The “Children Helping Children!” initiative, organized by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Germany, was launched in 1999 as a private initiative of the Marienhöhe School Center in Darmstadt. It all began with a stuffed animal that the daughter of then-ADRA managing director Erich Lischek gave her father to take on a business trip, with the hope that he would gift it to a child in need. This was the spark that ignited the idea for children in Germany to pack Christmas parcels for kids in underprivileged regions. Since 2000, ADRA Germany has been carrying out this initiative nationwide under the name “Children Helping Children!”, reports Andreas Lerg, spokesperson for ADRA Germany.
Over the past 25 years, volunteers involved in “Children Helping Children!” have collected 774,000 packages and delivered them to children in need across various countries. In 2024 alone, 26,771 packages were packed, and the organization aims to surpass this number in this anniversary year, according to Lerg.
Target Countries and Action Plan for 2025
This year’s “Children Helping Children!” initiative kicks off on September 20. Children, parents, and grandparents across Germany will pack Christmas parcels filled with school supplies, toys, warm clothing, and sweets. More than 300 action groups nationwide are supporting the collection of these packages. Detailed information is available on the website kinder-helfen-kindern.org.
This year, the packages will be sent to children in Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. The campaign will run until mid-November, ensuring that the packages arrive and are distributed in the target countries before Christmas.
Helping While Learning
According to Olena Surovtseva, the head of the initiative, “Children Helping Children!” pursues two important objectives: first, to provide direct assistance to impoverished children in the target countries, who often live on the fringes of society and face obstacles to education and healthcare. Second, children in Germany learn empathy and kindness through their participation, discovering that giving brings joy and sharing makes everyone happy.
Surovtseva emphasizes, “Every package is a symbol of compassion, empathy, and solidarity.” On World Children’s Day, September 20, a special anniversary celebration will take place at Marienhöhe in Darmstadt, the birthplace of the initiative. The following day, Sunday, September 21, the “Children Helping Children!” campaign will officially commence at the marketplace and Peace Square in Darmstadt. An information booth will be set up throughout the day to share details about the initiative and the work of ADRA Germany, with interactive activities for children available all day long.
About ADRA Germany e.V.
Founded in 1987 and based in Weiterstadt near Darmstadt, ADRA Germany e.V. has 61 employees and is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is part of the global ADRA network, established in 1956, which comprises 119 independent national offices and conducts development cooperation and humanitarian aid projects in disaster situations worldwide. ADRA stands for Adventist Development and Relief Agency. ADRA Germany is also a founding member of the Association for Development Policy and Humanitarian Aid (VENRO), “Action Germany Helps,” and “Together for Africa.” For more information, visit www.adra.de
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