They sleep on couches, on the floor or share with siblings, which puts them at risk from preventable respiratory conditions like bronchiolitis and rheumatic fever.
Will you make a life-changing gift today, to help provide new beds and warm bedding for 553 children who are sleeping on the floor or bed-sharing this winter?
$45 will fund a warm blanket
$80 will fund a bedding pack (duvet inner, sheets, duvet cover, pillow set, pillow)
$343 will fund a single bed, mattress and bedding pack
$688 will fund bunks beds, mattresses and bedding packs
Tamariki living in our poorest communities are twice as likely to end up in hospital than other tamariki.
Child Poverty Monitor 2020
Every child needs a bed of their own.
A proper bed, where they can rest their growing brains and bodies, heal when they are ill, and dream about their futures. At the end of a long, chilly day, cuddling down into their own warm bed is vital for a child’s wellbeing.
A warm, dry bed of their own helps a child stay healthy and out of hospital.
A healthy child is a child who can thrive, learn and dream.
Julie’s story
Julie from Hawkes Bay lives in a two-bedroom house with her three grandchildren. She turned to her local Healthy Homes provider* because both bedrooms had extensive mould on the walls and water was leaking from the ceiling.
Her grandchildren shared a bed with her or slept on a broken bed in the second bedroom. The family bed-shared to stay warm and well, but the children were continually getting sick.
Following the Healthy Homes assessment of the house, repairs were made and Variety supporters generously provided the funding for a set of bunks, a new single bed, new linen and warm bedding.
The family were ecstatic about the improvements. Julie said the kids were “in love with their new beds and snuggly new blankets”.
Please make a gift today to provide beds and warm bedding this winter, for families like Julie’s.
Your gift will provide beds, bedding and other assistance to children wherever our help is most needed.
* Each winter, Variety partners with the government’s Healthy Home Initiative (HHI) providers to identify the children who most need beds. HHI teams conduct comprehensive housing assessments for families living in poverty across the country, and then support them to undertake the repairs and other changes to make their homes warmer, drier and healthier.