Every child in Direct Provision will get a Christmas gift this year.
All 2,500 children will receive something special this Christmas thanks to Bohemian Football Club.
The football club joined forces with Smyths Toys, Bang Bang cafe, and DHL for the fundraiser.
Together they managed to raise a whopping €100,000.
This will cover the cost of presents, clothes and vouchers for every child in Direct Provision this Christmas.
This is the fourth year of the festive fundraiser.
Daniel Lambert, Bohemina’s chief operations officer said, “We first started fundraising in 2018 when we decided to try and get some toys for people in Clondalkin.
“We got 80 kids’ toys but the reaction was unbelievable.”
Hundreds of people were eager to help out.
We did it🔴⚫️
Toys, clothes & vouchers for EVERY kid in Direct Provision in Ireland
Bualadh Bos to the thousands who donated to the club @BangBangD7 @PantiBliss others & the dozens of volunteers
To the @TheRDS & club partners @DHLExpressIre who we couldn’t do it without✊🏻 pic.twitter.com/xZ6PKnpT6p
— Bohemian Football Club (@bfcdublin) December 7, 2021
“Last year we raised about €40,000 and those gifts went to 1,500 kids. This year it’s every child in direct provision.”
However, “this doesn’t change the situation people are in”.
“I have been to a lot of the DP centres and some of them are horrific. They are not places you would like to live and everyone knows the system should not exist.
“One of the centres has 150 mobile homes in quite a bleak field outside Athlone,” Lambert shared.
“We want the people and families to be able to integrate into the country and to show them love and generosity,” he stressed.
One volunteer said they hope this gesture shows the families that “they are not forgotten about”.
“There are people who care about them and are trying to do something to alleviate a really bad situation.”
Fair play to everyone involved in this fundraiser.
