Humanists UK warns against Operation Christmas Child’s ‘shoebox evangelism’

Humanists UK is once again urging schools and parents to exercise caution over Operation Christmas Child. The initiative encourages children to donate gifts for ‘shoeboxes’, which are then sent to underprivileged children in developing countries. It is often presented in schools as a simple way for young people to help children overseas, but is in fact closely associated with Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian organisation founded by Franklin Graham, and is used to promote religious conversion.

Materials used by Samaritan’s Purse routinely include evangelistic literature and invitations to follow-up discipleship courses delivered through local churches. This is incorporated into the shoeboxes – a fact not usually made clear to UK parents when schools promote the appeal. Franklin Graham, whose ministry is closely associated with Operation Christmas Child, has a history of making homophobic remarks, and once called for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States. This association raises serious concerns about schools endorsing or facilitating the scheme.

Alternatives to Operation Christmas Child

Humanists UK believes that families who want to support children overseas should be able to do so without their generosity being repurposed for proselytisation. We encourage schools and parents to consider inclusive, non-religious alternatives and to make sure any school-endorsed charity work is transparent about aims and methods. If a school is promoting Operation Christmas Child, Humanists UK has created a template letter for parents to send to schools which outlines their concerns and urges schools to reconsider their support for the Operation Christmas Child scheme.

Humanists UK’s Education Campaigns Manager Lewis Young said:

‘We often hear from parents who only discover after donating that Operation Christmas Child is used to recruit children into a particular religion. That isn’t what most families expect when a school invites them to join a “shoebox appeal”.

‘We’re asking schools to be transparent and to choose inclusive charities so that pupils can learn about kindness and global citizenship without any hidden agendas.’