TORONTO — To some children, taking notes in class is an annoyance. To others, it’s a luxury.
Ve’ahavta volunteers Mikki Noble-Gresty and Bunny Vyner (right), pack achool supplies to be shipped to Zimbabwe under the organization’s Kinder Kits program.
“We know there are over 850,000 orphans in Zimbabwe who go to school today without proper school supplies,” said Kirill Zaretsky, the director of development for Ve’ahavta, a Jewish humanitarian and relief organization based in Canada. “To buy school supplies, to record information, to write down a new idea or a thought is key.”
To enable some children to do these things, Ve’ahavta developed Kinder Kits, a new initiative that sends a kit filled with school supplies to needy students in Canada and worldwide.
Ve’ahavta volunteers pack supplies for children in Zimbabwe.
“What we realized as the economy slipped was that more children were being affected by the downturn, and [fewer] parents were able to do basic things [like buying] school supplies,” Zaretsky said, adding that the program started six months ago.
Ve’ahavta’s goal is to send out a total of 25,000 to 50,000 kits by March 2010 to countries including Canada, Israel, Zimbabwe and Kenya, where there is a need and a means of distributing supplies.
So far, some 1,600 kits have been shipped to students in Zimbabwe, about 100 were sent to Montreal and around 150 were distributed in Toronto.
The kits, which cost about $18 each, include supplies like binders, rulers, pencils, paper and backpacks.
“Organizations out there talk about [African schools] having a single pencil for 30 kids. That’s a reality. We want to change this reality,” Zaretsky said.
Ecojot, an environmentally friendly paper products company, is working to help Zaretsky reach his goal.
The company has donated 4,000 to 5,000 school supplies to the initiative so far, and plans to donate 20,000 to 25,000 by spring of 2010.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to thinks it’s an amazing thing… I’m very encouraged by that,” said Mark Gavin, Ecojot’s co-owner. “It brings a deeper purpose to our business… we’ll actually make a small difference in the world. Maybe even a large one.”
In January 2010, Gavin’s company will launch a new program called Buy One, We’ll Donate One, where they’ll donate certain supplies based on how many of those supplies are purchased. This means that for every notebook they sell, they’ll donate one to initiatives like Kinder Kits.
“There’s a need… In poor countries, even if [students] go to school, they don’t actually get stuff. Our kids are given paper and crayons and supplies,” he said.
But that’s not always the case, said Bunny Vyner, a retired middle school teacher and Ve’ahavta volunteer. While teaching in Toronto, Vyner has seen children come to school hungry and without the proper supplies.
“Here in North America… we aren’t aware of this,” she said. “You have kids who have and kids who don’t next to each other. I think having a pen or a notebook or an eraser is kind of an inspiration in itself.”
Vyner, who helps organize Kinder Kit shipments and is spearheading used backpack drives, sees the program as a necessity.
“It’s about providing impoverished kids with the means to learn. Education helps lead people out of the cycle of poverty,” she said.
To volunteer with Ve’ahavta or donate school supplies, visit veahavta.org or call 416-964-7698.
