Martin Elf, 35, and Sandra Söderqvist, 31, from Karlstad want all children to have the opportunity to have a party. That’s why they organize children’s parties, which are almost completely free, for families who are having a tough time financially.
– We notice that the children feel good when they are allowed to participate, says Sandra Söderqvist in Efter fem.
Today, every tenth child in Sweden, approximately 200 thousand children, lives in a family affected by economic vulnerability, according to Rädda Barnen.
Both Martin Elf and Sandra Söderqvist work in stores. They notice that customers’ buying patterns have changed. On Facebook, parents who ask for tips see how to organize cheap children’s parties.
– They don’t want to do all these expensive activities in the same way as before. There are very high demands today, says Sandra.
The idea of cheap children’s parties came to the couple when they were celebrating their own son’s birthday, which Värmlands Folkblad was the first to report on.
“All children have a lot of fun”
The couple noticed that they both had the time and energy to fix a party, and started organizing the school disco. Since then, the hobby business has developed.
Party equipment is stacked from floor to ceiling in the couple’s storage – everything from disco lights to party tents, and both karaoke and smoking machines. These are rented out to families with children.
Martin and Sandra say that it feels good to give the children an experience that they might otherwise not have had.
– It can be seen that all the children have a lot of fun and feel very good when they get to participate, says Sandra.
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