When UNICEF conducted a situation analysis of South African children and adolescents in 2024, it found that 62% of children are experiencing multidimensional poverty. While the Child Support grant plays a critical role in alleviating child poverty, many children are often not provided with adequate school supplies, including shoes, stationery and soap. To ensure that even the poorest child can go to school with dignity, the Santa Shoebox Project wants to fill 80,000 shoeboxes with practical necessities in 2025.
Image supplied.
From 1 September, you can make a child’s school year brighter by pledging, packing, and dropping off a Santa Shoebox for a child in your community, or by donating a personalised Virtual Santa Shoebox.
“Together, we can uplift and empower children-in-need and ensure they start the 2026 school year ready to learn and thrive,” says Deb Zelezniak, CEO at the Santa Shoebox Project.
“In this context, small acts of generosity can make a tangible difference.”
“In 19 years, the nation has helped us reach more than 1.3 million underprivileged children in South Africa and Namibia with personalised shoeboxes filled with school supplies, toiletries and clothing items — practical necessities many families cannot afford.
"This year, the goal is to reach another 80,000.”
The impact is deeply felt in communities across the country.
Busie Thuli of the Sakhisizwe Community Development Centre and Creche shares that the Santa Shoebox Project has brought immense joy to the facility’s 100 children, many of whom are disabled or come from unemployed families.
“Since 2019, the annual shoebox distributions have provided a lifeline of essential items and treats during Christmas, filling a critical gap in our community where resources are scarce.
"Their support has been a beacon of hope, bringing happiness and dignity to our most vulnerable children.”
For more information about what to pack and where to drop off, go here.
