4thekidz Charitable Trust provides comfort packs for Kakatahi children scared by burglary of their home

Five children whose home near Whanganui was ransacked by burglars have each received a comfort pack to help them feel safer.

Azaria Timmins' children aged 2 to 12 years were traumatised and too scared to sleep in their bedrooms after the burglary of their Kakatahi home on June 6.

The family's belongings were rifled through, beds trampled over and televisions, hunting gear and a neighbour's van stolen. Timmins and the children were sleeping on the lounge floor for days after the burglary.

After the Wanganui Chronicle told their story, 4thekidz Charitable Trust offered to help with support for the children. The trust, chaired by Carolyn Cragg and with a branch in Whanganui, provides comfort packs for children in traumatic situations around New Zealand.

Timmins said the comfort packs were "amazing" and thanked Cragg and her team of volunteers for the help.

"The kids are doing a bit better this week and we've decided we'll start saving up for a new television. We're putting all our coins in a pile for it. There's 50 cents so far but it's a start."

The 4thekidz project started with a teddy bear provided to children who were going through the forensic process of investigation of abuse.

Since then it has grown to comfort packs that include a blanket (for the child to feel secure), a teddy (to cuddle or talk to), a torch (so they are not scared of the dark) and a colouring book or diary (to express their feelings in colour or words).

"Some people think it sounds silly but, even in a minor incident, it can help children at the scene if they have a teddy to cuddle," Cragg said.

The organisation has no funding and relies on volunteers and donations.