At five years old, Ion is too young to understand the dramas of his own life. When his parents divorced, he and his mother and sisters found themselves homeless and on the street. Now they shelter in an old house in one of the deserted villages in eastern Moldova, about 150 kilometres away from all that they knew in their previous life.

“When we were distributing Christmas boxes in this village, Ion was very glad to see us,” says Dumitru Sevastian. “He was delighted with everything he found in his box. He could not hide his joy and gratitude that someone unknown to him had brought him a present. Thank you very much!”