Rotary shoebox appeal and The Chistian International Aid Trust

[colditz]

My school is doing the Rotary shoe box appeal this year.

What I really need to know is who The Christian International Aid Trust are.

I also need to be assured that there won't be any indonctrination of the children before they are allowed their shoeboxes.

But then, I'm torn. I believe all religion is hokum, but kindness, compassion, generosity and giving are NOT hokum and should not be discarded simply for my own Atheist principles.

So, does the present (and the thought and kindness involved in sending it) outweigh the possible proselytising the child may or may not receive with their present?

ahh i have this discussion with myself every year

ds1's school always does the samaritan's purse thing, which i know gets well and truly sltaed on here... alythough i don't recall anyone ever having first hand experience of what happens when they're handed out.. but still

i tend to go with, the kids get a present. that's a NICE thing. yes, it would be nice if it wasn't conditional on hearing some kind of sermon or whatever... but in the end it's still a good thing no?
and you know what? does it really matter if they listen to some christian stuff? does it really harm?

I don't know, that's the thing. I can't imagine that Muslim parents would be entirely happy for their child to come home spouting about how they can have a present if they agree that Jesus Is Lord...

but do they actually have to agree? or do they just have to listen to it?

i'd be interested to hear views from people who have actually been out and distributed the boxes actually

it's hard isn't it? i think we will still do it this year because at the end of the day a child in a really bad situation is going to get something nice from it.... i dunno

There are no charities registered with the Charity Commission called "The Christian International Aid Trust". (you can search the register of charities here. And it doesn't seem to have a website if you google it. Does it give a registered charity number on the literature (it could be that its registered name is different, but that still doesn't explain the lack of website)?

If it were completely up to me, I'd definitely not do the shoebox, and would donate to the (non-religious) charity of my choice (eg Oxfam) if I was feeling philanthropic. But if this involved a school-aged DC then you have the added factor of the difficulties for them if everyone, except them, brings in a lovely shoebox and they have to explain why they haven't. I am not looking forward to this dilemna when my DD is school-aged!

I really dislike the whole shoebox idea.

Even without the proselytising, it's about as inefficient a way of giving to charity as you could come up with if you tried.

I'd choose a reputable, established charity whose work you support & make a cash donation instead tbh.

I think its a real shame that people get caught up on the religous doctrination idea of these shoe boxes. They have a leaflet put inside them thats all.

It costs about £5 to fill a box with some toys,mittens etc. Just think of the ££££ that most families spend on Xmas each year. This is a drop in most budgets. Yet your child can think outside of their own Xmas present lists and consider this box could be the only present that child has ever received.

What a gift to your child,humility and gratitude that they live in an affluent country. My kids felt for the children who received the boxes and helped them consider others.

There are probably more efficient ways to give to charities but your children will be able to get involved and empathise with the children through picking and wrapping the box.

agree with jaffa, it does make children, and us, think properly about those children getting the boxes

and while there may be more "efficient" ways of giving your money i don't suppose many charities spend their money on presents for refugees do they?

The name of the charity is The International Aid Trust (no "Christian" in its name); their website is www.internationalaidtrust.org.uk/

Registered charity 1086597

From a pdf that came up when googled as a Rotary Club partner (via RIBI assets) there is also the following, if you want to enquire directly as to their practices:

Contact for further information:
International Aid Trust, Longton Business Park, Station Road, Much Hoole, Preston, PR4 5LE.
Tel: 01772 611000. Fax: 01772 619933. E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.internationalaidtrust.org.uk