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Global Gift Giving: Top Christmas Gifts You Can’t Physically Give

A Different Type of Present

By James PatefieldPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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Lockdown restrictions are tightening up again, making this Christmas one of the strangest—everchanging rules are affecting the entirety of the festivities. It impacts who we can eat Christmas dinner with and how we will be exchanging gifts with our loved ones.

With a second spike in COVID-19 at hand, there is the possibility that we won’t be able to hand over the gifts we’d usually carefully pick out for our friends and family. While we can still give Christmas hampers and other thoughtful goodies to those we live with, it’s time to start planning for those we can’t.

Here, we’ll take a look at acts of giving where gifts aren’t handed from one person to another. Gift-giving can do society and communities good. Often, we forget about the sentiment behind Christmas and get wrapped up in the materialistic side of it. Perhaps this year is a good time to get into the true Christmas spirit while putting a smile on someone’s face.

Providing hygiene and sanitation

While our Christmas is expected to change significantly this year because of COVID-19, we should think about those in poorer countries who don’t have access to clean water for basic hygiene and handwashing. We should be thankful that we have basic resources to help protect our health from the virus.

Luckily, you can help protect vulnerable communities from COVID-19 and other harmful diseases. Toilet Twinning is “helping fight poverty, one toilet at a time”. By donating £60, you can help fund a project allowing families to build a toilet, have access to clean water, and learn about basic hygiene. This all helps to save lives. The recipient of your gift will get a certificate with a photo of your toilet twin with GPS coordinates so you can explore their area on Google Maps.

Sponsoring a child, or changing a life?

Giving someone the gift of sponsoring a child will only cost you a small amount of money while having a great impact on the child’s life. The money is used to help children who are growing up in some of the poorest countries have access to clean drinking water, healthcare, and education. This benefits not only the individual but the family and wider community. Many of these children will have limited opportunities and resources to help build a foundation for adulthood.

The lucky recipient of your gift will be able to exchange letters and photos with their sponsored child, so the impact of your present can be seen. The scheme can build long-lasting friendships, with many sponsors even going on to visit the child and their family.

The GOAT of all presents

Now, we’d all probably adopt a goat if we could. There’re far too many parkouring goat videos out there to pass up on the opportunity. But we’re not talking about giving a goat to your cousin—as well as investing in children’s futures, you can also help feed families by buying them a goat.

Not only can a goat give a family up to 12 pints of nutritious milk each week which can be either drank or sold, but a goat produces free fertiliser to grow crops. This has proven beneficial for families in countries such as Ethiopia, which is largely affected by severe droughts. Goats are relatively easy to look after and can breed easily, allowing families to create their income by selling them or their produce.

Empowering young women

In some developing countries, women are faced with discrimination and unable to work. Donating money to pay for a young woman’s empowerment classes or to attend self-help groups can equip them with essential skills to set up their own business. It can help them to earn money, help contribute to their families, learn about their rights, and get support to protect them against any type of abuse. World Vision, World Gifts, and Traidcraft’s charity donation gift scheme can provide these.

Making Christmas what it should be—fun and loving

As well as sponsoring children and families with practical presents that can change their lives, you could also prepare to gift a load of presents with the Shoebox Appeal. This allows those in poorer communities to experience a proper Christmas with fun toys and activities. If you’re concerned about transmitting the virus, you can pack your Shoebox virtually online.

COVID-19 is certainly assessing what we consider important in the modern world. Let’s share the Christmas spirit of love and joy with those who deserve it!

Sources

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronavirus-cases-latest-uk-lockdown-second-wave-france-spain-b930991.html

https://worldgifts.cafod.org.uk/products/the-goat-that-gives

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