Ana's Story

Seven-year-old Ana is the youngest of four children in a village 20km from the city of Gjakova, Kosovo. In poor health and without employment, her parents, Gezim and Saranda, survive by scavenging through other people’s rubbish for cans and scrap metal.

None of the children is in school, according to Faton Berisha, who delivered gift-filled boxes from Blythswood’s 2025 Shoe Box Appeal. “They are extremely poor,” he says, “and don’t get any government support as a family”.

Ana was excited to find sweets and colourful notebooks. Faton reports, “She still treasures them and looks after them with great care.

“Your shoeboxes were a great help, as the parents themselves said. In the packages they found important items for daily use, including hats, socks, scarves, gloves and hygiene items.”

These items of clothing are valued in a region where, for three months of the year, average night-time low temperatures can be below freezing.

Rashid's Story

Rashid may have missed out on school, but at the age of 15 he has wisdom beyond his years. Growing up at the brick kiln where his parents work, in Punjab province, Pakistan, he says: “I must work to help my family survive.”

Every rupee counts in situations where the combined earning of a family equates to as little as £3 per day. So, you can only imagine how much it meant to Rashid to be presented with a Box of Blessings, sponsored by Blythswood’s 2025 Shoe Box Appeal.

“The gifts are things I could never afford,” he says. “We struggle to meet even our basic needs like toothpaste, a tooth brush and warm winter essentials.

Rashid explains that the gift means more than the things inside. “It reminds me that someone cares about young people like me,” he continues. “We gathered to pray and to listen to a message about God’s love and care for his people. As I listened, I felt encouraged. The first time in a long time, I felt that maybe God could change my life, too.”

Last winter, Blythswood’s partners in Pakistan made up 2,000 boxes and distributed them to families such as that of Rashid, living in extreme poverty. “Our partners told me that the volunteers who filled the boxes with essential everyday items were moved to tears by the experience,” says Blythswood’s chief executive Jeremy Ross. “Their involvement brings more ownership. Like our shoebox volunteers here in the UK they discovered that it’s more blessed to give than to receive.”

Arkan's Story

At 50, Arkan is a father of five, and proud grandfather to five more. With three generations living under one roof, the household budget it always tight. Arkan works, as he has since he was a child, as a windscreen washer at busy traffic junctions in Kragujevac, the fourth largest city in Serbia.

It’s a precarious and legally questionable way to earn a living but it’s the only way that Arkan knows to pay the rent and put food on the table. Spending up to 10 hours a day outside, often in the cold, he really appreciated the gift of a hat and scarf which he found in his shoebox.

“They help him stay warm throughout the working day,” says David Armus who presented him with your gifts. “The family used to live in a shack but now they rent a house. Their life is not easy as three of his children have undergone surgery. Arkan draws strength and hope from his faith and was particularly touched by the Christian testimony booklet which he found in his shoebox.

“Thanks to Blythswood, he feels that his daily struggles are not forgotten and that someone, even from far away, cares about him and his family.”

In each shoebox, Blythswood supplies a Bible story book for children, a testimony booklet for teens and young adults, or a Words of Life pictorial calendar with a Bible verse for each month.

Nadia's Story

In the Slavic countries, the girl’s name Nadia means Hope. But for this Nadia, who attends a school in Odesa region for children with special educational needs, it has to be said her expectations are not high.

“She lives in a world where there is not always acceptance,” says Alyona Puzanova, who gave Nadia a Blythswood shoebox. “It’s a world where you can be teased for your peculiarities, where you are often reminded that you are not like everyone else.

“And then, suddenly – a box. It is all for Nadia. Stationery, toys, sweets that do not need to be divided. At that moment, the child understands: ‘I am important. I was seen. I was thought of.’

“This gift didn’t just bring joy. It gave Nadia a sense of value and warmth. And sometimes that’s enough to make the world a little bit better.”

Love needs no translation Story

Paul Algeo has served as Blythswood’s church engagement officer for south and central Scotland since 2024. In December he helped to distribute shoeboxes in the Cahul district of southern Moldova. “I couldn’t understand one word this lady was saying but her gratitude was obvious,” he remembers. “She was so frail and wanted to take my hand and squeezed it tight.

There is real poverty in these rural villages. As we entered one, we saw a man using a traditional well sweep – a long pole balanced on a crossbeam, with a rope and bucket attached to one end. Once the bucket reached the surface, he secured the pole before collecting the water. It’s too easy to assume that everyone living in Europe has access to the basic amenities that we take for granted.

“It was encouraging to see how our partners care for people who were clearly struggling to meet even their most basic needs. Your shoebox gifts were so much appreciated. I only speak English, but acts of love, kindness and compassion are understood by everyone. Love doesn’t need translation.”

Paul has now taken on the task of managing Blythswood’s 2026 Shoe Box Appeal. “I’ve seen for myself the emotional impact made by these presents,” he says. “Fill a box for Blythswood in 2026 and you can really touch the heart of a stranger in need.”