Local kids, big hearts, and adventure

Cities turned to rubble, people destitute, starving, trapped and scrounging for shelter and safety. And it's not just the adults, but children too.

It was the story of children in Iraq that tugged at the heartstrings of these local Bay of Plenty children, and they're motivated to try and help.

The kids from the lunchtime group Adventures With Dad heard about the strife of children over in Iraq and have stepped up to try and do something about it.

'Adventures with Dad is a group of fathers trying to take a little time out on a Wednesday – basically a long lunch – to just spend time with their kids and do something together,” says dad David Hart.

'We play some sport, go to the beach or go to a farm to see animals being born. Usually it's something a bit strenuous,”

They've secured a stall at the Papamoa Little Big Markets this weekend and will be selling their art and crafts, busking and raising money to send to Iraqi children.

But how did they hear about these kids 15,650 kilometers away?

David says Youth With A Mission Australia worker Stevie Lujan came to visit recently and told the group about his experiences working in Iraq and North Korea.

'Stevie spent a lot of time in Iraq specifically playing games with the kids,” says David.

'These are kids that have been displaced from their homes, and the group he was with had organised a makeshift soup kitchen.

'The military officers would say ‘okay, you are safe to come this far up today,' then the villagers that had been hiding or had run off find out where the convoy is going to go.

'The group goes there, sets up, gives them food and, if they can, plays with the kids. They might stay for a couple of days – they just try to calm everyone down a bit.

'The kids were really impacted by what Stevie told them about Iraq, so they started asking what they could do and if they could send some toys or something. Stevie had to explain that it was difficult to take random things in a suitcase, but if we could fundraise maybe we could find out what they needed and get the things closer to where it is actually needed.”

So the kids will be creating their little hearts out to raise money for children in Iraq. They'll have a stall at the Papamoa Little Big Markets this Saturday from 9am-2pm.

'It's very much driven by the kids wanting to do this - the dads are just helping to facilitate it,” says David.

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