For the first time this year, Mix for Kids members had the choice of attending the Annual General Meeting in person or online. Both options proved to be very popular, allowing members to discuss the past year and plan future projects to ensure that disadvantaged children and teenagers in India, Albania and Germany are able to lead a life worth living. In the wake of last year’s board elections, the members did not have to vote on the association’s management this time.

The reports from the project partners in India, Albania and Germany were met with particular interest. Each partner joined live by video call to give a first-hand account of the aid measures made possible by financial support from Mix for Kids. Father George Miranda, executive director of the Don Bosco aid organization in Mumbai, India, stressed the value of providing educational opportunities for street children in Vadodara.

There, courses including glass painting, handicrafts, sewing and cosmetics encourage children to grow their talents, develop their creativity and learn a range of new skills. This way, the organization hopes to empower them to pursue professions that will open the door to earning their own living in future.

Sister Michaela Kubickova, school director at the Don Bosco Center in Shkodra, Albania, reported on the many activities and purchases funded by Mix for Kids. Examples included an electric potter’s wheel and all the necessary tools for pottery courses to help neurodivergent children develop their individual motor skills. The school was also able to purchase a wide range of equipment for sports, music and art, while trips to the zoo and botanical garden in the capital Tirana made for an unforgettable experience for the pupils.

Isabelle Zindler, the director of Würzburg children’s center “Spieli” in Germany, gave members an insight into the different events that the open leisure club, which is both supervised and free of charge, was able to offer thanks to Mix for Kids. These included professionally led yoga classes, a soccer tournament for recreational teams and a visit to the botanical garden. The children also planted an herb garden at “Spieli”.

Following the project reports, the members took the opportunity to talk to the association’s partners in India, Albania and Germany. Finally, once Treasurer Sabine Schmidbauer presented the consistently positive key financials for the year under review along with the planned budget for 2024, which is funded by membership fees, donations and collaborations, the members unanimously voted to continue supporting all previous aid projects on the same scale moving forward.