Hello Social Justice

:: Five Not Naff Christmas Gifts…

November 20, 2011
ONE :: A gift card from Kiva.  Kiva is an amazingly great organisation which makes micro loans to people all over the world, but mostly in third world countries.  Their mission is to connect people and alleviate poverty.  In doing that they provide opportunities and a big dose of hope for people like me (that you really can make a difference!) and for people who have big dreams of improving their lives for themselves and their families.   You can spend as little as $25 on your gift card (or make a loan yourself!) and the recipient can head to Kiva, look through the loan requests and make their loan.  It’s the gift that keeps on giving because once the funds are paid back, you can re-loan them to another person/family/group. I’ve made 16 Kiva loans so far and I think it’s an amazing initiative. I’ve loaned to embroidery collectives, weavers, farmers, shop-keepers, tailors, a cobbler and lots of others too!  So buy your pal a Kiva Card and start them on the road to micro-financing!

 

TWO :: Buy a duck. Or a chicken. Or a pile of poo. OXFAM have a great gift card campaign here.  You can pop over and choose between all kinds of things : Support a women’s circle, literacy program or sporting package for indigenous Australians, give the gift of a rice bank in Laos, gift a canoe or a chicken or a goat couple to a community that could really do with some support.  I’m quite partial to the duck ::
‘Ducks provide families in Mozambique with eggs that they can eat and sell at the market. These eggs can turn into more ducks, which in turn produce more eggs! Many of the people who receive a duck are carers for family members, orphans or vulnerable children affected by HIV and AIDS. The gift of a duck really makes a huge difference to the entire family. ‘ 
That’s a completely great result for a $20 purchase, don’t you think?  Buy someone a duck here.

 

THREE :: Adopt a Panda… or a Black Cockatoo… or a Polar Bear or a Rhino!  For $50 you can help the World Wildlife Fund with their conservation efforts.  Sadly there are a whole lot of animals struggling for survival as habitats are destroyed and hunters lurk.  You can choose over here.  The recipient will be sent an adoption pack with info about ‘their’ animal and a helpful, happy feeling is part of the package.

 

 

FOUR :: Care Australia has a whole lot of gift cards to choose from.  You can buy a bike for a birth attendant, a safe baby delivery kit, condoms to keep loved up people safe and sound, blankets, clean water, meals for hungry people… the list goes on.  If you are on a tight budget, you could start with a teensy $10 to buy school books for children (in their own native language!)  Super important that everyone can read, methinks.  See all the gifts here and take that shopping cart out for a spin!

 

FIVE :: At Unicef, $25 can immunise TWO HUNDRED children against polio.  Amazing. Other gifts include 500 pencils (that’s one each for FIVE HUNDRED kids!) for a tiny $10 or a football for kids living in a refugee camp. You can also gift anti malaria medication and scales to weigh  hungry babies with.  How will you choose?!
Do you buy gifts to benefit charities sometimes?  Are there any we should add to our list?  What do you fancy from the list above?

xx Pip

  • tilly jjak November 21, 2011 at 8:04 PM

    Fab Idea. We live far from our families (and rely heavily on online shopping!!) and have used both Oxfam and Care to send gifts far more valuable and lasting than flowers. The boys teachers have also been the recipients of ducks and goats – its an excellent way to thank them for the nurturing, caring environment they provide for my precious young men. Every year the school collects for charity and this year they decided to save for pigs – the tally was marked on the wall and they pushed just that little bit more to "finish off" that 1/2 pig. What an excellent way to teach our children to give. Thanks for sharing… Julie

  • MeAndBoo November 21, 2011 at 11:52 AM

    Thanks very much for doing all the hard work and finding these links for us! I think I shall definately send some of these as gifts this year. As much as I like presents, sometimes it all gets a bit much. These gifts can mean something very important to someone, which is what the spirit of Christmas is meant to be about apparently. Hurrah!

  • K Kent November 21, 2011 at 9:43 AM

    If you're stuck on what to buy your loved ones for Christmas then you need to check out this gift shop…you can buy some seriously cute gifts for your friends OR for these seriously cute bears! These gorgeous bears were once subject to cruelty and torture by being horrifically "farmed" for their bile…but now they live happy lives in rescue sancturies so why not add to their happy Christmas and send them a pot of honey, a basket of fruit or a delicious fruit smoothie! Or you could support this organisation's on-going work to put an end to bear bile farming in Asia by making a donation or just spreading the word, which costs nothing!
    And have a "Beary" Christmas!! x x x
    Animals Asia Gift shop
    http://www.animalsasia.org
    Hong Kong-based charity dedicated to ending cruelty and restoring respect for all animals in Asia…

  • Emma November 20, 2011 at 4:23 PM

    I always get the grown ups in my life something from Oxfam. My Dad is so chuffed every time, he brags to all his pals about gifting ducks, fruit trees etc. Well worth it!

  • Tara November 20, 2011 at 4:13 PM

    Hi Pip,

    I used to be an avid user of Kiva, but I decided to direct the little bit of money I can afford to give elsewhere after a bit of a scandal a couple of years ago.

    It's certainly not a cut and dried issue, but I thought I'd check to see if you were aware of the issues that have come up. There's a quick summary of issues on the wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiva_(organization)#Issues or this page has links to a lot of different posts people have made about things: http://www.philanthropyaction.com/nc/a_mostly_comprehensive_guide_to_the_kiva_and_donor_illusion_debate/

    I personally currently give to the NSW Women's Refuges http://www.wrrc.org.au/ and also WaterAid Australia http://www.wateraid.org/australia/ I feel more confident that my money is doing the most good there.

    T

  • Meg November 20, 2011 at 4:11 PM

    Excellent post. Have just been crying tears of frustration (really!!! I had to blog about it to vent) over the amount of toys my children have amassed between them and the fact that Christmas is just likely to bring more of the same their way. I have been giving my family animals for quite a few years now through World Vision. They have always been appreciated – although I can't say there have been tears of joy. That was gorgeous Nanette. Had not heard of Kiva but will be checking them out this year. Thanks Pip.

  • Pip November 20, 2011 at 10:01 AM

    Feel free to link, Nanette! I love your chicken story!!! So great. x

  • Nanette November 20, 2011 at 9:39 AM

    I gave a friend's hubby a gift of a donation of chickens from Heifer International
    (https://secure1.heifer.org/gift-catalog?msource=kw7284)similar to Oxfam's program. He cried. He was so proud that I thought he was someone who'd be happy to receive something like that.

    I do something similar for my g/kids for Easter, they get too much chocolate anyway…a donation on their behalf to gift chickens or rabbits to a village or family 'somewhere in the world'.

    Would you mind if I linked this to my blog…spread the message?

  • Kathryn November 20, 2011 at 9:09 AM

    Love! I've been trying to gently encourage our extended family to not buy our small peeps plastic fantastic (which they SO don't need!) for Christmas and letting them know that something like this would be a far better use of their money! I think I shall email them this, Pip! xo