A 35-year-old mother in Azerbaijan is searching for a Liverpool boy whose Christmas letter reached her 25 years ago at a boarding school for children deprived of parental care, the Liverpool Echo reported on October 13.
Aysel Hajiyeva, who lives in Quba, received a gift box through the Operation Christmas Child scheme around 2000-2001, when she was 10. Inside was a handwritten letter from Daniel Allen, then nine years old, of Hereford Road in Seaforth. Her 10-year-old daughter Fatima recently found the letter among old belongings, and now Mrs. Hajiyeva is appealing to local Facebook groups to track Daniel down.
A letter that crossed thousands of miles
The letter was simple and direct, the kind of thing a nine-year-old writes without ceremony.
Hello, my name is Daniel Allen. I am nine years old. I've just had my birthday on the 27th October. I live with my mum next door to my Grandma. I have a little cousin called Toni. She is only four years old, and she has just started school. I am in the Cubs; when I get old enough, I will go into the Scouts. Do you have Cubs and Scouts in your country? We all hope you like the things that we have put in your box, and we all wish you a very happy Christmas, and we hope you get other presents as well as this box. Happy Christmas, love, from Daniel and Toni.
Mrs. Hajiyeva told the Liverpool Echo the box made her feel remembered and loved by someone she had never met. At the time, Britain and Liverpool were distant places she knew only from maps and school textbooks.
It was a magical feeling; touching those items and smelling them made me feel as if I was travelling to that distant country myself, she said.
Knowing that a child thousands of miles away sat down, prepared that gift, and wrote a letter specifically for me created a deep, personal connection that I will never forget, she told the newspaper.
Life at the boarding school in Quba
Mrs. Hajiyeva was living at the boarding school in the Zardabi settlement in Quba, where everyday life revolved around studying, sharing meals, playing together, and supporting one another. She remembers the school as a place of warmth, friendship, and security despite the challenges the children faced.
The arrival of the gift boxes was one of the highlights of the year. Around New Year's Eve, the children would gather in the main hall, where parcels marked for different age groups were distributed.
I remember the excitement vividly. We were all so eager and happy when the gifts arrived. Holding that box felt like holding a precious treasure from a world we had only imagined, she said.
The children would open the boxes with joy, show everything to their friends, and sometimes swap toys so that everyone got something they loved.
Opening the box was pure magic, but finding a handwritten letter inside made it truly unforgettable, she said. Realising that a child in Liverpool had personally written those words for me created a deep, heart-warming connection that transcended geography.
Why a family keepsake matters more than a social media campaign
There is a lesson in this story that sits uncomfortably with our age of instant connection. A nine-year-old boy, guided by his family, sat down with pen and paper and wrote to a stranger. No profile, no followers, no performance. He spoke of his mother, his grandmother next door, his young cousin Toni, and his ambitions in the Cubs and Scouts. It is a picture of ordinary family life, and it did more good than a thousand awareness campaigns ever could.
Mrs. Hajiyeva said the box brought happiness not only to her but to all the children around her. It gave us a feeling of warmth, hope, and the beautiful realisation that kindness knows no borders, she said.
Contrast that with the manufactured outrage and digital petitions that pass for compassion today. One handwritten letter, kept for a quarter of a century and treasured across two generations, achieved something no hashtag has managed. Families and communities, not institutions or campaigns, remain the true instruments of kindness.
The daughter's discovery and the search for Daniel
Years passed and the gift box became a treasured memory. Then the letter resurfaced in an unexpected way.
Years later, my daughter was looking through some old things at home and unexpectedly found the letter, Mrs. Hajiyeva said. When she showed it to me and said she wanted to write back to this address, it instantly brought back a rush of childhood memories. It was an incredibly emotional moment.
She said holding a piece of her childhood after nearly 25 years filled her heart with warmth and nostalgia, and seeing that her daughter felt the same curiosity and desire to connect made it even more special. The wish to reach out has passed from mother to daughter, which is exactly how good things are transmitted between generations.
Following the rediscovery, Mrs. Hajiyeva has reached out to local Facebook groups around Seaforth in an effort to find Daniel Allen or his family. Daniel would now be in his mid-thirties.
Receiving those gift boxes from so far away meant the world to us. It made us feel remembered, valued, and loved by people who didn't even know us, she said. For all the children, it wasn't just about the gifts inside; it brought a sense of wonder, hope, and pure joy into our lives.
She added: I haven't managed to reconnect yet, but I hope to hear from Daniel soon.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the Christmas letter found after 25 years?
Daniel Allen, then a nine-year-old boy from Hereford Road in Seaforth, Liverpool, wrote the letter that accompanied a gift box sent to Azerbaijan through Operation Christmas Child around 2000-2001.
Who found the letter after 25 years?
Fatima, the 10-year-old daughter of Aysel Hajiyeva, discovered the letter while looking through old belongings at the family home in Quba, Azerbaijan.
Why is Aysel Hajiyeva searching for Daniel Allen?
Mrs. Hajiyeva, who received the letter as a child at a boarding school in Quba, wants to thank Daniel for the kindness that left a lasting impression on her childhood. She has appealed to local Facebook groups in the Seaforth area to find him or his family.