Support Santa Shoebox project now!
In 93 days it will be Christmas and for many this means a special package with your name on it under a tree full of lights and baubles.Sadly, for many orphaned and defenceless children in Namibia, the privilege of a gift has not been granted to them and Christmas Day is just another day.
But thanks to the Santa Shoebox project, needy children in 13-day- and aftercare centres in Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Ongwediva will each receive their gifts this year.
Namibians have until the end of October to choose at which centre and how many shoeboxes they are willing to sponsor for a needy child. Currently, the sponsorship of shoeboxes for children on Ongwediva stands at 78% and in Walvis Bay at 34%, while to date, no shoeboxes have been sponsored for daycare centres in Windhoek.
The Santa Shoebox project started in Cape Town in 2006 with a scant 180 shoeboxes. Over the past 18 years, Santa Shoeboxes have been distributed to more than 1.2 million underprivileged children at more than 1 000 educational and care facilities across Namibia and South Africa. Each shoebox contains eight required items - a toothbrush and toothpaste, washcloth and soap, sweets, a toy, school supplies and an outfit or clothes - all new and suitable for the child's age. Shoeboxes are sponsored for children living in the respective donors' communities.
More than a shoebox
Apart from the Santa Shoebox, the project also has a socio-economic development initiative - the SSB Legacy - which focuses on early childhood development (ECD).
The aim is not only to establish new ECD centres but also to renew existing centres in rural areas per the requirements for registration with the Department of Education to ensure access to social grants.
ECD practitioners also receive training to ensure the children reach their developmental milestones while reading corners are set up in the centres to ensure reading is part of all aspects of ECD, including fine motor skills, language, and cognitive and socio-emotional development.
The beneficiary centres in Namibia for whose children we can open our hearts and wallets to sponsor a Santa Shoebox are Ubuntu Jambekwa Preprimary and Day Care Centre, Bellas Preprimary; Bakanja Preprimary; El Shaddai Preschool Center; St Matthews Anglican Parish; Community Preprimary; Promiseland Trust; Planet Brain Academy; Mammadu Daycare; Smiley's National Charity House; Grace Preprimary and Day Care; Ankamba Primary Pre-Primary and Okatana Primary School.
For Walvis Bay, the shoeboxes can be delivered to Jumbo Charcoal on 8 and 9 November from 09:00 to 16:00. The contact person is Natasha Lombard and she can be reached at [email protected] or 081 148 7030.
In Windhoek, shoeboxes can be dropped off on 26 October from 10:00 to 14:00 and on 28 October from 10:00 to 18:00 at the corner of Springbok and Gnu Street in Suiderhof. Contact Silke Beiter at [email protected] or 081 127 1799.
In Ongwediva, the shoeboxes can be delivered to 807 Immanuel Shifidi Street on 2 November from 10:00 to 17:00. Elvira Martin is the coordinator and can be contacted at [email protected] or 081 246 1972.
For more information about the Christmas project that fills a child's heart with joy, visit the website santashoebox.org.za. – [email protected]