Usually the School Continuity Programme takes place during the summer. However, as this year it has been developed throughout December, our volunteers spent their Christmas Day in PSE. On the 25th of December, pensionnaires, interns and volunteers spent together a day full of activities, music and surprises. For these Khmers, it was the first European Christmas.
The day started off with activities planned by the European volunteers for the pensionnaires –children who live in PSE during the whole year- and the interns -young adults who are studying for a profession in PSE and are, the majority, volunteers in the School Continuity Programmes. The activities that they participated in during the morning were: making Christmas cards for the PSE godfathers, a Gymkhana, a cup castle competition, a snowman making competition and “singing lesson” in a funny attempt to show the children the Spanish Christmas song “Feliz Navidad”.
After a lot of Christmas themed enjoyment, a surprise visit from Santa Claus fascinated the pensionnaires, interns and even some of the European volunteers. Arriving in the trailer of a motorbike, Santa Claus called all of the kids to follow him to Ecap, an open air room in the Newland Centre, just in front of PSE Central. To the surprise of all, there was a present waiting for each of the beneficiaries as well as a chance to speak to Santa Claus in person. Each of the pensionnaires and interns received a handmade stocking by the volunteers and pensionnaires with candy and a pair of Crocs shoes. Along with Christmas carols and the cheers and dances from the volunteers, the scene turned into a live Christmas card.
After the emotions that came along with the surprises, everybody gathered for a special Christmas Day meal prepared by the cooks in PSE. The canteen at Central was full of Christmas decorations that the children enjoyed playing and dressing up with. All in all, it was a great day for everybody that attended, a special Christmas for the European volunteers and a merry day for the pensionnaires and interns as a family. It was a day, we are sure, that everybody will remember!
We would like to thank all of you who helped fund the gifts. Without you none of this would have been possible!
