(Bratislava) – Christmas presents for more than 300 Ukrainian children in need have been collected and sent by Caritas Czech Republic, archdiocesan office of Olomouc. Gifts weighing 1500 kilos will reach their addressees on 5-6 January when Christmas is celebrated in Ukraine according to the Julian calendar. The project “Christmas packet” has a decade-long tradition and is grabbing the interest of more and more people who want to help every year. The recipients of this support will be children from socially disadvantaged families, foster homes and – for the first time – those who have lost their homes due to conflict in the eastern regions of the country. “Czech donors traditionally buy and pack mainly clothes, shoes, school items, colouring books and toys. Many of these kids have lost their parents or live in wrecked families and they cannot even afford the basic necessities of life”, says Vasyl Vasyliv, coordinator of the project on behalf of the Ukrainian side. The gifts will be distributed to children from Bortniky, Lopatyn, Ternopil, Kolomyj and Chmelnytskyi.