The Empty Pencil Box Project

The Empty Pencil Box is a fundraising initiative by Aman and Raheesa Jina to help children in Africa. Aman and Raheesa's first project was in June 2013 when they held a stationery drive at their Canadian school in order to bring school supplies to Africa. They collected more than 5,000 items. The binders, which were too large to transport, were donated to the SOS Children's Villages Thrift Store in Vancouver, so they could be sold to raise money to support the children's villages. Most of the supplies were packed in suitcases and brought to Africa in July 2013. While in Africa, they visited schools, NGOs and SOS Children's Villages in Kenya and Tanzania, where they delivered their donated supplies. They also researched issues affecting children in those countries, including child slavery.
Their first project is highlighted in a video posted to the page. Following this project, Aman Jina became a youth ambassador for SOS Children's Villages.
Their current project is to raise an additional $3,000 for an SOS Children's Village in Kenya. This money will be donated to SOS Children's Villages in Canada, a registered charity, for secure transfer to Kenya.
SOS Children's Villages are the world's largest charity for orphaned and abandoned children. This non-profit, non-government charity supports and cares for orphaned and abandoned children in 133 countries around the world, with many of their homes in Africa. Children live in 'families' in homes with a house mother in each home. For more than 50 years, SOS Children's Villages have cared for children around the world.