For the last eight months, the value of the British pound has continued to slide against the US dollar. This means that Toybox faces a big challenge in our work with street children.

It’s been sixteen years since God first called Toybox to bring hope to the most disadvantaged children in Latin America. Today, our commitment to His call is as strong as ever and we are grateful to be agents of His mission of love and compassion, serving around 9,000 city children every quarter. We trust in God that our work will continue to grow and we pray for new opportunities to provide love, care and hope for children and their families, offering a more secure future in a increasingly insecure world.

However, because we fund our work to care for street children in dollars, the unprecedented falls in the value of sterling against the dollar mean that everything we do has become hugely more expensive. In fact every time the exchange rate falls by 1 cent it costs us £7,000 more to deliver the same care to our children.

When the British pound began to slide against the US dollar last year, we began making all the savings we could. And for a while it worked, but as the rate dropped further and further away from our budgeted rate of 1.95 we began to get seriously worried.

The cost of caring for street children rises with every drop in the exchange rate. But together we can make up the shortfall and secure the precious love and opportunity that only Toybox can bring.

$ Exchange rate = £ shortfall

1.60 = 163,000
1.50 = 224,000
1.45 = 257,000
1.44 = 264,000
1.43 = 271,000
1.42 = 279,000
1.41 = 286,000
1.40 = 293,000
1.35 = 332,000
1.30 = 373,000

Hopes rise and are dashed

In January, everyone who received our magazine, Stories from the Street, was asked to help make up the shortfall. Thanks to those who sent gifts, hopes could rise again. Only to be dashed as the exchange rate continued to get worse. I am sad to have to report that if the exchange rate does not improve significantly, we face the heartbreaking task of cutting back the scale of our work. Which means fewer staff to care for children like Pedro, less work among families, fewer people to give a ‘Red Alert’ when a child arrives on the streets for the first time and fewer opportunities for children to speak up for one another. We also risk damaging our reputation and losing our influence for change with the authorities.

“Here at the Home I’ve learned many things; respecting and loving people not by an obligation but because they gave me much love and they stood by me all the time. All along the years that I’ve lived here, people have helped me and every time that I remember my life in the streets, I treasure what they do for me and for all of us who live here.” Pedro

It breaks our hearts to even think about abandoning one child

Even though, we have pared our UK costs to the bone we need an extra £257,000 (at an exchange rate of 1.45 US dollar to the £) to continue God’s loving mission among the most disadvantaged and impoverished children and families in Latin America. In asking you to join with us in support and partnership during this very difficult time, I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 8: 1-8, when Paul, speaking of the churches in Macedonia, said, ‘Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.’

Please support and pray with us that we can continue to help children like Pedro and Jenifer. While all our local partners who work with us on the streets and in the foster homes in Latin America are doing all they can during this exchange rate crisis, they too are stretched to the limit. People in Bolivia, Peru and Guatemala are so poor already we simply cannot expect them to do more work for less money. That is just not fair. Nor is it fair that children suffer because of an exchange rate crisis thousands of miles away that they neither know about, nor understand.

We trust in God that we can solve this problem together – here in the UK

The most important thing in the world to us is that children on the streets and in the homes will continue to receive the love, care and hope that only Toybox can offer them. If we weren’t there they would be truly alone. There would be no hope of a future. Without Toybox, our partners, friends and supporters, children would be condemned to the perils of life on the streets. Let’s all work as one in God’s mission of love and continue caring for street children. Your gifts and partnership have never been more important. Without them we can’t secure the lives of children currently in our care, we can’t build for the future, nor can we extend our work to reach street children in other countries.

Over the next twelve months the lower exchange rates means it will cost an extra £257,000 (at an exchange rate of 1.45 US dollars to the £) just to carry on as we are. If the rate drops to 1.3, it would cost an extra £373,000.

It would be a tragedy if we had to cut back on the work we are doing with children now. And this is what we want to avoid at all costs. Can you come together with us as our partner in mission? By acting as one we can safeguard the precious hope and opportunities that Toybox bring to thousands of children every day and night of the year. A gift of any amount would make a huge difference. For example it costs £2,600 to buy essential equipment for a home for 26 children.

A gift of £86 will help secure a bright and hopeful future for a child in our care.

Alternatively, 10 gifts of £94 would be enough to buy a first aid kit, mattresses, cooking and tableware and new toys, for a project helping 57 children from the street. Please join hands with us now and secure the next twelve months of God’s mission for Toybox: to bring love and hope for the children we all care about so very much.

“My dream is to become someone of authority, like a city mayor or a governor. I would build many houses for orphaned children. Here they tell us that dreams can become true if we trust in God. I believe in God and I believe that in Him, all is possible” Jenifer

Give Now and help change lives

 

Resources

Download the special appeal powerpoint to share at your Church, home group or event

Need more copies of the special appeal briefing sheet? Do you need gift aid envelopes to give out at your Church / event? Please give us a call on 0845 466 0010 so we can send you as many as you need.

Click here to for the latest update on how we are doing!