Child poverty challenge – Parents Centres Starfish Project

2 April 2012

Child poverty challenge – Parents Centres Starfish Project

Parents Centre is spearheading a community led initiative to begin to address the complex issues surrounding child poverty and poor health in New Zealand.

Parents Centre has partnered with leading ventilation specialist, HRV, to provide ventilation and heating for a deserving and carefully selected family home. The Sustainability Trust is also joining the project – and will complete a full home assessment, provide insulation and curtains and energy analysis in the home, with the objective to reducing energy bills for the family.

The initiative has been named the ‘Starfish Project’ after the famous Starfish Story* about how to make a difference when the core issue, widespread poverty contributing to poor health, simply seems too big to tackle.

Chief Executive of Parents Centres, Viv Gurrey, says “Child poverty in this country is reaching epic proportions. Many children are suffering lasting health effects through living in poor conditions and unhealthy homes. Parents Centre see this as a significant community issue and we want to lead the way across New Zealand in developing community solutions – the time for talking at a community level is done – now we need to ‘do ‘. We are laying a challenge down to everyone in the community to step up with us and make a quantum difference”.

“The issues are complex and one organisation alone can’t tackle the massive issues that surround how many families are living in New Zealand right now, but we can make a difference by keeping this issue alive and we can make the difference locally for one family.”

Parents Centres ‘Starfish’ family is the Taliulu family, from Porirua East, who are currently living in overcrowded and damp, cold conditions;
• 9 people are currently living in the small 3 bedroom home (including grandmother who is on dialysis)
• 5 children – ages 12, 11, 9, 8 and 21 months
• Little house insulation
• No ventilation
• Current heating consists of one stand alone gas heater (which contributes to dampness)
• Constant illness in winter from colds, flus and coughs and a definite threat of asthma related conditions

Bruce Gordon, Chief Executive of HRV, says, “We have seen the extent of cold, poorly ventilated homes that are damp and mouldy, right across the country. These unsatisfactory living conditions cause a myriad of health problems such as asthma, flu and the potential onset of a range of allergies. The unhealthy state of New Zealand homes is costing our communities and something must be done about it. We are pleased to be working with Parents Centre on this project, which is a step in a positive direction.”

Parents Centres see education and support networks as the key. “We will support this family with on-going parent education, development of networks and resources through their local Centre. This will make a long term difference to this family but initially they need a ‘hand up’ to get them started and someone to walk alongside them to help clear the way,” says Gurrey.

“We believe this as a significant community issue and we want to lead the way across New Zealand by developing solutions at a grass roots level. The Starfish Project is the first step and we are inviting everyone in the community to take up their own Starfish challenge, and help make a real difference,” says Gurrey.

Parents Centres New Zealand Inc is the leading provider of childbirth and parent education in New Zealand, with the largest parenting-based support network across 51 Centres nationwide. Parents Centres has an extensive network of volunteers across New Zealand and a team of 190 plus paid employees nationwide. Parents Centres engages and connects with approximately 170,000 parents per annum.

For further information visit www.parentscentre.org.nz

Facts
• The Majority of kiwi homes are under-heated by WHO standards (BRANZ, Beacon Pathway, Otago School of Medicine)
• 46% of New Zealand homes suffer from condensation (BRANZ)
• 35% of New Zealand homes have visible mould (BRANZ).
• You are 49% more likely to have asthma with visible mould in the home (Asthma Foundation)
• New Zealand has the highest dust mite population in the world due to cold temperatures and high humidity (Otago School of Medicine)
• One in four kiwi kids has asthma (Maori and Pacific Island children are over represented, ranked second worst in the world behind Wales). (Otago School of Medicine)
• New Zealand is ranked 6th in the world for eczema and 10th for allergies

*The Starfish Story
Once upon a time, there was a wise man that used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a child, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The child was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"
The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the child replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die." Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But do you not realise that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the child bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

ENDS

© Scoop Media