Jozef Sopoliga, director of the Lutheran Elementary School in Martin, said this about his experience in America: “In 2004 , before the beginning of the Lutheran Elementary School in Martin, I was a guest in American. I visited an elementary school there and It was very inspiring for me because the 6th graders in America asked ´How can we help you?’“
When I asked Josef why he thought the children wanted to help them, he said: “They have a good school, and they have learned they should think about others and help them.” His experience in America is one of the reasons the Lutheran Elementary School in Martin completes social projects each year.
The school project last year helped kids from the Ukraine. This year the students from the Lutheran Elementary School are helping refugees and individuals granted political asylum. Because they have no options in their country they have moved to Slovakia and need our help.
Our school’s social project has one goal: to actively help the refugee people. We accomplish this goal in four different ways. First, we collect clothing, school supplies and toiletries for the refugees. Secondly, the students create crafts and sell them with the money going to the refugees. Third, we provide food and drink in the cafeteria and the money raised supports our social project. Fourth, we have money boxes—called cent-boxes—our children and family fill with spare change. Last year the students collected 219 euros! This is terrific because it just shows that the adults are not the only ones who know how to share and give to those in need of a new home.
The students at the Lutheran Elementary School in Martin had a successful program. In fact, Governess Ita, Director of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Slovakis complemented the school’s program: ““This project met its main goal, to teach children to share with others what they have.”
