The telethon is back. TV3 is going to host a 24 hour telethon next year. The 'Big Night In' seeks to raise $2 million for the charity that supports New Zealand children living in poverty, KidsCan.Call me churlish but I believe this is the wrong charity. Children living in poverty in New Zealand is too political. There is a big question mark over why children are going without food, shoes and raincoats in what is a generous and pervasive welfare state. And whether someone other than their parents providing these things actually improves the situation or just breeds more dependency and irresponsibility. As a volunteer I am happy to give my time working in homes trying to sort these problems but I am not going to support throwing more money at them.
It is enormously disappointing that a charity like Cancer Kids or Variety - for sick and disabled children - is going to miss out. In fact some of the donations going to the telethon will mean donations do not go to other more deserving charities.
10 comments:
The failure of the welfare state is just the reason why charities such as KidsCan are so important. The beauty of KidsCan is that it is the teachers that distribute the food/raincoats/shoes etc, and these go directly to the children.
It would be a fair assumption that the parents are recipients of welfare and the kids aren't benifiting. Probably find that it goes on booze or the pokies or whatever.
No money goes to the families. Only product - which benifits the kids directly.
(And yes, my work is one of the sponsors, so I might be slightly biased).
Mike, I would naturally support money being raised from the private sector voluntarily. However that doesn't mean I then have to support every charity raising money. What this charity does is allows the parents to keep spending taxpayer money elsewhere, then the taxpayer is asked to cough up again albeit as a donation. I worry that KidsCan will end up like foodbanks. A temporary solution that becomes permanent, asked to fill more and more need while the problems caused by welfarism go on.
My point is, KidsCan isn't the problem (it isn't the solution either, hopefully just a bandaid) - its instituionalised welfarism.
Meanwhile, while you are banging on about politics thousands of kids are going hungry, cold and without shoes and KidsCan is doing something about it instead of just talking about it.
I went to their website and read the Massey research on how their programmes are making an amazing difference for children in New Zealand. I think they are a great charity; someone has got to stand up for children who are less fortunate than others.
Bring on Telethon! It is going to be awesome and I can't wait.
What an ignorant generalisation to assume that the children this charity supports all come from families who are wasting their money. Many families cannot afford the basics now days as the cost of living is so high compared to the income they make and I am not talking about people on the benefits. I come from a neighbourhood where lots of parents work back to back shifts to provide for their families and it still isn't enough. I've seen mothers crying because they can't afford to feed their kids and they are not wasting their money on the fags or at the pub. Every child has a right to three meals a day, shoes etc and this organisation is doing a great thing for kids while everyone else does nothing. And as for the money going to the charities you suggest, why? Because it is more fluffy and less confronting? Wake up NZ children are our future and if they are hungry and can’t learn there is no hope for our country.
Don't feed the pigeons!
They just breed more pigeons to flap about crapping on you!
KidsCan is an absolutely indictment of the failure of Labour
nothing more - and nothing less.
But them: Labour bought the last election with Owen Glenn's money. Why should they care about poor kids: they poor kids can't fund Labour!
I come from a neighbourhood where lots of parents work back to back shifts to provide for their families
And thanks to Labour, for every one of these familes there are 10 families that are bludgers and have largescreen TVs and cars and they don't even have to pay for their own power --- all paid for buy the taxes of the hardworking families you want to support
Every child has a right to three meals a day, shoes etc
Crap. Children don't have rights. Rather, their PARENTS have a responsibility to care for and protect their kids. If you can't do that, you shouldn't have the kid!
Anon you dork, never heard of the Convention for the Rights of the Child? It outlines rights. Of children. You should give it a read sometime.
See http://www.unicef.org/crc/
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