Thank you!
As we welcome the new season, I wanted to begin by expressing my sincerest gratitude for the wonderful contributions you’ve made in response to our ‘Seeds of Hope’ Easter Appeal. This appeal shone a spotlight on an incredible urban farm initiative in Nairobi, Kenya; a haven where street children can find purpose growing healthy and nutritious fruit and vegetables, protected from the dangers of life on the streets. To date, the campaign has raised £57,490, which is helping to nurture a new beginning for children like 12-year-old William, (pictured above) who says:
“I like it when we come here to the farm. I have never travelled to my rural home where people farm, so it makes me feel good to have a place to do farming. Now I know how to plant and weed. When the vegetables are fully grown, we're allowed to pick and take them home and share with our family.”
community in action - celebrating our runners!
I also wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate the fabulous supporters who've recently undertaken sponsored challenges for Toybox. Over the past month, dedicated runners have flown the Toybox flag in the London Marathon, and a series of running events in our hometown of Milton Keynes, including the MK Marathon, half Marathon, Marathon relay and 5K race. Their enthusiam and fundraising efforts have been phenomenal; £11,129 has been raised by our London Marathon runners and £11,718 from those taking part in the Milton Keynes events. A huge thank you for bringing lasting change to children living and working on the streets.
Pictured above: Team Toybox relay team approach the finishing line.
supporting children's emotional wellbeing
Thanks to the kindness and generosity of our wonderful community of supporters, Toybox is able to continue vital work that goes far beyond meeting children’s basic needs. We believe that every child deserves to feel safe, loved and hopeful about the future. In recent years, we have started to really understand how our mental health and well-being impacts every aspect of our lives.
For street children whose lives are tumultuous, healthy mental well-being is simply essential. Many of these children have suffered trauma and continue to wrestle daily with very challenging issues. Supporting these children and young adults to manage and maintain healthy well-being is imperative to giving them every opportunity for life in all its fullness.
With your help, our projects continue to offer essential support, such as access to safe spaces, and counselling to meet their psychological needs. At the same time, we focus on breaking the cycle of violence, despair and the harmful coping mechanisms children are caught up in. Parenting workshops are also equipping caregivers with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to create supportive home environments for their children.
Pictured below: Morelia, mother of 8 year old Kevin has participated in positive parenting workshops to enhance child wellbeing. Through her involvement with Toybox's local partner Viva, she has learned new ways to support her son with love and respect.
Last year, Toybox conducted its first wellbeing survey among children and young people participating in our projects in El Salvador, India and Guatemala. The goal was to hear directly from them about how their involvement in these initiatives had influenced their overall wellbeing.
The results were encouraging: 50% of those who took part in the survey stated their wellbeing had improved in the past year and 1 in 4 reported a significant improvement in their wellbeing. In addition, 87% of respondents expressed having hope for the future – an especially powerful finding given the daily challenges and uncertainties they face.
because of you, hope is possible
We know that these interventions don’t just change lives in the short term — they set children and young people on a path to a brighter and more stable future. Our projects are helping children rebuild their confidence, rediscover their worth, and begin to believe in themselves again.
We simply couldn’t do this work without you. Your ongoing kindness and commitment is giving children and young people the tools to overcome trauma, grow in confidence and have hope for the future. Thank you for standing alongside us in our mission to change the world for street children.
Find out more on how you're helping transform children's emotional wellbeing
Unlocking potential in India: How counselling changes children's lives
