In 1999, an eight-year-old Tuam schoolgirl sent a shoebox full of Christmas gifts to an Armenian boy 4,000 km away, not thinking for a second that 16 years later she’d be face to face with him in Dublin in the full glare of the media spotlight.
But on Monday afternoon Claire Fahy, who is now 24, met Arsen Khachatryan, who had travelled to Ireland to meet the girl who had sent him the box of presents, including toothpaste, a towel, toys and a notebook in which she had left a note of support for a boy she had never met.
After a two-year search to find the woman who had sent him the shoebox, his journey ended when he touched down in Ireland to thank Claire personally and launch the 2015 Team Hope Shoebox Appeal.
Together, Fahy and Khachatryan are calling on families, schools, community groups and businesses across the country to make a lasting impression on children in Africa and Eastern Europe this Christmas by delivering more than 200,000 gift-filled shoeboxes to them.
“It was incredible. We opened the shoeboxes and saw lovely gifts like clothes, toys and other small items all the way from Ireland. I received a lovely note from Claire too, with a beautiful photo,” Khachatryan recalled today.
He had kept the notebook sent over by Fahy, and together the pair read the note that she had written to him in a childish scrawl, wishing him a happy Christmas .
“Our teacher asked us if we could imagine waking up on Christmas morning with no presents,” she said this afternoon.
“She explained that for many kids around the world, the shoebox is the only gift that they would receive.
“This made me think of how lucky I was and that I really wanted to make a difference, especially at Christmas.”
Emotional meeting
“Witnessing the emotional meeting between Arsen and Claire this morning shows so clearly the reality of what a positive impact the Team Hope Shoebox Appeal can make,” said Team Hope’s executive director Niall Barry.
“Poverty and need is on the increase every year in the countries we visit and we see at first hand that our Christmas shoeboxes help bring joy, laughter and hope to children living on the margins of society, victims of war, disease or poverty.”
Khachatryan’s trip to Ireland was facilitated by TV3’s Ireland AM. Producer Orla Nolan said the station was happy to be involved with Team Hope.
“There is such a great need to be met in some of the world’s most underdeveloped countries and so good to see how these gift-filled shoeboxes can help turn what will otherwise be just another day into something special for these children,” she said.
Anyone keen to get involved in the 2015 Team Shoebox Appeal can fill a shoebox with gifts for a child, attach €4 to it and bring it to a local drop-off point before Tuesday, November 10th.
Suggestions for what can be put in the shoeboxes include pens, pencils, colouring books, toothbrushes, hairbrushes, a small item of clothing and a treat.
Details of drop off points can be found on the Team Hope website.
