Before spending hundreds of dollars on unnecessary Christmas presents, consider the impact you can make with these unique gift options
For a single Andrew Jackson you can buy an entire flock of geese. One goose can sometimes lay up to 75 eggs, and her goslings can continue to feed families for generations to come. – heifer.org
Lamp $25
Christians often quote: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” You can follow Matthew 5:16 literally by purchasing a lamp for a home in a Ugandan village. By giving one light to a household, you could provide children with the environment needed for doing school work. – esuubi.org
While you may have to constantly cut your grass, some families are just wishing they had grass. For $14 you can give a family grass seeds to plant for feeding their livestock. What good is having cattle if you can’t sustain them with food?
– sendacow.org
Beehive $62
The honey from a beehive not only provides a potential source of good nutrition for children and families, but it also can be sold in the market to pay for other essential needs such as medicine and school fees. – sendacow.org
In poor Filipino villages a water buffalo can provide tilling power and carry large amounts of products to market, and can be rented to neighbors for extra income. A farmer can plant four times the amount of rice with a water buffalo than can be planted by hand.
– heifer.org
Oven $43
What would you do without an oven in your home? There are orphans across the globe living without one. For $43 you can provide a village where groups of orphans live with this simple appliance—and change their lives. – esuubi.org
It’s fairly easy to cut the child death rate of a community in half—just buy a well. If you buy a share of a well in an impoverished community, you can help bring 2,800 gallons of water to more than 300 people. The result: saved lives. – worldvision.com
5 fruit trees $30
For just $30 you could give a family apple trees, orange trees and a mango tree. You’ll not only be providing them with nutrient foods, but also with seeds for starting a fruit farm, which within two to three years could be a thriving business—and a way out of poverty. – worldvision.com
The Gift of Work
While politicians fight on Capitol Hill over record-high unemployment, Alabama-based ministry WorldCrafts is providing long-term jobs for impoverished people in roughly 30 countries.
WorldCrafts seeks out poverty-stricken communities—in which a legal job is scarce—and helps residents start craft businesses. They also teach the new business owners rudimentary entrepreneurial skills, from setting prices to employee training.
“We are committed to our artisans for the long term,” says WorldCrafts director Andrea Mullins. “Our standards guarantee impoverished families hope for a better life.”
The ministry is an active part of the Fair Trade Federation and ensures that workers have access to necessary materials and equipment, are paid fair wages and are working in proper conditions. WorldCrafts has committed to consistently buying a minimum amount of product from the businesses and sells the items in catalogues and on its website.
“Fair trade is the opportunity to give people who might not have had it a place at the world market,” Mullins says.
