Peachgrove Intermediate and Artmakers team up to dress buddies

Peachgrove Intermediate pupils were given the chance to dress and name a cardboard cut out of a child at Artmakers, all in the name of raising awareness of child abuse.

Buddy Day was started in 2011 by Child Matters and is designed to get people thinking about child abuse and what they can do to prevent it.

Kate Noble- Orton, 11 and Phoebe Balinska-Smith, 12 named their buddy Kat, and wanted to make her look like Katy Perry.

“We just thought of Katy Perry, we watched her movie together,” said Kate.

On November 16, people who have registered as carers pick up their buddy from a breakfast at Claudelands Event Centre and then take care of them for the day.

In all 335 buddies will be sent out, 20 percent of the 1683 cases of child abuse in Waikato in the last year.

Artmakers director Sylvie Bolstad said that Artmakers have always been involved in community development projects.

“As an artist my work is about finding ways to use creativity to bring a social message in, to improve society.”

All Hamilton people are invited to register as carers, and people all over the country can purchase event kits.

Next year Child Matters hopes Buddy Day will go nationwide.

Buddy Day Manager Janine Evans said Buddy Day involved the whole community.

“Child abuse is a community problem that requires a community solution.

“[It] is not something that only happens to ‘other people’ – its effects permeate all our lives,” Evans said.

“Child abuse is not a pretty subject and it is often very difficult for people to talk about openly.”

New Zealand has one of the worst child abuse rates in the developed world and it affects one quarter of the population.

You can register as a buddy carer here.