You are making dreams and aspirations a reality
I wanted to start this update by saying how moved myself and all at Team Toybox have been by your generosity in response to our recent Easter appeal, which focused on the new and exciting Mobile School in Nepal. Your unwavering faith in the life changing impact of education is a true gift. To date, £66,930 has been raised through your kindness.
Thank you so much for helping us to reach even more street children in the coming months. The Mobile School is bringing education directly to the city streets of Kathmandu and is a fabulous resource. We recently asked some of the children who attend the project to describe why they think education is important. Their responses ranged from, “It’s needed to make a brighter future” to “It shows us the right path in life.” I think possibly my favourite reply was, “I want to become a big person through education and learning”. What a beautiful articulation of the value education brings. Thank you for supporting these children to pursue their dreams and aspirations.
Building brighter futures
Here at Toybox, as well as working with children, our projects also support young people in street situations and their caregivers. Sadly, it is often the case that many young people have not had the opportunity to complete formal education. Without this foundational base in life, they face limited employment options and are often forced to engage in risky and exploitative work to support themselves and their families. Thanks to your support, our local partners are able to work tirelessly alongside young people on the streets, showing them that there is an alternative – that they have the potential to thrive – not just survive. Our local partners signpost young people to Toybox supported projects where they can receive advice, learn new skills and access training and funding to start their own small businesses. This support puts them on a pathway where they can ultimately earn a sustainable income and become less dependent on the streets.
By working with caregivers, we also help to make sure that they can better provide for their children, reducing the likelihood of generations of families ending up on the streets. There is an old proverb that says: ‘Give a man a fish and you can feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ This timeless wisdom encapsulates the importance of empowering individuals with the skills and knowledge required to sustain themselves independently. This idea sits at the very heart of our work and our livelihoods initiatives are where we put it into practice in the real world.
You can discover more about the ways in which children, young people and their caregivers connected with the streets are actively building brighter futures for themselves here. I’m also delighted to share some truly inspiring stories – from the streets of Nairobi you can read the stories of beauty therapist Chilemba, and basket maker Amina. You can also hear from 17-year-old Jorge, an entrepreneur in Bolivia, who runs his own mobile phone accessory business.
Thank you again, so much for your support. It is because of you that lives are being turned around.
