BEGA Valley students are bringing Christmas to children in developing countries.
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On Wednesday, Operation Christmas Child coordinator Maureen Nicol arrived at the Sapphire Coast Anglican College (SCAC) to pick up boxes students had prepared to donate to children overseas.
The 114 boxes will be taken to Wollongong by Bobins Transport for processing next week, before going to Sydney and being shipped off.
Across the Bega Valley many schools participated in the charity, in Merimbula, Pambula, Eden and Wolumla, and last year combined they donated 800 boxes to children in need, part of the 300,000 donated by people all over Australia and New Zealand.
Not only is there strong support for the project in the schools, Ms Nicol said she is often phoned at random, by people from the community who want to donate a box.
Last year the boxes were sent to children in Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, Vietnam and Fiji, and while Ms Nicol was unsure where they were to go this year she hoped it would be Timor Leste.
She said different villages in different countries are given the boxes every year, so everyone benefits from the charity.
Ms Nicol said SCAC has been contributing to the project for the last 10 to 15 years, and she was happy with their relationship as the college provided boxes every year “without fail”.
Junior school was organised by Ann-Louise Clark and senior school was organised by Jean Winterflood.
“The kids get a lot of joy out of it, they really do,” Ms Winterflood said.
Year 7 student Emma Collins said the criteria for items to put in the boxes were things to love, for school, to wear, to play with and for hygiene, so could be teddy bears, slinkys, pencil cases and toothbrushes.
Her classmates Isaac Gear and Keeley Burden also made boxes, and all thought it was important to donate children from poorer nations.
“Because they might not have what we have,” Emma said.
“They don’t get much,” Keeley added.
Isaac said donations were good, “to give them something to think about”.
Ms Nicol said if anyone still wishes to donate a box before they depart, they can do so by using a shoebox and putting in items such as simple toys, books, colouring pencils, and something for hygiene and to cuddle.
If you would like to, contact her on 6495 7588 or 0438 208 183.