Santa Shoebox Project to reach an estimated 70 000 Children in South Africa this year
Port Elizabeth, 21 October 2011 - Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Business School faculty and staff on Friday morning (21 October 2011) participated in Kidz2Kidz’s Santa Shoebox Project, an inspiring community initiative that co-ordinates the donation, collection and distribution of personalised gifts to children from underprivileged communities during the Festive Season.
Around 40 faculty and staff members of the Business School’s Leadership Academy participated during a special morning event at the NMMU Bird Street campus packing gifts into and decorating shoe boxes in support of this national festive season gift drive. This year the national organiser set a target of 70 000 Santa Shoe Boxes.
According to Kim Keen, Santa Shoebox Project Eastern Cape Co-ordinator, around 29 facilities in the Eastern Cape, such as learning centres, HIV Aids Care Centres and Children Day Care Facilities, will receive around 2 500 gift boxes pledged by organisations, schools and individuals from the province for Christmas. The Business School’s Santa Shoe Boxes has been designated to children of the Sinethemba Children's Care Centre in Port Elizabeth.
Sinethemba has been running for many years now and is a home for abandoned street children of all ages. These children literally have nowhere else to go and if it was not for Sinethemba they would most likely not have survived the harsh reality of being homeless. Sinethemba provides a caring environment with positive influences and these children now have a chance at life.
“Participating is a profoundly valuable and personal experience as the donor knows the name, age and gender of the child that he or she chooses to donate to and the name of the organisation that cares for the child,” said Keen.
The Santa Shoebox Project originated in Cape Town in 2006. Since then, the project has grown in leaps and bounds and the number of Santa Shoeboxes has grown from a humble 180 boxes in 2006 to 32000 boxes in 2010, each year exceeding the annual target by 30% - 50%.
In 2009, the Santa Shoebox Project reached children in every corner of South Africa and then in 2010 pushed beyond our borders into Namibia and Botswana, with each country supporting its own children.
“Management of the project is comprised entirely of volunteers: kind-hearted people who give freely of their time, energy and expertise without remuneration. Satellite projects have sprung up not only in the big cities but also include many small rural towns, each of which is run by volunteers who take the responsibility as co-ordinators for their areas,” said Keen.
Leadership Academy Director Leon Mouton said the NMMU Business School is encouraging organisations, students and businesses to become involved with projects and initiatives supporting vulnerable groups and charity organisations during the Festive Season.
“We are supporting this initiative because the Festive season engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love, and during this time it is all about love in action.
“More than 200 organisations in the Eastern Cape such as Children’s Homes, child and family welfare, animal welfares, old age and frail care centres, HIV Aids centres, disability organisations and support groups for the underprivileged, homeless and disadvantaged are entering the festive season – a period when the world engages in a conspiracy of love and celebration. Sadly in our province, thousands of individuals will not have the warmth and love of a family.
“As responsible citizens and organisations, we have a moral obligation to support these causes who care for the segments of our communities that are deprived of the most basic needs throughout the year. We would like to encourage organisations and individuals to support these organisations,” he concluded.