Bringing Christmas joy to children

Date: 16 December 2016 By: Andries van Zyl

Ladies Circle 4 (LC4) in Louis Trichardt once again helped to put a smile on many less privileged children’s faces this Christmas through the annual Santa Shoebox Project.

This annual project entails that members of the public are invited to pledge a “shoebox” gift to a needy child. Each shoebox must have toothpaste, a toothbrush, a bar of soap, a washcloth, educational supplies, an outfit of clothing, sweets and a toy inside. Age-appropriate extras may also be added. 

This year, LC4 managed to collect 200 boxes as part of the project and handed them over to the children at the Legacy Giving After-care and Mentoring Centre (LGAMC) at Tshaulumanzemba Village on 3 December. “Many thanks for your kind donation of Christmas gifts for the children … The children were so excited to receive their Christmas parcels. It is only with the help of people and organizations like yourself that we can change the lives of these children. It is such a wonderful gift to see the joy and pleasure the children get from their presents,” said Mr Deon Mungadi, managing director of LGAMC.

The Santa Shoebox Project originated in Cape Town in 2006 with a humble 180 shoeboxes. The past ten years, the project has grown by leaps and bounds, with the number of Santa Shoeboxes donated reaching a total of 551 979. The shoeboxes are distributed to more than 1 000 recipient facilities, through more than 60 satellites around South Africa and Namibia.

The success of the project can largely be attributed to its personal nature – donors give gifts to children whose names, ages and genders are known.

The project is supported by an extensive network of volunteers across South Africa and Namibia – kind-hearted people who give freely of their time, energy and expertise without remuneration. It also relies on the generous backing of various corporate sponsors, who pledge monetary or pro bono support. Many companies, involving their staff members, pledge Santa Shoeboxes as part of their corporate social investment programmes.

“We would like to thank every person who made this possible. Without your help, it would not be possible,” said the girls from LC4.

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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