News from Our Backyard Supporting Disadvantaged Kiwi Kids
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
News from Supporting Disadvantaged Kiwi Kids our Backyard www.kidscan.org.nz Summer 2016 In Our Own Backyard™ See inside for: A word with Karl Urban pg05 Vice Principal Opinion Piece pg04 'Health for Kids' update pg03 New KidsCan schools pg02 CEO’s Report Welcome to 2016! can thrive and have the chance to grow into contributing members of society. I hope you had a lovely Our future productivity as a nation depends Christmas and New Year on these children. with friends and family. Perpetuating the myth that parents are to blame does nothing at all to address the It is all go here at KidsCan with the new needs of more than 300,000 children living school year underway. We are getting ready in hardship. I speak with experience when to send our first distribution of food to KidsCan CEO and Co-Founder, Julie Chapman. I say that the majority of families who live schools ensuring a ready supply to children The parents I meet could out-budget me below the breadline are good people who who need it. any day of the week, but when 50% or more want the best for their children. of your income goes on housing costs, the There has been a lot of talk recently about There could be nothing more soul destroying money only goes so far. I'm heartened that child hardship with various media articles for a mother or father than not being able the government is increasing benefit rates written about the measurement used to to provide for their children. I have come this year and also continuing to support define hardship and indeed whether it even across many parents over the last ten years programmes like ours and other initiatives exists in New Zealand. Whilst debate is who regularly go hungry so that their children like breakfast programmes in schools. healthy, the one thing that stands out to won't. By denying the issue or apportioning We are now supporting 530 schools across me is that while people are focusing on blame we are in effect resigning these New Zealand which means more than 114,000 measurement and blaming parents, there are children to a life of underachievement. children have access to our programmes children who are going hungry, without warm Are we happy to let this cycle to continue? if they need it. We will continue to work hard clothing and getting sick. New Zealand is not I know I am not. for the children who need us and I would like a third world country and we should not have to thank you for your ongoing support. children who suffer from third world illnesses, The recent Child Poverty Monitor released by and who cannot be sure of where their next the Children's Commission shows that almost Wishing you a very Happy New Year and meal is coming from. But we do, and in my 40% of children living in hardship have at all the best for 2016. view we all have a responsibility to ensure least one parent working and 47% of children .Julie Chapman our communities and the children in them in hardship are from two parent families. KidsCan CEO and Co-Founder Contents We now support 530 schools! We are pleased to welcome the below schools to the KidsCan family, increasing the total number of schools we support to 530! With your help, our food, clothing and CEO report pg02 health programmes are now available to 114,000 Kiwi kids. New KidsCan schools pg02 • Aranga School • Murchison Area School • Aranui High School • Natone Park School Kids waiting as school starts pg03 • Avalon Intermediate School • Northcote School Opinion piece: Nardi Leonard pg04 • Avalon Primary School • Pukehina School • Brandon Intermediate • Selwyn Primary 'Health for Kids' update pg04 • Christ the King School • Shirley Primary School KidsCan staff profile pg05 • Edgewater College • St Patrick's Catholic • Fairhaven School - Napier • Tamatea School A word with Karl Urban pg05 • Fairhaven School - Te Puke • Te Ara Poutama Alternative Ed Centre Welcome to... pg06 • Fernlea School • Te Kura o te Moutere o Matakana • Granity School • TKKM o Mangere Thank you letters pg07 • Hamilton Junior High School • TKKM o Whatatutu Fundraisers in the community pg07 • Holy Family School • Terrace End School • Longburn School • Waimarama School Thank you pg08 • Marfell Community School • Waimata School • Marton School • Woodville School 2 www.kidscan.org.nz | 09 478 1525 | [email protected] 1,661 kids waiting for KidsCan help as school starts We have 14 schools, that's 1,661 children, from the Coromandel to Christchurch waiting to benefit from our support programmes. This year, our programmes providing: food, raincoats, shoes and basic health and hygiene products, will be available to more than 114,000 children at 530 low decile schools around New Zealand. This means our support is reaching more than a third of children living in hardship. However sadly the need for our support is as great as ever and continues to increase. Two years ago the average number of children needing food support from us in lower decile schools was around 15% but has since risen to more than 20%. Meeting the extra costs incurred at ‘Back to School’ time can be stressful for low income families, and we are looking for more caring Kiwis to support a child in need for $15 a month (50 cents a day) through our ‘In Our Own Backyard’ programme. Regular donations of just $15 per month provide a child with food at school, a raincoat, shoes, socks and basic health and hygiene products. Importantly, the entire 100% of all donated funds go towards meeting the needs of the children. Help us spread the word to other caring Kiwis, like you, that 50c a day can help to change things! ‘Health for Kids’ programme update schools in 2015. By the end of term 4, in schools and now have close the Nit Busters team had checked relationships with a number of WHAandM! treated more than 14,000 District Health Boards. In Auckland, children for head lice in the 111 schools we have worked with the Public that the programme operates in. Health Nurse team from ADHB As many children are seen more to ensure comprehensive health than once, this meant that nearly education around the importance 30,000 checks were undertaken, of hand hygiene while KidsCan has resulting in 10,500 treatments. been installing hand sanitising systems Just before the end of the school in schools. In West Auckland the year the Government announced Waitemata Child and Family team that it would continue our funding in has been working hard to ensure 2016 which is great news and means that children in KidsCan schools we are currently looking for new have access to a nit comb and The end of the school year is ‘Health Champions’ to join our team. know how to use it. always a busy time - and this was definitely true for our health team! We have continued to develop We have some exciting new initiatives More than 90,800 health products some great relationships with those planned for 2016 – so watch this space! were distributed to KidsCan partner who work at the frontline of health www.kidscan.org.nz | 09 478 1525 | [email protected] 3 OPINION PIECE Nardi Leonard, Vice Principal Finlayson Park Kia Ora koutou, partners, supporting our students has to do this? Wow we are lucky Postie+ been possible. thought about us.” My name is Nardi Leonard and I am the Vice Principal at Finlayson Park KidsCan Breakfast Club is such a blessing On behalf of our students, families, School, (decile 1) a large primary school for a hungry child. As one teacher said staff and community we thank you situated in Manurewa, a southern “a full puku equals longer periods of KidsCan for investing in the future suburb of Auckland. With over 1,000 concentration.” And lets not undervalue of our children. We believe it is well students attending each day the the impact of a socially interactive worth it and more. Kia pai to ra koutou school is rich in its cultural diversity, child. While eating breakfast and talking – have a good day everyone! overflowing with sporting and musical with peers friendships are being formed. Nardi Leonard, talent and committed to recognising Another teacher expressed “Since she Vice Principal, Finlayson Park School. an individuals first language by has started having breakfast regularly, promoting bilingual education. she is a different child. She just seems happier, comes to school and has I have had the privilege of being a part friends. She is ready to learn.” of the Finlayson Park School whanau for over 8 years and every day I wake Finlayson Park School have been the up excited to be part of such a vibrant recipients of KidsCan initiatives such and engaging working environment. I am as raincoats, shoes, head lice product, regularly greeted by smiling knowledge sun hats, to name a few and all are thirsty students, surrounded by our having a positive impact on the well committed hard working teachers and being of our students. our community like most communities The most recent and still very much throughout New Zealand wants nothing on the minds of our students was but the best for our tamariki. the generosity of the Postie+One However, hardship is a real life Christmas Gifts project. Over 700 challenge for many of our families and gifts were donated to Finlayson Park a helping hand is needed to not only School students, which left us almost give our families some respite from the speechless.