Johannesburg - When we remember our happy stories, we are happy people.
Like the first time the family went on holiday to the beach, the delicious chocolate cakes mom would make on birthdays, the bicycle present you received at Christmas time.
For some children, these memories have never happened.
This is why Childline has developed a website to help relive those memories and help a child in need make new memories.
“It is an innovative campaign and we haven’t seen anything like it out there,” said Childline assistant director, Annette Brokensha.
The Childline Gauteng Memory Store lets people upload pictures of priceless moments from their childhoods. People can then go on to the store and browse through the different memories, then click on a memory they would like to “buy”. Your donation then helps Childline to create happy memories for less fortunate children.
Childline worked with NET#WORK BBDO to come up with the creative online store.
Brokensha said the aim of the campaign and online store was to raise funds for children in need and for people to understand the reality of children who had only ever had tough experiences.
“Children need to experience life, and with the online store people are able to give (share their experiences) with another life,” she said.
Brokensha said all the proceeds from the donations would go towards the children.
“We will use the funding to assist the hotline and for our school programmes which reach 70 000 children across the country,” said director Lynne Cawood.
The donations will also go towards therapeutic needs children may have and towards creating new memories for them through Childline’s support services.
Brokensha said the campaign was also going to help people see abused children as not just a number that could be written off.
“We love what we do and it is lovely that the community can share in the experience,” she said.
If you’d like to donate, browse through the store at www.shop.childline.org.za.
To raise even more funds for the organisation, Childline Gauteng is running a T-shirt-design competition until the end of January.
Entrants of the global competition have to design a unique T-shirt that best summarises their fondest childhood memories. The three winning designs will be printed on T-shirts and sold in South Africa on Childline Gauteng and abroad.
The Star