It is a project close to Christian Paar’s heart, and one in which he invests a lot of time and work. The IT expert, who himself has two daughters of school age, collects used and well-preserved school bags and school supplies in the Stadtroda and Jena area, but also further afield.
The donations are then distributed to families in need, including in Armenia, Latvia, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine, via the international aid organisation Gain (Global Aid Network). This involves a great deal of logistical effort, which is based on the willingness to help: from donors, but also from collectors and organisers such as Christian Paar.
A newspaper article in 2004 alerted him to the aid organization’s schoolbag campaign, says the 45-year-old. He was particularly impressed by the fact that children receive the schoolbags and school bags personally as a gift at a local festival in their communities, that there are also contacts from the organization there and that no money is being spent that could fall into the wrong hands.
He was immediately enthusiastic, packed a school bag himself and gave it to the Welker family in Jena, who were already supporting the campaign at the time. Christian Paar offered to help, stayed with the project and is now the head of the collection point for the region.
What I think is really good is that you give a personal gift and make someone happy that you don’t even know. You don’t even know which cute face will be happy about it.
Christian Paar
Motivation through travel to Latvia
He describes a trip to Latvia in 2012 as a motivating experience. He was able to accompany a transport of the aid organization and was there when 400 school bags were distributed to the local children at two festivals. Each of them had drawn a lot beforehand to avoid arguments and jealousy. The children’s joy at the gift of the bags was indescribable, says Paar.
Everything was organized by local social workers who have an eye on socially disadvantaged families and are knowledgeable about them. This way, the help got to exactly where it was most urgently needed, says Paar. This encounter touched him deeply, the images have stuck in his mind and motivated him to continue.
