With the holidays season upon us, I, like many others, have begun thinking about decorations, gift lists, parties and shopping. I have always enjoyed choosing meaningful gifts each year for my loved ones…gifts that are both unique, special, and that I hope will be treasured. With my kids being teenagers now, toys and trinkets are not items that they yearn for anymore. And shopping for grandparents becomes increasingly hard as they tend to buy things for themselves as needed. As a person who loves to organize and purge, I have come to realize that we have more than enough stuff. When I notice how last year’s Christmas presents are outgrown, worn out or no longer needed, and our closets and storage areas are already bursting with collections of stuff, it is not hard to wonder if we really need all of this. I remind my kids often how fortunate we are to have clean drinking water, food, schools, hospitals and all of the other things that we take for granted in Canada. Many children in other parts of the world do not have such necessities of life. It’s at this time of year that I am so happy that we can turn to World Vision’s Christmas Gift Guide to choose gifts that can really make difference in someone’s life and not simply be another item stuffed into a closet. When I talked to my kids about giving up a few gifts this year and using the money instead to purchase gifts from the World Vision catalogue, they were more than happy to do so. In the past, we have have the honour of participating in a large group fundraising effort to give a drilled well to a community, so we know how good it feels to give this kind of life-changing gift.
Among the many gifts to choose from the Gift Guide is a beautiful collection of artisan gifts made by someone in a developing community. By purchasing one of these gifts, you are helping an artisan earn a sustainable living, as well as helping to support some of World Vision’s most needed projects. Some of the handcrafted gifts include these gorgeous bead and wire Artisan Animal Ornaments hand-made by Kenyan artisans who received a World Vision micro loan to start their business.These ornaments would make such a lovely and unique teacher’s gift, while also helping to support a community. To see more of these gorgeous hand-crafted gifts from around the world such as scarves from Vietnam and or a stylish cuff bracelet from India, please be sure to visit the entire collection HERE.
Gifts in this year’s catalogue start at $30 and there are also many amazing gifts that provide opportunities for extended families or groups to get together to donate money to purchase some of the larger gifts that help entire communities…such as stocking a medical clinic, building a latrine or drilling a well. As well, several of the gifts offer matching contributions so that, for instance, if you purchase this gift, the World Vision Food Programme will match up to three times the value of the gift.
After chatting with my teens about what we would like to give this year, my son chose to give new balls to children because he remembers how much he loved playing soccer with friends when he was a little tyke in elementary school…a very appropriate gift choice that is meaningful to him. {To read more about the how the impact of something as simple as the gift of soccer balls can make to a community, please read this incredible report by Canadian journalist Paula Schuck.}
My daughter chose the gift of literacy because she was and is a voracious reader and has many happy memories of reading books in elementary school…such as Junie B. Jones, Harry Potter, etc.
I love how easy World Vision Canada makes it to be able to give to a child or family in need during the holiday season. And truly, there is no more wonderful or exciting feeling knowing that you have helped to make the life of a child or community better with a gift that has a lasting and meaningful impact! I invite you to help change a life this holiday season and feel your heart swell too!
To read about the experience of one Canadian journalist’s 2014 visit to some communities that have been helped by World Vision programs, please read my friend Paula Schuck’s reports HERE.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by World Vision Canada. However, this is a cause that is near and dear to my heart. All opinions are my honest opinions.
Great post Angie!! I really am working hard to make these choices with my family this year as well. Thanks for being such a great champion of this charity.
The thing about Christmas is that we've lost sight of what a "gift" truly is. When you give through World Vision, you're giving so much. Love this program.