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Thousands of children and adults across the UK are set to bring Christmas joy to children recovering from the aftermath of the brutal civil war in Liberia – by creating shoebox gifts online which will be sent to them through Operation Christmas Child.

The world’s largest children’s Christmas appeal – run by the Christian relief and development charity Samaritan’s Purse - Operation Christmas Child is giving members of the British public the chance to directly impact the lives of underprivileged children living in Lofa County, Liberia (West Africa) through their new and innovative ‘Shoebox World’ website.

The website provides an opportunity for compassionate, but time-strapped, individuals to give a gift to a child who is otherwise unlikely to receive a present at Christmas time. The website allows the user to create their own shoebox gift – choosing the individual items to include and adding a personalised message and photo if they wish – which Operation Christmas Child then makes up and sends out to a child living in Liberia.

Lofa County in northern Liberia saw much of the worst fighting during the Liberian civil war of 1989 – 1996, with an estimated 30% of all child soldiers coming from the county. Since the end of the civil war, Lofa County has also been prone to more civic unrest than any other part of Liberia.

“Too many children in this part of Liberia have had to grow up against a backdrop of poverty, violence and chaos – with too few opportunities to just be kids,” explains Simon Barrington, Executive Director of Samaritan’s Purse. “Through Shoebox World, we can bring some much-needed joy into their lives – reminding them that God loves them and that they have not been forgotten this Christmas.”

Online shoebox gifts can be created from as little as £11. Visitors can choose from a selection of toys, education supplies, hygiene accessories and other play accessories to add to their personalised shoebox, along with a photo of themselves a personal message. Volunteers will then make up the shoebox as specified before sending it out to Liberia, where it will be distributed by local partners to children between the ages of 2 – 14 living in Lofa County, Liberia.

The website will be taking orders from anyone living in the UK or those with UK credit cards living abroad up to and including Christmas Day.

Since launching in 1990, Operation Christmas Child has sent over 80 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children worldwide. Last year, around 500,000 children and adults from across the UK sent 1.12 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in 13 different countries around the world, including children affected by the earthquake in Haiti. 

To create an online shoebox gift visit www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/shoeboxworld