This week, the 52 Lives School Kindness Project not only got to visit two amazing schools but we also got to meet the incredible young lady who was our 'life of the week'. 

The first school on our list this week was Buckingham Park Church of England Primary in Aylesbury. Our Director of Kindness, Greig, chatted to the children and staff about what it means to be kind and how kindness can affect the people and the world around them. After hearing examples of some of the lives that the 52 Lives community had helped to change, the children were eager to help change the life of another.

Greig told them all about an amazing 9 year old girl called Olivia. Olivia is facing a lot of challenges in her life. Her sensory issues are so great that she hasn’t been able to eat or drink anything for nearly three years. For two years she had a tube in her nose that fed into her stomach. It had to be removed and reinstated every four weeks, which was incredibly distressing for her. On Christmas Eve a couple of years ago, the tube change went wrong and Olivia struggled to breath. The memory of this still affects her. Olivia now has a tube that goes directly into her stomach, which has been better for her as it doesn’t need to be changed and isn’t as visible - having a tube on her face had been significantly affecting her self esteem.

The children at Buckingham Park wanted to let Olivia know just how amazing and brave they think she is and drew and wrote the most beautiful pictures and letters for her, as well as making gifts and sending supportive video messages. At the end of the day, the kids all gathered around to sing a song for Olivia which you can see in the video below. 

It was the most incredible afternoon and the week got even better when 52 Lives headed up to Olivia and Emma's hometown of Peterborough and visited Hampton Vale Primary where the children once again inspired us with their kindness and love for others. The children at Hampton Vale consisted of representatives of the different year groups and again made the most incredible and heartfelt cards and letters. 

The messages from both schools were ones of inclusion and support, with Olivia receiving many offers for her to be friends and come and visit them. 

Greig was then lucky enough to pop over to Olivia and Emma's house and hand-deliver all the cards and gifts that the children had made for them. As you can see from the video below, Olivia was left speechless by what these kind and caring children had done for her.