This is the first day of our Advent Calendar and we will be supporting the Kids Out Toy Box Service by providing 4 boxes.
Started in 2008, Toy Box delivers a box of brand-new toys and games to children who have been rehoused due to domestic violence.
Each year as many as 20,000 children flee domestic abuse to seek sanctuary in refuge. Typically leaving home with only the clothes on their back, these children have experienced physical, emotional, and even sexual abuse and arrive at refuge with nothing. Having escaped the abuse for the safety of a refuge for anywhere between 6-12 months, roughly 4,000 of these children and their mothers are then relocated to a new home to start again.
Moving into a new community can be particularly tough for children, especially when they have already left their school, friends and possessions behind. With the mothers’ attention and resources typically focused on acquiring basic necessities for the new home, purchasing toys and going on Fun Days out are often way down the list. To ease the anxiety of moving, KidsOut sends each child their very own box of toys, welcoming them to their new lives.
Each Toy Box is both age and gender appropriate, filled with a family game, jigsaw puzzle, craft activity, action figure/doll, books and a cuddly toy. Receiving the Toy Box can help children regain a sense of normality, make the world seem a little kinder, and give them a reason to invite other children over to play.
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