People have forgotten this truth, said the fox,
But you must not forget it. You become forever responsible, for what you have tamed...
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 'Der kleine Prinz'

At Christmas 1995 Aktion Kleiner Prinz  under the motto „I give you my star“ started a gift scheme for children in need who lived in the crisis areas of Eastern Europe (Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo). This scheme was repeated every year. Nowadays the parcels are sent to Rumania, which still is an extremely poor country.

The parcels from Germany, carefully and lovingly wrapped in the seasonal tradition, are often the only Christmas presents these children receive. They come from  the district of Warendorf and the surrounding areas (Muenster, Gelsenkirchen, Hamm, Ibbenbueren, Drolshagen, Anroechte and others), sometimes even from Hamburg and Southern Germany, and are collected on the first Wednesday of December at the Wilhelmsplatz in Warendorf and loaded on two waiting trucks by many little and grown-up helpers. In 2010, about 200 establishments for child care, nurseries and schools took part – and the number increases every year.

A detailed list of the contents of the parcels has been worked out to ensure that only really meaningful things are sent and none of the children is neglected. Preparations begin as early as September in our Warendorf office, information leaflets and replies to queries are distributed in October to the various institutions so that the parcels are ready in good time and by the beginning of December can be sent on their way. Parcels wrapped by individual persons are highly welcome, too. They can b e delivered at the office of Aktion Kleiner Prinz, Beckumer Str. 36, Warendorf, every Thursday between 3 and 5 p.m. There also lists are available with information about the contents of the parcels (telephone 02581-784747).

In loading and transport we are assisted by a great number of voluntary helpers, several Warendorf firms and the Federal Army’s Sport Academy. Trustworthy and reliable organisations in Rumania like Caritas and Sinergii, known to us through years of collaboration, guarantee that each parcel gets to the right address.

From the beginning of the scheme up to 2010 the number of parcels that have gone out had reached 131.000, a token of the solidarity and goodwill our children bear towards others who are less fortunate than they are. How much they achieve by this is testified over and over again by thank-you letters like the one received from the chairwoman of the Rumanian child help organisation Sinergii: “Your scheme has brought back hope, joy and trust into the hearts of many who have not been able to look forward to Christmas for a long time.”