When a social worker asked a 17-year-old girl what her dream Christmas gift would be, the shy teenager replied that she really wished for new teeth.

The girl had been plucked out of a life of neglect and her teeth were rotten due to years of malnourishment. Still, despite her difficult childhood, the young woman dreams of being able to smile confidently, explains Remenda Borg Grech, coordinator of the Children’s Dreams campaign. 

The campaign is being carried out by government support agency Appoġġ in collaboration with the Lithuanian Children's Dreams Campaign.

The campaign seeks to fulfil the dreams of more than 700 children who live in out-of-home care or who are at risk of poverty.

Social workers, who work with these children on a daily basis, asked them what they really wanted and why. Most replies stunned the social workers.

“We are used to these children but we speak to them about their life situations and don’t usually ask them what they want.

“So when you ask a child that question and they tell you something like ‘a blanket’ or ‘a heater’, it is heart-wrenching,” said social worker Eman Galea.

Once the children and their dreams were identified, they were placed on the website childrendreams.org with a fictitious name to protect confidentiality.

Members of the public can browse the site and click on a dream they want to fulfil.

The gift is then passed on through the social worker.

People can choose to pool in to fulfil dreams, especially in the case of the more pricey ones.

Most were not overly expensive except for a few exceptions such as the teenager’s teeth, which would cost about €9,000.

Ms Borg Grech said the dreamers’ ages spanned between an unborn child and a 17-year-old.

The campaign was currently helping a pregnant woman who did not have money to buy basics such as nappies and baby clothes, she said.

When you ask a child what they wanted and they tell you something like ‘a blanket’ or ‘a heater’, it is heart-wrenching

Dreams ranged from wanting to eating at McDonald’s to having watertight shoes and a warm jacket for winter.

One child asked for a partition for his room that he shared with several siblings and a group of children who lived in a residential home asked for bicycles. Clothes were the most popular request.

“When you listen to their dreams you realise how little these children have.

“The majority asked for clothes because they always have hand-me-downs that are usually too big or too small. Teenagers feel uncomfortable when they do not have decent clothes and others want clothes to attend job interviews,” Ms Borg Grech said.

Then, she added, there were a number of children who asked for tablets and computers. Although expensive, the agency decided to include these dreams because the children needed them.

“One boy said he never invited friends back home because he did not have what to offer them to play with. So he had no friends,” she said.

Mr Galea recounted how, some time ago, he went to visit a four-year-old girl at home and she told him her brother had gone on a school outing to the National Aquarium. However, her mother could not afford to send her too if they were to have enough money for food.

When he went back another time and asked her what her dream was she immediately said going to the aquarium, which provided tickets for the family.

“When they learnt that their parents would be joining them it made it even more special for them. They were so happy that they could enjoy a day with their family without being a financial burden,” he said.

Visit http://childrendreams.org or find the page on Facebook.