Feeling festive
Yes, it’s that time of year again! How it’s only two weeks to Christmas I don’t know. And apologies if this puts you into a panic!
The good news is that in this newsletter we have lots of wonderful festive gift ideas for those hard-to-buy-for people, secret Santa gifts or to spoil those you love.
Here at S.A.L.V.E. we actually feel like Christmas has come early thanks to the wonderful news that last week, we reached our Big Give Christmas challenge target.
Thanks to people’s generosity and kind hearts, we have raised an incredible £21,554, which will support children who have been on the streets to be resettled to a loving family home. We are eternally grateful that we can carry on our vital work reuniting mums, dads, grandparents and siblings with the children that they have missed.
When I was last in Uganda, I was talking to the children about Christmas and asked them to write down their ‘Christmas wish‘. Not a single child wrote down that they wished for a toy or game, but instead the most common one was “I wish to be home with my family“.
The children we work with want to go home, they want to go to school and they want a chance of a brighter future. And if that’s not in the true spirit of Christmas, I don’t know what is!
Thank you to everyone who stands alongside us and supports children to fulfil their dreams.
Shop with S.A.L.V.E. this Christmas
Still wondering what to buy that tricky person, looking for stocking fillers or want to wow at this year’s Secret Santa? We have lots of wonderful ways to shop ethically this festive season and to support children to leave the streets.
🎁 Our More Than A Gift range of ethical gifts starts at just £6 and is perfect for the person who has everything. Who else can say that for Christmas they got the chance to provide 10 single mums with business training to support their families? And that’s just one of our wonderful options!
🛍️ On our online store we have a range of hand-crafted, ethically sourced jewellery to suit all tastes. Profits from the sales of jewellery go straight back into our work to help more street connected children and families.
💌 If you’re worrying that it’s a little too late to send Christmas cards in the post then don’t worry, we have e-cards available! Take the stress out of sending and make a donation to S.A.L.V.E. instead.
Spread some festive cheer this Christmas
Christmas is a special time, especially for children. We want to ensure that all of the children we work with get the opportunity to feel the festive spirit by holding parties at both our residential site and Drop in Centres.
At the parties, the children will receive a small gift each and we will celebrate with food and drink.
We are asking for your support in spreading the feeling of goodwill and Christmas joy by making a donation to our Christmas party fund. This will help street connected children in Uganda to celebrate and feel filled with the Christmas spirit.
If you are one of our amazing Educational Sponsors then you could kindly consider making a donation to ensure that all the children in our Educational Support programme get a gift by donating here (or directly to our bank account).
Check out our brand new podcast
We are incredibly excited that our brand new podcast is now live! In a change from what we’ve put out before, this is a more in-depth listen to get an insight into what life is like for street connected children in Jinja.
The first episode features our Street Outreach Manager, Sarah Awang Esther, and learning how her team aims to support children on the streets. Sarah shares her insights into the reality of life for the children and how relationship building has become a key part of her work.
Latest S.A.L.V.E. news
🌱 We were delighted that Teachers For The Planet featured our Permaculture Education programme as one of their ‘100 outstanding teacher-led solutions’ at the RewirED Summit at the Global Climate Change Conference (COP28).
💃 Our Manchester ceili in December raised over £1,000 to support both our work and the work of The Pearl Trust Uganda. We were delighted to see so many familiar faces but also some new movers and shakers too! Thank you for your support.
📈 In November we released the sobering figures from our recent head counting research. You can read the report on our website here.
📰 We launched our research findings with an event in Jinja and our team have been featured on local radio and also in the press. A huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in this project. Although the figures are saddening, we will use them to strongly advocate for the need for more support for children on the streets and families in extreme poverty. The data only strengthens our resolve to be a lifeline for people when they need us most.
Lottery for Change
Congratulations to Richard – this month’s winner of £100 in our Lottery for Change.
Would you like to be next month’s winner? For just £3 a month, you could be in with a chance of winning £100 and provide a street connected child with lunch for a week! Find out more here.
Webale nyo
None of what we have achieved would have been possible without the support of you, our amazing global family. Thank you for continuing to be part of our community and for standing in solidarity with street connected children with us.
If you have any questions or feedback, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We always love to hear from you.
With love and festive cheer,
Nicola and the whole S.A.L.V.E. team
0 Comments