WHY settle for the same old gift for family and friends this Christmas, when you can buy your loved ones a present that is not just original and unique but that will make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable children and families as they work their way out of poverty in the developed world.
Instead of the same old tie for dad, soap for mum or a play station game for the kids, why not buy them a mobile library pulled by a donkey in Ethiopia? For $39 dollars, your gift will fill the donkey cart with a range of books to improve children’s literacy skills, and open up the imagination of hundreds of Ethiopian children.
That’s just one of a dozen Gifts of Hope available through Plan International Australia’s website at plan.org.au/giftsofhope this Christmas. Others include:
– $50 for a pig for a family in Cambodia.
– $46 to train a teacher at an early learning centre in Laos.
– $41 to provide a hand-washing facility for 100 people in West Africa to help stop the spread of Ebola.
– $50 to provide food for a year for a child in war-torn and drought ravaged South Sudan.
As if changing a life for the better was not enough, every gift of food will be multiplied 12 times through Plan’s food grant from United Nations’ partner agencies. So, for example, spending $50 to provide food for a year for a child in South Sudan will actually result in a $400 donation.
“We often hear about the challenge of buying a present every Christmas for that special someone who has everything. Thanks to Plan’s Gifts of Hope shop, you can now buy them a unique gift that will make a real difference to someone in the world who has very little,” Plan International Australia CEO Ian Wishart said.
“We’re probably all familiar with that sinking feeling of seeing Christmas presents for loved ones collecting dust by the middle of January. But nothing could be more welcome than our Gifts of Hope,” he said.
“Instead of a present that your loved ones will enjoy for a day, you can give them a present that will make them feel great for the entire year – and which will make a real and lasting difference to someone living in poverty,” Wishart said.
For every Gift of Hope you choose, you will get a free gift card. Inside, you can add your own personal message while the recipient can read how their gift will help transform lives.
To browse and buy from Plan’s Gifts of Hope shop, visit plan.org.au/giftsofhope.
Ryan Fritz
Ryan Fritz started The Advocate in 2014 to provide not-for-profits and charities another media platform to tell their worthwhile hard news stories and opinion pieces effortlessly. In 2020, Ryan formed a team of volunteer journalists to help spread even more high-quality stories from the third sector. He also has over 10 years experience as a media and communications professional for not-for-profits and charities and currently works at Redkite, a childhood cancer charity.
