Shoeboxes rather than X-Boxes have been putting smiles on the faces of children at Christmas for 10 years as ROBERT FISK finds out.

WHILE Santa Claus was riding his sleigh across the world with his sack full of goodies a truck was making its way across Europe to brighten the lives of families in Kosovo.

Containing much-needed blankets, clothes and shoes its arrival in Gjakove, western Kosovo, was a great help to people battling the cold where temperatures can drop to -22C.

But the Kosovan children were most excited about the arrival of shoeboxes filled with toys and toiletries.

News Shopper: A Kosovan girl is delighted to receive her shoebox

Sending out the gift boxes started when Orpington-based charity Smile International was founded by Reverend Clive Doubleday and his wife Ruth in 2000.

Back then they took around 300 boxes and the number has grown to 12,000 each Christmas making a grand total of 100,000 in 10 years.

Revd Doubleday said: “We are just an Orpington family and it has been amazing how it’s grown and developed.

“We are just helping the poorest of the poor and trying to make a difference the best that we can.

“Initially we thought it was just going to be a one off trip and now we have 80 staff worldwide.

“We are very grateful to all the schools, parents and churches who have donated shoeboxes.

“We know that these made many children happy this Christmas time [and] we could not do it without the support of the local people.”

It all started when Revd Doubleday had settled down to an evening watching television in 1999.

The pastor was so affected by what he saw on a news report about refugees fleeing the conflict in Kosovo that it changed his life.

With his wife Ruth he collected aid from people in the borough to take out there and as soon as they had enough to fill a truck they left for the war torn region.

News Shopper: Reverend Clive Doubleday helps to pack the lorry to go to Kosovo

It took the former pastor of Poverest Road Baptist Church, in Petts Wood, and his family eight days to get from Petts Wood to Macedonia.

They were greeted by the sight of 30,000 tents filled with around a quarter of a million refugees.

Seeing this affected them so much they decided to found Smile International, which is based in Rushet Road, St Paul’s Cray.

Revd Doubleday added: “The aid has kept rolling in and in the last ten years we have had around 1,500 volunteers giving out aid and working with the children.

“We have built widows houses [after their husbands were killed] as a lot of them were living in barns in -22C temperatures.

“And we have brought a number of children to the UK for operations including a 12-year-old boy who had a bullet lodged in his lung.”

The charity now also works in Africa and Asia.

For more information call 01689 870932 or visit smileinternational.org