Dublin schoolgirl Ayla Walsh O’Neill, 7, recently found out what she’s calling the ‘secret of Christmas’.
Now – and as well as keeping the spirit of the season alive for her 4-year-old brother, Noah – Ayla wants to help children less fortunate than her.
Indeed, she has written a ‘Santa letter’ to the adults of Ireland to ask for their help…
Dear Adults,
My name is Ayla. I am seven years old and I live in Firhouse in Dublin. This year I learned the Christmas Secret (the one about Santa). My Mammy told me that the real Christmas magic was that it’s a time of year that people remember to be kind, and now that I’m in on the secret, I can help too.
She said I could pick out presents to give to charity that kids my age who still believe in Santa might like. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about kids my age who are homeless. Their parents might not be able to afford to buy them what they ask for, but if they still believe, they will think it’s okay because Santa will bring it.
So kids who lost their home and have probably had a really horrible year are going to be disappointed, and the worst part is they might think that they are bad and that’s why Santa didn’t give them what they asked for. I know we should be happy with whatever we get, but I’m worried that kids won’t understand because they think Santa can magic up presents.
So I had an idea. I am going to buy android tablets for €75 each and donate them to Barnardos. Caroline in Barnardos has agreed to help me and will make sure they get to the kids who need them (well… to their Santa).”
Ayla is asking adults to donate €10 each towards the cost of a tablet. Ayla’s mum, Doireann, says Ayla came up with the idea of tablets herself.
“She thought that small token gifts like the St Vincent de Paul Giving Tree were lovely and all but they didn’t solve the problem of sorting out the “big” Santa present and kids who are poor aren’t going to know not to ask for something expensive because they think Santa will just magic it up. So then they might think they were bad if they don’t get a “big” present. And that upset her.
“We talked about bikes and scooters but then realised they might not be a great gift if someone is living in emergency accommodation like a hostel or hotel. So then we thought of tablets, she likes playing games on hers, most kids seem to want one and they don’t take up much room. The more we discussed it the more we thought they could be really nice for kids in emergency accommodation especially because they would be stuck for space, they might have had to leave behind a lot of their toys and they probably don’t have anywhere to go out to play.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm4Nji3sIwM
Doireann adds that Ayla is, “very kind, very intelligent, doesn’t miss a beat, picks up on absolutely everything. She’s very thoughtful, very deep thinker so can be quite serious. Very sensitive kid. But also great craic.”
And she also says that her daughter became aware of homelessness and poverty after discussions with other children at school.
“She would be aware that we aren’t as well off as some of her classmates; she would have been asked why we live with my mum and why does she not have her own house etc. and I would honestly say ‘Well, I haven’t much money, but I’m a bit younger than the other mums, I had you young and I’m a student. But we are lucky, we’ve a lovely house to live in on a nice road with a green to play on, we will never be stuck for anything. We’ve never not had anywhere to live or not had enough to eat. That’s poor, we’re not poor. We’re lucky’.”
Doireann set up a GoFundMe Page for Ayla’s tablet drive so members of the public can support Ayla’s mission to help buy tablets for some of the 3,194 homeless children in Ireland.
Doireann hopes there is a good response to Ayla’s tablet drive.
“I want to show her that she’s not wrong for believing in the good and that she’s not powerless. She’s trying to save the Christmas magic for other kids but I think the adults need to help save the Christmas magic for her.”
Ayla’s letter to the adults of Ireland
You can donate to Ayla’s tablet drive here.
