This GiftASmile project started with us raising awareness for the project mainly on social media and by word of mouth. We were fortunate enough to have a running patron group -where donors can donate as little as 1000 shillings to help execute projects- which played a big part in ensuring the success of the project.
The gift bags provided to the children was specific to their age groups i.e. Children aged 3-7, 8-12 and then 13+. For the children aged 3-7, their gift bags included drawing books, crayons, toy watches, hijabs (for the girls), Islamic caps and T-shirts (for the boys), crisps, juice boxes, cake and chocolate. For the children aged 8-12, their gift bags included the same snacks, a set of pencils, Islamic caps and T-shirts (for the boys), chiffon hijabs, hijab pins and hair ties (for the girls). The older children, 13+ got pretty much the same as the 8-12 group with the addition of socks for the boys.
The orphanages we targeted were An Nisa (24), Mama Fatuma (90) and Madrasa Nur in Kibera (70). As for An Nisa, the gift bags were taken on Eid day itself whereas we delivered the rest on Saturday, 24th July 2021. An extra 8 gift bags were given to 8 to children in Eastleigh, 2 gift bags were given to a single mother who lives in poverty and 9 to orphans who live in South B. In total, we gifted 200+ children through the GiftASmile Initiative.
The items were procured a week before the date set for the project to allow for adequate time for the packaging to take place. The orphans in Kibera were provided for lunch, Biriyani with goat meat, grilled chicken, salad and drinks well as cakes for Eid. The orphans in Mama Fatuma got meal packs delivered to them courtesy of Khans Foods.
All in all, it was a successful project and we would like to appreciate everyone who donated.
For more information on how to donate to future projects, kindly visit our Instagram page @Jaorelief or the donate option on our website.