Hope Survivors Foundation is planning Flip Flop Shoebox Appeal this year to send shoebox packages to Rwanda. It is a fun way to help very poor children to experience a little joy in their lives.

This year marks the 17^th anniversary of the Rwandan Tutsi genocide. Around 300,000 children survived the genocide in Rwanda. The majority of these orphans now live in desperate poverty and lack of proper shelter, education and the means to earn money to buy basic necessities such as medicine and food. Beneficiaries will include orphans and impoverished children.

Many are teenagers who have been left with not adult figure to love or guide them. These orphans are left to fend themselves. They are forced to quit school, join the workforce, and care for younger brothers and sisters. Often they are caregivers, sometimes to more than ten siblings. Often they are involved in unskilled labour, which is underpaid and has no security or prospect for the future. Young girls in child headed households often drop out of school for domestic work.

In this regard, whatever outside help they could muster will be readily accepted. Anticipating your generous efforts this winter an orphan says, “Thanks in advance for this humanitarian gesture which will, no doubt, have far reaching impact on the well-being of the recipients.”

Shoeboxes can be filled with items such as books, shoes, clothes, school supplies etc. and should be nicely wrapped and clearly labelled with the appropriate age and sex. Please attach £2.00

Please do NOT include breakable items, food or sweets, toys that need batteries, medicines, or war-related items.  All boxes need to be received by Friday, 14 January. Boxes can be delivered to during business hours (Monday to Friday 9-5).

Please help to bring a little happiness in the lives of orphans/poor children of the Rwandan genocide! For more information, call our office on +44(0)7947951114. Even the smallest gift at the orphanage will be talked about for months, even remembered for years to come. What will YOU give?

Now, here are some important facts:

1. Please plan to have the shoeboxes delivered by Friday 14th of January for shipping to Rwanda that week.
2. Wrap each box and mark clearly if it is intended for a teenager boy or girl and age. Please consider making generic gift boxes that can be given to either a boy or a girl as this will help in the distribution.
3. It will take about 6 weeks for the container to arrive in Rwanda with distribution taking place in December.
4. Shipping the container to Rwanda will cost £5,000. We are asking your help with this and include £2 for each shoebox you have prepared. HSF will pay for the custom duties and distribution in Rwanda.

For more information contact Mark on 07947951114 or visit our website!

www.hope-survivors.org.uk

The new website has been built by survivors themselves in such a way that we can update it, allowing us to be more efficient in the administration of our work.

Moreover, HSF has subscribed with Virgin Money Giving Fundraising company.  Virgin Money Giving will promote and collect Gift Aid to donors and make it easy for HSF to add it to their donation.  In addition, Virgin Money giving will reclaim Gift Aid from HMRC and pass to HSF.

Finally, HSF has joined the most popular Social Media Sites (Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube).  These sites will help us to engage our audiences in a way that will spur them into action to support HSF’s work or promote us through their online networks, develop new partnerships and increase public awareness of our work.

For more please visit www.hope-survivors.org.uk

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” Eleanor Roosevelt