Kids’ charity needs 377 sponsors
A father forced to put his wife into fulltime care, while managing his own chronic bowel disease, says a child sponsorship programme has lifted the family’s financial burden.
Dave* spent years struggling to care for his seriously ill wife, parent their children, and cope with his own Crohn’s disease.
About eight years ago, his partner was struck by an incurable genetic degenerative disease and within a year she lost the ability to walk and drive.
Dave’s children are now among 4753 sponsored through charity Variety New Zealand.
At present, 377 children are in need of a sponsor.
In each year since the programme began in 2013, the charity has had up to 500 children on its waiting list.
Dave said he was reluctant to apply because he was trying to manage on his own. ‘‘But it got to the point where it was like: you know what, it would be nice to have a bit of extra help.’’
The family lives in a Housing NZ home in Christchurch and rely on Dave’s benefit. After bills are paid, he is left with about $150 for food, clothing and expenses.
The children dress in secondhand clothes and do not go on holidays or to the movies.
A staff member at the children’s school suggested apply for a sponsorship.
‘‘[It’s] the looks on the kids’ faces when we take them shopping for new clothes . . . when they can go in there and choose stuff.’’
Variety NZ provides about $500 per child each year for school-related costs or basic items from The Warehouse such as clothing, stationery and bedding.
KidsCan, which supports children
Dave in low-decile schools by providing food and other basic needs, had also seen continued high demand for its support, chief executive and founder Julie Chapman said.
In the past five years, the number of schools supported has almost doubled, from 388 to 740.
Last year, it began supporting 25 early childhood education centres. There are 47 schools and 119 ECE centres on a waiting list.
Chapman said measures that would reduce poverty included more affordable housing and higher wages and benefits.
Increasing incomes without addressing the rising costs of housing, electricity and petrol would not benefit children materially.
This year, the Government passed its Child Poverty Reduction Bill, which required it to measure child poverty, develop reduction targets and a strategy to achieve their goals.
In August, Prime Minister and Child Poverty Reduction Minister Jacinda Ardern launched the Child and Youth Wellbeing strategy.
It will be implemented over the next five years.
The Child Poverty Action Group is calling on the Government for an emergency families package, including an extension of the winter energy payment and the Family Tax credit to those on benefits, before Christmas.
* Name changed to protect privacy