Help Us Help Others! DONATE NOW
Medacta for Life Foundation’s Christmas charity initiative, One Gift for Every Child, reaches its 6th edition this year. Yet every year brings the same emotion, the same eagerness to find the most meaningful gift, and the same desire to be close to the many children and young people who are so dear to us.
One Gift for Every Child is dedicated to the less fortunate children and youths living in our region. The donations we collect allow us to purchase a gift for the residents of the CEM – Educational Centers for Minors of the Canton of Ticino, as well as for unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, hosted in migrant centers operated by the Red Cross, Ticino Section.
CEMs are protected facilities, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, that welcome children and adolescents who need to be temporarily removed from their family environment due to social, educational, and/or psychological issues. Removal from the home becomes necessary when various difficulties make the family or biological parent no longer able to support the healthy development of their child. At that point, CEMs and foster families step in, offering the child the care and warmth they need.
CEMs in Ticino alone host more than 350 minors between the ages of 0 and 21. Of these, over 200 children and adolescents live permanently in the facilities—these are minors who cannot return to their biological families or for whom a foster family is not yet available. The Red Cross migrant centers also host an ever-growing number of minors—children and young people who arrive in Ticino alone, without a family member or adult to rely on, leaving behind unlivable conditions in the hope of receiving asylum, and a future.
As of December 2025, there are 584 minors present in the CEM facilities and in the Red Cross migration foyers, divided as follows:
➢ 355 minors in the Educational Centers for Minors (CEM):
13 children aged 0–3; 69 aged 4–10; 82 aged 11–14; 160 youths aged 15–18; 31 young adults aged 19–21
➢ 229 unaccompanied minors hosted in the Red Cross foyers:
1 child under 14; 162 youths aged 15–18; 66 young adults aged 19–21
In close collaboration with the Directors and Coordinators of each Center, as well as with the Red Cross, this year we are purchasing three different types of gifts, in order to meet the diverse needs of the children and youths. Some of the children—especially the youngest—will receive Gift Vouchers for an afternoon filled with activities and discovery at Ca.Stella Farm, a wonderful educational farm and much more, located in Meride. Another group has requested to repeat last year’s experience at Splash&Spa, where—thanks to an exclusive agreement—we were able to offer Admission Vouchers for hours of fun. Older youths, and those who specifically expressed this preference, will receive Shopping Vouchers redeemable at Manor, allowing each of them to choose something useful or desired.
Each minor will also receive a milk chocolate bar to accompany their gift voucher. The chocolate has been specially branded for the charitable initiative and is the result of a collaboration with an important local producer, committed to sustainability and to the local area: Chocolat Stella.
How to Participate
• Online donations are now open via Twint, PayPal, Credit Cards or bank transfer.
Payment reference: One Gift for Every Child.
Direct links: Donate Now | Medacta for Life Foundation | Health and Development Projects
• Please remember that all charitable donations are tax-deductible, and a certificate is issued upon request.
If the fundraising proves particularly successful, we have already identified additional local organizations that may benefit from further contributions. We will provide detailed information on the allocation of the collected funds after the holiday season.
For more details or to request a donation certificate (for tax deduction purposes), please contact us at:
Tel.: +41 79 579 1605
Email: info@medactaforlife.com
We warmly thank all those who wish to contribute to this precious initiative, recalling the words of an extraordinary woman:
“At this Christmas when Christ comes, will He find a warm heart?
Mark the season of Advent by loving and serving the others with God’s own love and concern.”
— Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Help Us Help Others! DONATE NOW