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Most people don’t give their empty shoeboxes a moment’s thought. But to the member’s of the Shoebox Project, each small box represents the hope that the simple act of sharing can change people’s lives.

The Shoebox Project is a relatively new charity group that has both funded and implemented projects to help the less fortunate. It was started early last year when the group’s founder, Beriozka Anita, learned that her little brother and his classmates were part of a project to donate things to the poor. The only condition of the project was that their donations had to be worth around Rp 50,000 ($6) and fit inside a shoebox.

“I thought it was a pretty unique idea,” Beriozka said. “Even though it’s not much room, it gives you the chance to give someone something memorable.”

Inspired, Beriozka started the Shoebox Project, a charity based around the concept of large numbers of people contributing small amounts of money and time to make a big difference in the lives of the underprivileged. The group encourages people to donate at least Rp 50,000.

Gita, a 30-year-old member of the group, said people shouldn’t think of the Shoebox Project as a formal charity organization so much as a movement.

“I would say that we are a bunch of young people who simply want to remind others about the importance of sharing,” he said.

The group’s tagline is: “Because it’s the shoes that need a shoebox and not the other way around.”

Beriozka explained what that means by saying: “To keep your shoes in good shape you need to keep them in a shoebox. The shoes represent our hearts, and in order to keep them pure we need to care about others.

“See, actually it’s us, the capable people, who need unfortunate people. Their presence is not for nothing,” she said. “They’re here to keep our hearts clean and to remind us how much we have to be grateful for.”

Now run by 11 main members, the Shoebox Project is moving quickly. They have already completed seven projects and are working on their eighth.

Gita said they have had a great response from the public, and the amount of money they have been able to collect has grown steadily. For their seventh project, they took on the ambitious goal of renovating a school for the poor in Pulogadung, East Jakarta. They were able to raise Rp 56 million from 220 people, far exceeding their initial target of Rp 30 million.

The Shoebox Project does not simply hand over the money they’ve raised to the groups they are working to help. Instead, they work together with the institutions to teach them how to improve their facilities in the best possible way. Their concept is “give the hook, not the fish.”

To support their activities, the group asks people to give not just their money but also their time. Gita said that getting young volunteers to help out has been surprisingly easy, something that he and team members are very thankful for.

Although the Shoebox Project does a lot of fund-raising, Gita was quick to say that “raising money is not our main goal.”

He said the true goal of the group is to build public awareness about the many unfortunate people around us. He also said they wanted to demonstrate that simply sharing a little of their money, time or other resources, people can solve many of the country’s problems.

But Gita said that people can easily participate, even without donating anything. “People can get involved by retweeting our messages on Twitter or forwarding our e-mails to their friends,” he said, adding that such social marketing has already significantly improved public awareness about their efforts.

The group’s eighth project will be held on Saturday. The team is organizing a workshop for around 100 students of the Annaajiyah orphanage in Pesanggrahan, Tangerang. In the workshop, members of Shoebox and volunteers will teach students about environmental issues and recycling. The group will also work to refurbish several parts of the orphanage, including renovating the room that will be used for the workshop. For this project, Shoebox will need Rp 40 million.

Gita said that there was no greater ideology behind the group than the simple notion that people should help those less fortunate than themselves, “regardless of our different religions or faiths.” It’s an idea simple enough to fit in a shoebox.

For more information, contact:
www.shoeboxproject.wordpress.com
Twitter:
@shoeboxproject
Facebook: Shoebox Project