are losing their homes and just go and live with another family in that one tiny little room. 

Looking back, it was a good exercise for the girls. Especially the picking-out-things-they-would-give-away part. I am happy I made the girls consider their lucky situation but without making them feel guilty about it. The fact that they really thought through how much they have and what can they miss/share made this event a success.