Editorial: Our kids deserve the best start

International charities have warned world leaders at the G8 summit that their failure to keep previous promises is tipping poor countries into famine. While our country may never be in the grip of a nationwide famine, the number of families in poverty in New Zealand is certainly growing and it is our schools stepping up to take action.

In New Zealand charitable trust KidsCan provides food, shoes and raincoats for children in low decile schools to stop the cycle of poverty leading to more educational failure and deprivation. It says the situation is worsening, that teachers are finding children searching rubbish bins for food and taking turns with siblings to attend schools because they share their shoes.

Sadly, Rotorua schools tell us that such things are also happening in our own city.

While in some cases it appears parents may need help to make the right lifestyle choices to ensure they can feed and clothe their children, there will be others who are simply finding life so tough right now that they can't always provide these things for their families.

KidsCan says 270,000 New Zealand children are in families receiving inadequate incomes.

Recognising the problem, Sunset Primary School teachers and board members and supporting organisations have stepped in to do something, providing food and clothing through different programmes.

Other schools in Rotorua operate similar programmes which we have previously reported on and these schools are to be congratulated for being proactive, for firstly recognising the problem within their own communities and for caring enough to do something about it.

Education opens the door to a better future for these children but children who are cold or hungry can not learn properly. Making sure they are fed and warm is giving these children the best possible chance.