2015
Alexandrina used her personal Facebook page to reach out to complete strangers to collect used warm clothes, shoes and toys for children in a Moldovan orphanage. She received an overwhelming response. The initiative brought her into contact with Julia who became a founding member of Happy-Links and helped grow the project.
2016
To streamline the donations we created personalised Christmas boxes. Each donor prepared a personalised gift box that corresponded to a specific child’s age and gender.
170 children received gifts.
2017
We continued to collect personalised Christmas boxes, which now included a pair of warm shoes.
170 children received gifts.
2018
We expanded the personalised Christmas boxes to impoverished children in villages. In addition, we provided firewood and food staples to help them through the winter months.
150 children received gifts, xxx families were supported.
Additionally, we coordinated a donation of sheets and towels from a hotel in Geneva to an orphanage; it covered the needs of the entire orphanage for one year.
2019
We continued to make personalised Christmas boxes. It also used monetary donations to help renovate houses in poor condition. Families hadsafe and liveable homes as a result.
We started “Back to School”, an initiative to collect backpacks and schools supplies so that children can start the school year well-equipped and free from the stigma of being “poor kids”.
XXX children received backpacks.
2020
The COVID pandemic greatly affected the health and well-being of the Moldovan people. Parents working abroad suddenly lost their jobs and were unable to support their children.
We sent funds to purchase donations locally (eg. fire-wood, medication) and to contribute to families’ needs, including, medical bills, and home renovation.
2021
The Happy-Links Association was created and registered as a Swiss non-profit organisation to formalise its relationship with donors and to better carry out its mission. This formal status allows Happy-Links to scale up projects ans address the needs of more families, focusing on actions that will enable them to become more independent in the long run.
Donations to Happy-Links are now tax deductible.
Regarding the Christmas boxes, we decided for the first time to deliver them in poor families of 2 villages in the Moldovan countryside. That’s why we also brought food for them.
160 children received gifts, and a total of xxx families received food