We are thrilled to tell you about two collections for the month of March! 

We're partnering with Team 72, an organization whose mission is to help foreign inmates in the Swiss prison system. 

Maybe it isn’t the first project you would think of for a collection, but there are many good reasons to help people in the prison system. 

It is true that people who have committed a crime should be punished. However one day they’ll be released, and imprisonment won’t turn them into better people. It is important to provide education and facilitate resocialization while still in prison.

Getting a verdict takes a year on average. It is also possible that the defendant is not culpable for the crime. During this year, the defendant is alone in their cell. He or she will go outside just one hour a day. There is no way to communicate with others. Calls are mostly forbidden, and there is no internet. Communication with the wards is difficult due to language problems. Books, DVD’s and jigsaw puzzles help substantially to pass the time. 

And last but not least, most of the convicts didn’t get a good start in life. They often enter prison with other health and psychiatric problems.  

Team 72, is helping convicts in managing the underlying problems. They are working with a group of 60 volunteers of all nationalities to educate and resocialize inmates. They are looking for following items:
 

• Dictionaries foreign language - German / German- foreign language
• Dictionaries foreign language - English / English - foreign language
• Books in any language, thematic books and reading books
• Language courses English and German
• DVD’s
• Arithmetic games i.e. Sudoku
• Jigsaw puzzles

We also continue with collections for Heilpädagogische Frühberatung (HPF) in Winterthur. HPF is an early childhood development program for kids with disabilities. Some of the families they serve are facing financial stress and we try to support them by fulfilling some "wish lists" of clothes, toys and other items from the families.
 

• 1 children's table and 2 (or more) matching chairs
• didacta puzzles (10 - 30 parts) 
• children's kitchen with accessories (pots, dishes, cooking stuff) 
• Duplo with base plate (possibly also train and rails) - We have several requests.
• 1 doll with accessories, possibly even a doll's pram
• 1 simple color dice game
• Large ball track with balls (see photo)
• Simple picture books

Donations can be given from Tuesday, March 20th until Friday, March 23rd. If you’d like to donate items, feel free to contact Amanda at amanda@zharity.ch and we can sort out a way to get your donations. We do have a bunch of bigger items on the wish list this time around. 

Thank you for all you do to support Collections!