Grant Robertson writes, "It was fantastic to see Kiwis respond to a cause like this so positively. To echo this post by Phil Twyford it is also time for us to reassess how we deal with child poverty in New Zealand. Working for Families made some significant inroads into child poverty, but there are still too many families in New Zealand who live on well below average incomes.KidsCan currently supports 91 schools from Kaitaia to Invercargill with a further 100 schools and 22,000 children on the waiting list. “More New Zealanders need to be aware of the extent of this problem in their own back yard” says Helson. “Each winter Kiwi kids go to school hungry, cold and wet and sometimes without shoes and sometimes only filling their stomachs with what they get from the water fountain. In some cases they stay at home because they don’t have suitable cold weather clothing”.
Research by Massey University has shown that this affects a child’s ability to learn and that KidsCan’s programmes help reduce absentee levels and improve learning ability. “Every child has the human right to food, clothing and a standard of living adequate for their health and well-being” continues Helson. “Thousands of Kiwi kids are missing out on this right which to me is completely unacceptable. I am totally committed to ensuring KidsCan continues to level the playing field for New Zealand children less fortunate than others so they can go to school and reach their full potential”.
In this environment children suffer through poor housing, nutrition and health. On a personal level I do believe that we can set targets to reduce child poverty in New Zealand, and work towards through a range of measures, including lifting incomes and improving housing and access to health services. Discussions like this often get bogged down in what is the definition of poverty. Absolute poverty on a global scale is not present in New Zealand, and thank goodness. But many children and families continue to live fragile existences."
The KidsCan Charitable Trust currently has a
waiting list of over 22,000 Kiwi kids who are missing out on the basics and this number increases weekly.Raincoats Low decile schools report high rates of absence in winter as many children simply do not own a raincoat. Each year, in partnership with Warehouse Stationery, we provide over 10,000 free adidas raincoats to children from low income families, ensuring they arrive at school warm, dry and in a better position to learn. So far 35,000 children in 111 low decile schools around the country have received coats.
Food Children living in poverty can never be sure of receiving three meals a day. We are sure you will agree all kids deserve to have full tummies, regardless of whether their parents are good people struggling to make ends meet or those who waste money and neglect their responsibilities.
The KidsCan 'Food For Kids' programme currently provides free food at school for over 8,500 financially disadvantaged children a week. Schools have reported that due to the issue being more openly talked about the numbers of children coming to school without food is reducing. We still have many schools on the waiting list for the food programme so this means we will be able to make a difference to even more children’s lives.
Stand Tall Material poverty means going without adequate food and material goods. However, the really long-lasting damage is caused by poverty of aspirations and achievement. So as well as taking care of kids basic physical needs, KidsCan StandTall aims to equip children with the skills, inspiration and opportunities to become successful at whatever they do. The result is our StandTall programme. It is a capability enhancement programme for New Zealand children in low decile schools who show great potential but have perceived limited choices. By reaching out to children when they have the greatest potential to learn, we can help them break free of the cycle of low expectations and open their eyes to a world of opportunity.
KidsCan does not discriminate and while working to alleviate the affects of poverty on the lives of young New Zealanders, provides for our new immigrants as well, including hundreds of refugee children.
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Founder and General Manager, Julie Helson says “KidsCan receives no public funding. It takes 1.5 million dollars each year to meet the current needs of the 24,300 children in our 102 low decile partner schools. Kiwi kids are going to school cold, wet and hungry and as a result are less able to learn. We have a further 22,000 children on our waiting list.”
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