Twenty-three years ago a young girl from Chester placed a comb, mirror, sweets, pencils and toiletries into a colourfully decorated shoebox.

The seven-year-old added a photo of herself along with a neatly handwritten letter.

“Dear friend, I hope you like my gifts,” she wrote. “I hope you have a lovely Christmas. Ps. Eat whatever you like first.”

Astrid had never met the child from the war-torn country of Bosnia and Herzegovina who was to receive this thoughtful Christmas gift.

But the package went on to touch the heart of its recipient for many years to come.

Lejla tells her story

Lejla was born in Cazin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1983 and lived there during the Bosnian War of 1992 to 1995.

The violent armed conflict resulted in the deaths of 100,000 people and the displacement of more than 2.2 million people.

It was the most devastating war in Europe since the end of World War II.

To give hope to children affected by conflict Samaritan’s Purse ran the Operation Christmas Child campaign.

In 1994 they sent 250,000 shoeboxes filled with gifts to Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Kenya, Rwanda, Russia, Romania, Hungary and Albania.

Lejla was one of the children to receive a care package.

She told her story to the War Childhood Museum in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the world’s only museum focused on the experiences of children in war.

“In 1994, the children of Cazin received little care packages. I remember my excitement as I approached the house that was in charge of distribution,” she said.

“The shoebox was colourfully decorated. The package had toiletries, candy, and a photo and letter from Astrid.”

Lejla said the gift was a part of her daily life for a long time and she kept the comb and mirror in her makeup bag.

“I never used the colours because I did not know how long the war would last and I did not want to run out of them.”

Jasminko Halilovic is the founder of the War Childhood Museum which displays thousands of personal objects and stories.

He said that the items might seem ‘modest and irrelevant at first glance’ but each represents a child’s experience.

“These stories are not only ones of sorrow, but also of joy, pride, nostalgia and other passions.”

Now Jasminko and Lejla are keen to find the woman who said she was from ‘Broughton, Chester’ that put together the thoughtful gift box to complete the story.

Lejla said: “I tried getting in touch with Astrid, but the address was incomplete. Maybe someday these items will find Astrid.

“The photo she sent me of her in a pool is still part of my family album. At that moment, I wished that I had that smile and that pool.”

If you are Astrid or know anymore about the shoebox appeal in Chester email cheshire.news@trinitymirror.com or send us a message on our Facebook page.