Mix for Kids is committed to helping disadvantaged children and young people in Germany, Albania and India and campaigns for a life worth living. Food security, equal opportunities, education and team sports all play a part in this. In 2023, the non-profit association is once again financing a range of social and educational projects which are only possible thanks to members’ contributions and donations.

Germany
The Spieli Children’s Center in Würzburg has been around since 1976, but this is the first time the project has received support from Mix for Kids. The open, supervised and free community club is primarily a place for boys and girls from difficult family backgrounds to spend afternoons every day after school in a meaningful way. There is a huge range of activities on offer for the children, from playing around and making music to taking part in sports. At Spieli, Mix for Kids is organizing a soccer tournament for recreational teams, regular yoga classes with a professional teacher and a visit to the botanical garden. The children will also plant a herb garden.

The Geesdorf Children and Adolescents’ Home is also visiting the botanical garden in Würzburg, where the boys and girls will be given a guided tour of the greenhouses and learn all kinds of interesting facts. The communal summer vacation will be even more exciting when everyone goes to Sauerland, Germany, for a week during the school break. Meanwhile, 1000 euros will go to the clown doctors from Würzburg, who visit and spend time with sick children, giving them a change of pace and a dose of much-needed fun. This money goes toward the fees and training of the clown performers.

Albania
At the Don Bosco School in Shkodra, children with and without disabilities are taught together. Many of them come from needy families who cannot afford lunch. Mix for Kids covers the cost of a healthy hot lunch every school day for a year so that 35 children do not have to go to class hungry. New shirts and blouses mean that everyone has the same school uniform.

In addition to the school, there are also educational and leisure opportunities. To this end, board games, a football table, handicraft materials and sports equipment for soccer and volleyball are being purchased and the volleyball court is being repaired. The money from Mix for Kids has also made it possible to offer a painting course, cooking classes, dance lessons and guitar lessons throughout the school year as well as to buy new guitars.

The school is particularly pleased that – thanks to the support of Mix for Kids – it has been possible to set up a pottery workshop and equip it with an electric lathe, a ceramic kiln and clay material for making ceramics. This is providing autistic children in particular with one-on-one support with their motor skills. A trip to the zoo and the botanical gardens in the Albanian capital of Tirana is set to be an unforgettable experience for 25 pupils living with autism or other disabilities.

India
Over a number of months, 450 street children from Vadodara in the state of Gujarat have been receiving help as part of various educational courses to develop their craftsmanship and creativity in order to learn different skills. The goal is to motivate girls and boys up to the age of 18 to take up professional activities that will give them the chance to earn their own living in the future. The educational programs, which take place under the guidance of qualified teachers, include glass painting and handicrafts, tailoring, hair styling, cosmetics and personal care as well as sports and nutrition.