DD's school are doing the Samaritans Purse shoebox too. I was doing research into what to actually put in one and came across this thread. It's a real eye opener.
I feel like I don't want to do it now. She is in reception so she won't necessarily feel left out.
I'd like to do something instead for Mary's meals.
I'd like to speak to the school about their choice of 'charity' but don't want to be known as a difficult troublemaker.
It's the first time we've faced this.
The posters who said we throw away leaflets are right. We are a very disposable society. My family originally India, wouldn't ever throw away perfectly good bits of paper. They'd be used to wrap thing in to keep them clean,separate or whatever. In a lot of poorer countries, people don't just throw things out. We send our rubbish off to be recycled. In those countries, people recycle anything and everything they can before they even think about throwing things out.
I wonder also, how many children have the notion of playing with toys. I bet they're used to playing with sticks and balls and with other things that are just lying around. That's why cricket and football are so so popular the world over.
D we know that the toys would be sold by the parents to raise some money for food or to pay bills?
Are we not somehow adding to the myth that's one countries have that the west is trying to westernise them?
I spoke to a mum today who must have spent £ 15-20 on the box she made. Other people will do one for a fiver full of stuff from the pound shop hat was probably made in that country to start with.
It does seem curious to send Christmas boxes to countries that don't celebrate Christmas. If they are handed out as the gift they are oven for then that's great, but the whole leaflet in the box is a worry. I wold also throw things away bu to me leaflets aren't worth anything.
This thread is making me think of all of these things. I'd like to grow a backbone and raise it with the school rather than anonymously just not do one.
In some ways I wish I hadn't stumbled across this as it's making me feel the school are irresponsible in choosing this organisation to support. It def goes against their ethos.
