THE KIDSCAN TRUST

Doug is proud to be a patron of the KidsCan Charitable Trust, a national charity dedicated to the welfare of financially disadvantaged New Zealand children. The Trust aims to...

• Meet the basic physical needs of financially disadvantaged children
• To meet the nutritional needs of financially disadvantaged children

Thousands of New Zealand children are falling through the gaps. Their basic physical needs are not being met and the impact is enormous and far-reaching. The KidsCan Trust has two programmes designed to level the playing field for children less fortunate than others.

"RAINCOATS FOR KIDS"

Take a moment the think about when you were a child. Did you consistently arrive at school freezing cold and wet? And if you had would have been in the right state of mind to participate in class? I'm sure you will agree that providing a raincoat for children to keep them warm and dry is a "basic necessity". However, this is seen as a luxury item in families where money is scarce and the focus is on providing other essentials such as power and food.

The schools in the KidsCan programme all report a high rate of absence and illness during winter months because children do not have the appropriate wet weather gear. Children, who do come to school without coats, arrive soaking wet and freezing cold and this has a severe impact on their ability to learn. In partnership with Warehouse Stationery and adidas we aim to provide 10,000 raincoats at no cost for disadvantaged children each year.

Thanks to adidas we are pleased to have permission from the NZRU for the All Blacks logo to appear on the raincoat to instill pride in the kids who wear them. The programme was launched in June 2006 and over 8000 coats have been distributed to children throughout New Zealand so far.

The aim of the Raincoats in Schools program is to...

• To provide raincoats to disadvantaged children to keep them warm and dry in winter
• To reduce ill health in disadvantaged children associated with exposure to cold and/or wet weather
• To ensure children arrive at school warm and dry so they are in a better position to learn