More on @santashoebox

A couple of people have asked if their shoe box for Africa ever actually reaches its destination and what happens if there aren't enough boxes for all the children.

I never really gave it much thought when we took part in operation Christmas child, the UK scheme. There are 5 children, 4 boys and 1 girl and the children made a box for a child the same age and sex as themselves and the boxes were dropped at school or the local library

About 6 weeks ago I tweeted to ask 'Do they do shoe boxes for Africa, in Africa?' and I was given a link for @santashoebox

I attended a training session last night to prepare for the drop off days next week that I've volunteered to assist with and found why this scheme came to being and what happens to the boxes.

I can't guarantee what happens to the boxes from the UK, but I can tell you what happens to the ones here.

@santashoebox is part of www.kidztokidz.co.za

Mission Statement
Kidz2Kidz Trust achieves it's Vision as a liason organization between the donors and the recipients by acting as a Facilitator between the various parties concerned ensuring that:

•Projects are initiated to benefit needy Children
•Children learn the"art of giving" through their involvement in the various projects run by the Kidz2Kidz organization
•Donations received are distributed to the needy communities
•An abundance of giving is created through the Kidz2Kidz Santa Shoebox Project
•Communities are built and empowered through fundraising and skills development.

@santashoebox has 70,000 boxes pledge to children in South Africa, these children are abused, abandoned and neglected. Various organisations are requested to submit the names, ages and sex of all children in their care, a child here is up to the age of 21. these children are in hospitals, interim care homes, foster care and from depriaved areas of society.

To ensure all children receive a box in an organisation, as names and numbers are collected in advance, generic shoe boxes are also requested. This ensures all children in an organisation receive a box and also caters for waifs and strays that turn up on the day from neighbouring areas, ensuring no one is left out.

So what about unsuitable items that are put in the box, these are either distributed to more appropriate facilities, ie bibles are donated to local church groups, battery operated toys, mobiles are sold and the funds ploughed back into the scheme to purchase clothing or toys more suitable to the child's age, and unsuitable food such as chocolates which melt and crisps, biscuits that get crushed are given out on 'Celebration Day' when the boxes are distributed.

So everything is used, every child gets a box within an organisation and the boxes go directly to where they are needed.

Don't worry about the boxes that have extra stuff in it, that child does has a little bit more.

If you are doing shoe boxes this year, here's a list of do's and don'ts and remember the older child too..there's a shortage of donations for boys aged 15+

Remember you don't have to spend a fortune, this scheme came about as a way for children to share and to give surplus and unwanted items to others less fortunate.

Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Face Cloth
Bar of soap
Cuddly toy
Educational equipment (colouring book, crayons)
Deodorant (not sprays, can trigger asthma)
Toy (age appropriate, ie marbles and 2 year olds don't mix, no symbols or war, toy soldiers, guns, knives)
Sweets (again age appropriate, no chocolate, biscuits, crisps, they melt and get crushed)
Item of clothing (remember it's Summer in Africa at Christmas time)
NO LIQUIDS (they leak they not only spoil the contents of one box, but the others around it)

Shoe box appeal, do you do it?

Shoe boxes for Africa

23/11/2011

Tomorrow I've been invited to take part in the celebration day at the PACSEN facility in Pretoria. Parents of children with special needs.
http://www.firechildren.org/index.asp?child=children

I'm very privileged to be attending a celebration day, where the boxes will be handed out to the children.



October 2011

I always do a shoe box for Africa for Christmas from my children, in total I pack and wrap 5 every year and either drop them off at their school or the local library. And now we live in Africa I thought I should do them here as well. The 5 shoe boxes are in the process of being made up, a bit more shopping to do, drop off point located and we’re away.
This year I’ve also decided to get a little bit more involved and this evening I’ve been to Pretoria for a 90 minute training session to find out what I’ll be doing on ‘drop off’ day, next week. I met a lovely group of women and next Thursday, Friday and Saturday I’ll be at Crawford College where they are expecting nearly 2000 shoe boxes, which all have to be scanned, checked for *unsuitable items, sealed and put in cartons ready for collection.
I will be attending armed with selotape, scissors, string, marker pens, note pad, biros and as many cup cakes as I can bake for the volunteers and some good old reliable PG Tips
But that’s not the end of it, the boxes then have to be delivered and handed over to the various homes, hospitals and groups at a ‘Celebration Day’.
I shall keep you posted.

*unsuitable items
Toys that have political, racial or religious connotations, toy guns, knives (people often put pen knives in for older boys) and any symbols of war such as toy soldiers.
This year they are allowing liquids i.e. shampoos etc but these have to be put into a sealed plastic bag.
Unsuitable foods include chocolate, biscuits and crisps. It’s summer and these food items go off or get crushed as the boxes are moved.

Anything that is removed is replaced with a more suitable item, then the items collected are donated to other organisations. The food items are stored and used at the ‘Celebration Day’

It’s not too late to get involved check out @santashoebox for more information

my Groove is coming along nicely

Recovering my groove
I’m going out tonight and tomorrow and Friday. Wow you may say, but since relocating to South Africa in January I’ve not had a job or even friends...how sad is that?
There’s no hanging round the school gates, waiting for my kids any more, none of the automatic socialising that comes from having small children. No job to go to (on a 2 year visitor visa) so now general chit chat and invites out to the pub...so how do you make friends?
Oh it is sooooo hard and takes so long...if you’ve been reading my blog www.chickenruby.com you’ll see I’ve made more than an effort, I’ve taken people up on their suggestions, I’ve gone along as billy no mates to social events at the club house on the estate.
I made my hubby introduce me to one of his colleagues at work and we’re getting on fine, the trouble is her being a single, full time working mum, I have to wait for her to be available and she also travel with her work an awful lot. She has invited me for breakfast with some of her colleagues and I really enjoyed their company, then meeting up with one of the women for lunch last week.
I made hubby accept work invites even though it’s not his thing and that is where we are going on Friday night, a leaving do.
Tonight and via Twitter I found the @santashoebox and have volunteered with the collection of some 52,701 shoe box pledges for African Children for Christmas. The training session is tonight and the drop off next week at Crawford College in Pretoria.
Tomorrow night is Internations night, a once a month expat meeting in Brooklyn, Pretoria. I met some lovely people last month and although no further contacts were made, the message board is busy with people confirming their attendance.
What with getting out more and finally securing a voluntary role with @thebabyhouse, my groove is coming along nicely.