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“At my school I have caught hungry kids eating out of rubbish bins. We are desperate to help them”. Principal Hamilton Decile One School

Our History & Success

Our History

The KidsCan Charitable Trust was founded in 2005 in a garage in Greenhithe, Auckland by Julie Chapman (nee Helson). An evaluation which was conducted in 80 low decile schools after hearing continuous media reports about New Zealand children going without the basics. We wanted to find out just how widespread the problem was and how it was affecting children’s ability to participate in class.  

The evaluation revealed that thousands of children were turning up to school cold, wet and hungry because their parents were struggling to make ends meet. Schools reported that this was having a major impact on children’s learning ability, self esteem and health. Children who miss out on the basics get sick more often, do worse at school and when they become adults they are more likely to be unemployed and have children who will also grow up in poverty. 
 
With all of this in mind we decided to do something about it and KidsCan was started with a generous $40,000 grant from Guardian Trust. Today KidsCan supports the education of thousands of children in 341 low decile schools throughout New Zealand, providing food, shoes, socks, fleece lined All Blacks raincoats and basic hygiene items. Our tangible programmes ensure disadvantaged children can get to and through the schools gates in a better position to learn. Find out how you can help support our work.     
 
 

Our Success

Our key aim at KidsCan is to ensure children less fortunate than other have the same opportunity as others to take advantage of their education. Massey University conducted independent research in 2007 and 2010 to evaluate the effectiveness of our programmes. Both projects found our partnerships with low decile schools have a significant impact on reducing social issues, increasing participation in class and in raising the self esteem of children who feel they have no hope. 
 
Since 2005 we have provided…
 
  • 60,000 All Blacks raincoats to keep children warm and dry 
  • 25,000 pairs of shoes and 50,000 pairs of socks to prevent foot injury and keep little feet warm 
  • More than 5 million food items for hungry children 
  • 5,000 sunhats and 5,000 beanies 
  • 5000 basic hygiene items such as hand sanitizer
 

Our work makes a tangible difference

Simple things - food, shoes and raincoats - can make a powerful difference to a child's start in life. Read More

I would like to say that I am very grateful for the jacket and shoes. 

Pupil, Reverina School  |  Read More

Contact Us

We love to hear from our supporters and aim to respond to your query in three working days.

 

If you have an urgent cancellation request for your existing donation plan, please contact us on: 09 478 1525.

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