“I can’t imagine not receiving presents at Christmas time, I’d feel left out!” exclaims one student at St. Luke’s Primary School, East London. Carefully she pulls out the contents of her packed shoebox; toothbrush, toothpaste and her favourite, a little doll, were among some of the exciting gifts that filled the box. With a smile on her face, she whispers, “I know that the little girl who receives this box will love the doll and will give her a good name.”
This box was one of over a hundred shoeboxes, piled up in St. Luke's assembly hall to be collected yesterday. Students from different years were excused from lessons to help carry all the shoeboxes out to the van, ready to be stacked and carried off to the processing centre.
St. Luke’s Primary school is just one of many schools across the country to be involved in 
Operation Christmas Child and the Head Teacher, Mrs Aanonson, explains the reason why: “Operation Christmas Child fits perfectly with the school ethos. We are proud to be recognised as an International School and, through this scheme, the students get a chance to not just learn about the situation of children overseas, but actually make a positive difference.”
Photos: Winston Mattis