About the Appeal
All children deserve every opportunity to grow and thrive in an environment that will lead them to success.
Help is needed so that we can provide these services that support children and their families through navigating crucial life stages and empower healthy development.
Your support empowers a positive future at every stage of a child's life
Pēpi – Supporting Babies
Practical Assistance of the Baby Essentials.
When parents find themselves struggling financially after having a new baby, it adds an extra layer of stress to their lives. They can sometimes need a little hand up to get them through. One way in which your support helps families in need is through the provision of practical assistance. Practical aid at this crucial time in a child’s life may include nappies, baby food or other food support, which all help to make sure that parents are able to give their babies the start they want to give them in life.
SPACE Programme
Being a new parent can be a difficult journey to navigate, and your support helps families through the SPACE programme (Supporting Parents Alongside Children’s Education) to gain confidence in their abilities during the crucial first year of their babies’ life. SPACE is facilitated by experienced, qualified teachers who are passionate about infant development and the holistic wellbeing of infants, parents and whānau. The SPACE programme also opens the door to new parents receiving other wraparound support, such as playgroup, counselling, foodbank assistance and vegetable co-op programmes.
Early Childhood Education Centres
In these early years, a support network for parents and whanau as children develop is key. A community, a safe place to play, explore, socialise, and learn alongside others is an important part of this journey. The Salvation Army run Early Childhood Education Centres across the country that provide quality early childhood care, education and wrap-around whānau care services in the community. Your support allows us to provide individualised learning programmes based on each child’s interests, using a varied range of opportunities and experiences. Alongside this, you are helping create a community of support around parents and families, so that they can give their children the best start in life.
Whānau – Supporting Families
Counselling Services
Being a parent can be a hard, especially when you feel isolated and like you have no one to talk too. Counselling is provided for anyone or any group that needs it urgently and can give people the space to confidentially work through their feelings with a friendly listening ear. Parents who have the tools to deal with complicated emotions are in a position to best support their children to manage their feelings, and this is so crucial to developing brains.
Whānau Support
Providing wraparound support to whānau will have a positive impact on children as the whole family can look to the future feeling more secure and equipped with the tools to get through challenges. You are supporting families and their tamariki by helping us to provide holistic whānau support, which includes social work, advocacy, financial mentoring and more. We are seeing an increased need for ongoing whānau support as people feel the pressure due to the increasing cost of living. Your support enables us to address the individual needs of families walking through the door.
Positive Lifestyle Programmes
The Positive Lifestyle Programme (PLP) is a course designed by The Salvation Army to raise self-awareness, enabling a client to identify and overcome personal difficulties before they snowball into larger issues. The 10-week programme covers topics such as depression, anger, grief, and stress, which can cause strain on family dynamics and relationships. As whānau work through the programme they can set goals and develop more self-esteem, all of which lead to a more secure and grounded family unit for parents and tamariki.
Tamariki – Supporting Children & Teens
Practical Assistance for Back to School
Often families with children will need a little support to be able to afford the pricey back-to-school items. Your support ensures that children don’t go without, and provide the school essentials such as uniforms, devices, or stationary. This help is so valuable to both parents and children, as they don’t have to worry about being the only one without the things they need on the first day of school and allow them to look forward to learning.
Aspire Youth
As children mature into teenagers, your support also helps vulnerable tamariki through the Aspire programme, which is run by facilitators in Salvation Army centres across the country. The programme is designed for at-risk teens aged 11-16 to connect positively to others, learn life skills, take responsibility for their decisions, and live with purpose and generosity. During the course, your help also enables us to work with families to strengthen home environments and mend relationships with the support of social and youth workers.
BMAC & Other Youth Activities
Creating spaces for older children and teens to connect in a positive way is so important to influencing the type of adult they will become. The Salvation Army Blue Mountain Adventure Centre (BMAC) is an outdoor adventure centre designed to help people discover and live out their potential through the challenge of adventure. With your help, at-risk youth are able to attend the adventure centre and learn more about their strengths, talents and how to get along with their peers in a fun and age-appropriate way.
Please donate today to help us reach our goal of 1000 children for 1000 days - Your support could change the course of someone's life.
Your donation can make a world of difference!
To read about how your donation can have great impact, please click the image below to read the Christmas Appeal Report back
Click here to read about the 1000 Days appeal in the media