Barnardos: give a child a reason to smile this Christmas

Barnardos: give a child a reason to smile this Christmas

It’s December, and all over New Zealand children’s excitement is building as they wonder what Santa will bring them.

But at Barnardos New Zealand, we work with many children who can only dream of gifts this Christmas. For these children and their parents, day-to-day living is a struggle, and there often isn’t enough money for the very basics like food and rent, let alone the little extras that make Christmas really special for children. And the Christmas holidays are a long time if you’ve got nothing.

“We see lots of families who are really struggling to provide for their children,” says Barnardos Chief Executive Jeff Sanders. “Recently I heard about five little children, all under six years old, who are being cared for by their grandmother. She has a great attitude to life and the children are doing well, but Christmas will be a stress as it is a struggle to provide even the basics the children need, let alone any gifts or trips out. Even a day at the beach is out of reach for these children as their grandmother only has a little car and can’t take them all.”

“Christmas is so commercialised, you see adverts about the latest iPhone and the latest toys and all these adverts are embedded into the kids. Yet when it comes to Christmas day, they get nothing, and this can be really hard,” adds a Barnardos Social Worker.

So this year, Barnardos is on a mission to bring some Christmas cheer to children living in hardship. We’re asking New Zealanders to spare a thought for these children, and to donate a gift for a New Zealand child in need. Gifts can be dropped off at various Barnardos locations around the country – call 0800 BARNARDOS for more details.

To hear more about the kind of Christmas many of our families are facing and to make a cash donation to the Barnardos Christmas campaign, go to our Givealittle site: https://www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/barnardoschristmas

And check out our Facebook 12 Days of Christmas campaign to see the lives we’re changing through our work with vulnerable families: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Barnardos-New-Zealand/118409591525204?ref=hl

About Barnardos New Zealand
Barnardos New Zealand helps thousands of children, young people and families each year, with services such as early childhood education, parenting courses, family support, counselling and supervised contact. We also work directly with children who have experienced family violence, provide residential and foster care, and run 0800 What’s Up, New Zealand’s largest dedicated child helpline. For more information, see www.barnardos.org.nz.

ENDS

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