Birthday in a Box

April is our happy month because we are going to spread out love to another orphanage! More orphanage means more children being loved by us, means more opportunities for our volunteers to give back to the society.

As this project moves forward, as the words spread in our society,  more people starting to approach us to sign up as sponsors and volunteers. On behalf of Birthday in a Box, I would like to take this opportunity to thank these people:

- Sponsors (sponsors for our cakes, food and fund)

  Without you, it would not be possible for us to take up this new orphanage and spread the love to the children. We thank you for the trust, especially when most of you actually approached us by yourself. It is only with great trust that you are able to do that. 

 We promise that we will guard the trust you have for us. We will continue to bring happiness and spread love for the children with the fund you sponsored. 

- Volunteers 

 Without your ever ready support, the children would not be able to have so much fun. With you presence, they could feel the warmth you gave them. 

 Thank you for wanting to be a change in our community, for wanting to give back to the society. I can assure you that that few hours that you share with them, will bear fruits that we might not be able to see with our naked eyes.

- Planing Committees

 What do I do without you guys, really? Everyone only knows that I am the one in charge of this thing, but let me tell you this, I will never be able to do this myself. Only with their help that I am able to do all these. 

 Thank you for your trust in this project. From day 0, your faith in BIB never wavers. My crazy ideas are never too crazy for you. For being the pillars of BIB from then till now. I truly hope you can see what I see now.

Like the 4 life cycles of butterfly. From egg (the idea), it hatches to Larva/ Caterpillar (the birthday celebrations), and then it slowly become the pupa (also the coolest stage of a butterfly's). During the pupa stage, it looks like it is resting, but the fact is, the caterpillar is slowly changing inside the pupa. It is undergoing a remarkable transformation.

However, I wish we can be at this stage for the longest time possible because I believe BIB is not a goal. BIB is a journey. It is a never ending journey because love doesn't stop even when we are gone.  It continues on and on, from generation to generation. We will stay in the Pupa stage for as long as we need to :) 

1. Introduction and Decoration

2. Lunch

Today's menu: Nashor, Keropok and colourful eggs!

It's in Chinese tradition that birthday girls or boys would eat red coloured eggs. Lisa and I had decided to get a basket full of colourful eggs to depict our sense of togetherness. Our skin colour and beliefs may be different, but we are brought together by love. 

Ain't I cute?

Arts and crafts session! Lisa had decided to teach the children to make pin wheel. We had divided them into two groups, the lower primary and the upper primary. The lower primary ones would do colouring with us while the older ones learnt how to make pinwheel from Lisa and other brothers and sisters. 

Look at how serious they were!

There are supposed to be 2 birthday girls, Alya and Riskawati. Riskawati happened to be in school on that day preparing for exams. Fret not! We are celebrating hers on May!

While we sing her birthday song....

We noticed she cried..

It was such a heartwarming moment. I had a mixed feelings at that moment. I was sad because I realised that they were really forgotten by us. We may donate them food, daily necessities and other stuff. But has anyone ever remember their birthday?

At the same time, I was happy too. I was convinced that this event really touches their hearts. It made us want to keep going on to bring out the best in them. 

The melted whipped cream

This is really due to our negligence. We had left the cake in the car for way toooo long that the whipped cream melted. When we opened the box, I was terrified by the now flat cupcakes. I was worried of the children's reaction.

To our surprise, after explaining to them the state of the cupcakes, every single one of them said "no it is perfectly fine. we still can eat it." I was like... wow... What would your reaction be? On your birthday, the birthday cake got ruined. I mean, more or less you would feel disappointed right?

But these kids, no disappointment at all. In facet they gave me a very curious look as though saying "What are you talking about? The cake looks perfect!" To them, everything is a blessing.

5. Giving out goodies and photo taking

Time to give out the goodies from our box!

Don't forget to add us as friends on Facebook www.facebook.com/everychildisagift and follow us on our Instagram www.instagram.com/bdayboxbatam. We are also on LINE! Add us too and chat us there if you have any other queries. Search for @bdayboxbatam MUST include the @ while searching).

With love,

Reni Chen

Our children's favourite brothers and sisters!

Our March celebration was awesome! Every month, there is just something so valuable for us to take a way. Read on to see why :)

It's our first time having lunch together with the children. We had ordered Mee Goreng, fried chicken and cracker for the children. 

On our first celebration with them, they were really impatient and always want to go first. We slowly taught them the importance of queuing. We showed them that getting all impatient will only slow the process and no one would be happy about it.

They understood and realised that even if they were the last to get the food, they still get to eat them together. 

That smile :)

After everyone had gotten their food, we prayed together and started tucking in. I saw this and couldn't help but to feel a warmth in my heart. "Love is only real when shared", isn't it?

3. Games

It's game time! As they had just had their fills, we did not want them to have too strenuous activity and so we let them play "Show me your teeth and you lose!"

The children are divided into 2 teams. Both teams would send out a representative to make the poker face. The children at the back would then try to make funny faces to make their opponent's representative laugh. The one who lost would go to the back and send another person up. The team who ran out of people lose! 

"You showed your teeth!"

4. Singing Session

Before we went ahead to teach them new songs, we get the team that lost in the earlier game to perform in front the songs that we had taught them the previous celebration.

They listen attentively!

We taught them Barney song, you know the "I love you, you love me, we are happy family"

"With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you. Won't you say you love me too."

The big brothers and sisters are showing love to each other too, because we are one big family :)

5. Birthday Celebration

Our March babies!

Cakes sponsored by @Ladyscake

Sometime I really wish I can read minds. I wonder what went through their minds when they stood in front of their fellow friends, celebrating their birthdays. I want to know so bad, but I do not wish to ask them. Why? I don't know why too.

There are so much things that I want to do for them, but then there is so little that I can. Nevertheless, I will still do my best. With a great team like what I have now, is probably the greatest gift I received as a start off of this project.

Happy kids with the presents prepared with love by @ladyscake too, the one who sponsored the cake monthly. 

Time to give out the goodies from our BOX!

A group photo at the end of the day <3

You can view the rest of the albums on our Facebook account. Don't forget to add us as friends on Facebook if you have not already done that :)

Our lovely volunteers of the month

It's that time of the month again, the day that we are always looking forward to! This time we have more volunteers joining us for the celebration! Despite being only the second celebration, we have received a lot of support and encouragement from friends and even strangers.

Words cannot describe how comforted we felt when we knew that people in our community are very supportive of this movement. It drives us to want to do more for the society.

About us corner!

Birthday in a Box Batam very first public appearance is at none other than our former school's anniversary bazaar! It's the school's annual event where public is allowed to set up booth in the school, selling various items from food to tupperware.

We see this as our chance to say hi to our juniors in school, as well as our dear teachers who still teaches there! We had decided to sell sandwiches, home brew Ribenna and ice cream!

Thankful for the two volunteers who helped out on the first day!

The legendary Ribenna that my mom brewed with love! Lots of customer came back the second day and asked for it, sadly we only have it on the first day!

Sandwiches made and packed with love and care!

Look at how focus the two volunteers were!

The people who helped out on the second day!

On the second day, we received three of this packet of rice from our neighbouring stall because we offered them drinks and ice cream on the house. This culture of giving and receiving is still in tact in Indonesia! How beautiful!

Us with the neighbouring stall!

None of our food and drains went to waste because we gave out the remains to the staff and sound crews at the end of both days.