Balclutha pupils create Christmas boxes for children in developing nations

Pupils aged eight to 13 at Balclutha School became real life Christmas elves for needy kids in other countries last week.

Every year the school’s student council tasks itself with with three good-will projects, aimed locally, nationally and internationally, and this year they chose to work with Samaritan Barb Crawford on her organisation’s ‘‘Operation Christmas Child’’ shoebox gifts.

They organised a mufti day with gold coin donation for the last day of term three and raised $180 which was then spent filling Christmas wish lists.

Deputy Principal Katie Moody was delighted at the perspective it gave her students.

‘‘They had to think about the how people in different places live and realise things like how it’s no good sending a football to kid’s who have no means of pumping it up, or it’s no good sending colouring pens to kids who have no access to paper,’’ Mrs Moodie said.

The student council divided into five groups of three kids each to package the gifts into shoebox sized cartons supplied by Samaritans.

Barb Crawford’s church has been doing Christmas shoeboxes for 25 years and she involves a dozen businesses and other organisations in the project

‘‘This was Balclutha School’s first year involved and they did brilliantly, you could see them understanding the learning and feeling good about what they were doing for others,’’ Mrs Crawford said.

The boxes, containing toys, school supplies, hygiene items and other treats were collected on Friday October 29 and will arrive at locations like the Philippines, Fiji and Malaysia in time for Christmas.

 - Nick Brook