Durban - The Santa Shoebox Project provides basic necessities, some kind words, and gestures of care to children in need.
“A Santa Shoebox is personal. Every donor is linked to the child/children for whom they pledge. When a donor pledges, they choose a child in need from in and around their own community,” said Deborah Zelezniak, CEO of the Santa Shoebox Project (SSP), a non-profit organisation.
“By means of a QR coded system, donors are able to track their shoebox from the moment it’s pledged until the moment it’s handed to the child they chose. A Santa Shoebox is not just a gift of essentials and treats. It’s proof to the child receiving it that they are seen and valued for their potential. It is also a hugely valuable lesson in kindness and sharing to the child privileged enough to be able to pledge and pack a Santa Shoebox.”
Since 2006, the project has grown from 180 donated shoe boxes to more than 1.1 million, and over 1 000 facilities received them across South Africa and Namibia. Zelezniak added that each year, schools involved pledged and packed Santa Shoe boxes ‒ individually or collectively ‒ as it formed part of their community service hours.
This year, the organisation hopes to receive at least 80 000 shoebox donations, surpassing the 75 298 boxes received last year.
She said: “Each Santa Shoebox must contain a minimum of eight required items, all new, unused and age-appropriate. They are: a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, a wash cloth, sweets, a toy, school supplies and an outfit of clothing. We encourage donors to include a note to the child, which is often the most cherished item in the shoebox. Extra items are allowed, such as books and additional hygiene items. Donors are encouraged to add a duplicate of one of the items ‒ #SharingTheLove ‒ enabling the beneficiary child to give a gift to someone they love, an experience not often shared by socially vulnerable or impoverished children.”
This year, the NPO will also offer a virtual shoebox option made by teams of volunteers and allocated to underprivileged children living in remote areas of South Africa. Due to the lack of donors in rural areas, these children would otherwise not receive a Santa Shoebox and quite possibly no end-of-year gift.
“The SSP Legacy brings permanent change to the lives of Santa Shoebox beneficiary children and to the impoverished communities in which they live. This is done by establishing new and transforming existing Early Childhood Development Centres in rural South Africa, with the focus on infrastructure, Department of Basic Education registration, teacher training, early literacy and water solutions,” Zelezniak added.
The SSP Legacy has thus far built three fully fitted and equipped Early Childhood Development Centres in the uThukela District of KZN, comprising two classrooms, two toilets, a kitchen, an office which doubles as a sick bay, and a playground, fenced in to ensure the safety of the children in attendance.
People can pledge on the Santa Shoebox Project website from September 1 at www.santashoebox.org.za.
Shoeboxes can be dropped off at nine different events in KZN. https://santashoebox.org.za/find-my-local-dropoff/
The Independent on Saturday