KEY POINTS:
All gifts bought by New Zealanders for children in 26 developing countries have been delivered to them, Unicef NZ says.
The gifts, in the form of aid supplies bought in Unicef NZ's new Inspired Gifts scheme, were helping tens of thousands of children in developing countries, commercial manager Carolyn Shivanandan said today.
"In November, the scheme's first month of operation, pencils were the top-selling item.
"New Zealanders bought 62,000 pencils, all of which have been delivered to support children's education," Ms Shivanandan said.
The pencils sell for $9.24 per box of 400.
Other top-selling aid items in November included bicycles and woollen blankets. New Zealanders bought 156 bikes at $44.90 each, all of which have gone to Ghana.
Ms Shivanandan said the bicycles would make a big difference for children in Ghana, especially for girls in rural areas who have to balance household chores with walking long distances to school.
"Unicef's experience in Ghana has shown that providing children in rural areas with bicycles is an effective way to boost school attendance rates and improve academic performance."
The 323 woollen blankets Kiwis bought will provide shelter for children in Chad, Niger, Malawi, and the Central African Republic.
Other Inspired Gifts bought included first aid kits (to Afghanistan), immunisation and malaria prevention supplies (largely to Africa), therapeutic foods (to 11 countries), and water kits (to Myanmar).
Globally, people spent more than $8.4 million on the aid items, Ms Shivanandan said.
- NZPA
