Ben – Christmas Appeal 2024
You can help make Christmas magical for a child like Ben
Ben’s parents, like so many in Ireland, have been struggling with the cost of living crisis. It has put a huge strain on their finances, meaning they haven’t been able to provide for Ben like they want to and they know he deserves. They have been wracked with guilt over it all and it has taken a toll on their own marriage too, leading to a lot of fighting.
Last Christmas, Ben moved in with his granny, Frances, because things were getting too unstable at home. On Christmas Eve, when Frances came to pick him up, Ben was just told that Mam and Dad had some things they needed to do and he’d be staying with her, just for a little while.
Ben didn’t want to go though. He knew there was a lot of fighting but he didn’t understand why he was being taken away. He wondered if it was his fault that things were bad…
When Frances picked Ben up, she found out that Ben’s parents didn’t have any presents for him. After paying for heating, they had little left for a Christmas dinner, let alone presents. They had nothing for their bills, their debts were mounting. The heating and electricity had been cut off, and they had nothing left for presents. The pressure was intense and the fighting was constant.
Being on her own, and living off a single pension, Frances couldn’t run out to get something for Ben last minute. If you could have seen him on Christmas morning, waking up in a house that wasn’t his, to find nothing under the tree.
He was so sure he had done something wrong, why else would Santa not come?
Frances didn’t know how to reassure him. She wanted to help him so badly but she just didn’t know how to talk to an eight-year-old about such tough subjects, and that’s when she reached out to the Barnardos Family support service.
Thanks to our Family Support Centre’s new child and family room, which was so generously funded by kind donors, Diarmuid had a calm space to work with Ben and helped him to use words to talk about his feelings and notice what relaxed him.
Meeting with Ben every week, Diarmuid was delighted when Ben began to open up and share his experience and tell us about his life at home.
It was so sad hearing what he had to say and for him to explain from his perspective what had been happening at home, and all the important childhood moments he had missed out on.
During one of their sessions, Ben opened up about going back to school after Christmas break. He said his class did a project where everyone painted their Christmas. The other children all painted colourful trees, toys, reindeer, and turkey dinners. They used colour and glitter to make them look as bright and happy as they could.
Ben told Diarmuid that he hadn’t had any of those things and didn’t know what to draw so he just copied off the boy next to him. It was clear on his face how much it upset him to be left out. He was missing out on such a magical part of being a child and he knew it.
Barnardos provided 25% more services last year and yet demand is still growing. That means that for a lot of families out there, things are getting worse instead of better, and there will be even more cold Christmases than last year.
Barnardos wishes for a future where Christmas is a happy time for all children in Ireland, free from the trauma and fear that thousands of children are currently facing instead.
We have over 2,000 families just like Bens on a waitlist as our current services struggle to keep up. This is just wrong and we want to do everything we can do to make sure every child receives the support they deserve.
We can only do this with your help.
You can be the change that is needed to break the cycle of trauma that so many families, like Ben’s, find themselves in.
Your contribution can give children like Ben the magical Christmas they deserve and a brighter future to look forward to. Please, donate today and make this holiday season truly special for vulnerable children in need.
Every single donation goes a long way in making a difference to the lives of children like Ben.
A gift today....
... means that children like Ben can receive hot meals in one of our Barnardos Centres, and even take part in a little Christmas celebration and receive treats!
By donating...
... you can also help ensure the parents of children like Ben are equipped with the parenting and budgeting skills they need to make sure their children don’t go without the essentials – including a warm meal and presents at Christmas.
And if you can afford to give a generous gift...
... Ben and children like him will be able to receive individual support in Barnardos, where they will learn to recognise and cope with all the overwhelming feelings that come with their traumatic experiences. So they can be children again. And that they too can have a happy Christmas just like every child deserves.
While Ben’s story is true, We have changed all names and some other details in order to protect the family’s identity. Photos used are models.