Small actis of kindness

Tuesday morning, 13 November saw a container filled with 5,200 shoeboxes leave ADRA-UK headquarters at Stanborough Park, Watford, for Madagascar. Packed with small presents for orphaned children, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency in the UK decided to focus on the needs of Madagascar for the 2007 Shoebox Appeal.

 

ADRA-UK office manager, Valerie Austin says she is overwhelmed with the response. "People are so generous," she told BUC News. "I cannot wait to visit Madagascar and see the smiles on those children's faces as we distribute the gifts."And the gifts have come from all over the country. Judy Hamilton-Johansson of the Middlesbrough church took personal responsibility for 100 shoeboxes. The local Adventist church there has made it a real community project with contributions from other churches, schools and members of the public.

 

Newbold's School of English were also involved. Under the theme, 'Small acts of kindness', forty students and their teachers gathered on Tuesday, 6 November to fill shoeboxes with an abundance of donated pens, colouring pencils, t-shirts, caps, flip-flops and small toys.

 

Former ADRA worker and current Newbold Business student, Berline Ravaoarimino, spoke to the students about the situation in Madagascar, her home country. "Madagascar is a nation struggling with poverty. There are children who have lost both their parents and have no one to take care of them. Even the children who have surviving parents do not have enough resources for their basic daily needs."

 

Erica Hole, Head of the School, says: "I was delighted with the students' response. There was a real buzz among them as they put together the packages. Additional donations were arriving until the last minute".  Carmen Wright in Lewisham, John Barron of Fishpool Community church and Tony King in Bristol were among a whole team of volunteers across the country who dealt with the logistics of gettig the boxes to Watford in time for packing and shipment. Dundee members in Scotland packed almost 50 boxes and made a donation towards shipping costs.

 

Even past the deadline shoeboxes are still coming in and it is anticipated that another half-container with over 2,000 more boxes will be sent before Christmas. "It's something I love to do," Valerie Austin says. "It is this kind of thing that attracted me to work for ADRA".

 

 

By courtesy of [Victor Hulbert/ADRA-UK/Helen Pearson, PRO Newbold College] Adventist BUC News