Little things can make a BIG difference
Kiwi Kid campaign
When schools return next month at least 240 children won’t have the basic requirements — uniform, shoes, a bag, lunch box, stationery, money to go on camp or do sports, field trips and exams.
Their peers will be filled with excitement, collecting stationery, meeting new classmates and comparing their Christmas holidays.
But the children whose parents cannot afford related school costs — that doesn’t include fees or donations — will either be missing from class altogether or likely dressed in a budget version of uniform with no sun hat, no shoes and no books to write in.
“Education is free but access to it isn’t,” says Variety chief executive Lorraine Taylor.
Children were turning up to school unequipped and feeling like the odd one out, Taylor said. For some, it meant the beginning of their school year was delayed.
“The start of the school year is a financial challenge for families affected by poverty and as a consequence, children can go without the essentials required at this crucial time,” she said.
“While everybody knows that back to school comes after Christmas, it’s nothing new, but if you don’t have any surplus it’s just incredibly difficult to fund those high costs at that time of the year and especially if you have more than one child.”
At three of 15 schools sampled by Variety, the most expensive uniforms were $488 [secondary], $244 [intermediate] and $300 [primary].
To combat the problem, Variety set up the Kiwi Kid sponsorship programme six years ago specifically targeting back-to-school costs.
Last year the charity received 769 back-to-school-related claims in a three-month period, totalling $139,626. This year it is calling on the generosity of Kiwis to help another 200 impoverished kids get the best start to the school year possible.
“It’s just never-ending and it’s a lot of money.”
A separate programme called Laptops for Learning helps families who can’t afford to buy a device for their children when they reach Year 5 in primary school.
“Over the past 12 months we have provided 72 laptops to children across the country. It just gives you a sense of the sort of challenges parents face in terms of trying to meet those costs.”
At Te Papapa School in Onehunga, principal Robyn Curry has seen the effects on children who start school without the basic gear.
“What tends to happen is families often keep children away from school until they’ve got those basics or children come to school but you can physically see that they’re feeling anxious because they haven’t got the same as everybody else.
“It absolutely knocks their confidence. It’s hard enough for children on the first day of school. New teachers, new friends, sometimes a new school, and then to not have the right stationary or uniform, no shoes, it’s stressful.”
Te Papapa, a low-decile school, has wiped school fees and changed the school uniform so it does not require emblems. It means an inexpensive polo shirt from K-Mart in blue or maroon is sufficient. Children can wear their own sun hats and hats are recommended but not enforced.
Stationery costs are minimised to $35 per child.
Curry said Variety’s Kiwi Kid programme had huge positive benefits.
“What it means for the children is they can start school prepared and ready for learning just like every other child.”
Sponsorship costs as little as $45 per month or sponsors can choose to pay a higher amount.
A Variety ambassador and Kiwi Kid sponsor, actress Antonia Prebble, said she had sponsored a child through the programme since 2016.
“I strongly encourage people to get behind the Back to School appeal,” Prebble said.
“There are currently over 200 children on the waiting list, and many of them are in a difficult situation because their parents can’t afford the essentials they need in order to start the school year, such as uniforms or stationery.
“It is a really difficult time for those families and for just $45 a month we can lift that financial burden and enable a child to start school on time, with the right stuff and therefore feel confident. It is a small contribution that has enormous positive results.”
Prebble, the star of Westside and Outrageous Fortune, said sponsoring a child was rewarding because it helped them have “the kind of childhood that every Kiwi kid deserves”.
“I get letters and cards every year from my child, which are so lovely and heartwarming.”
Prebble had been an ambassador for Variety since 2012 and hoped to be for the rest of her life.
“I believe the work they do is so important. Variety provides tangible, practical help and support to Kiwi kids and their families. I have seen first-hand how kids benefit from their many initiatives and I absolutely love being involved in anything they do.”