Jessica* is an eleven-year-old little girl who owns just two sets of clothes; one is her school uniform. She lives in a household with her two sisters and a younger brother, who each take it in turns to have space to sleep in the family bed. Most days she sits among her peers in the classroom with bleary eyes and a rumbling tummy. Her family relies heavily on bread, tins of food and milk from her local foodbank. With pale skin and dark circles under her eyes, her teachers are worried she’s becoming malnourished.
Can you imagine what the coming winter months will mean for Jessica, and families like hers?
We are all going to feel the effects of the cost of living crisis. For the luckiest this will mean being careful about how much fuel is in our cars or what brand of bread we buy. But for millions and millions of children this will mean desperation; explosive conversations between adults under strain, nights shivering under a thin blanket, no warm drinks or food to take the edge off the cold.
Could you give a child like Jessica the chance to spend a week feeling warm and cosy; going to bed with cheeks flushed pink from fresh air and a tummy full of home cooked food? A week to wake up full of excitement about what the day ahead will bring and watch the sunset in the evenings clutching a hot chocolate around a campfire lit with smiles.
We know the coming months will be tough but please, if you’re able, make a donation to give a child like Jessica a week of moments that will give her the confidence to tackle the challenges she faces at home.
*Jessica’s experience is based on a true story but names and details have been changed to protect her identity
