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Updated 17 December 2013
By purchasing a charity gift this Christmas you are giving the most precious gift their is, ‘hope’ for a better world. It may sound idealistic but isn’t Christmas the season of miracles?
Oxfam refer to their range of charity gifts as ‘the gifts that give twice’ because when you purchase an Oxfam Unwrapped Gift the recipient not only receives a personalised card that lets them know you are thinking of them this holiday season. But they also get that warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from knowing that a donation made in their name, is helping to change the world for someone living in poverty.
Oxfam Unwrapped Gifts range in price from just ten tax-deductible dollars (Oxfam Unwrapped Gifts are tax deductible) for a chicken, seeds or fairtrade education, up to $3,000 for a Water-Quality Testing Kit (pictured) to monitor water quality in remote areas and in difficult circumstances, during a natural disaster. But as an advocate for women’s rights, my attention is immediately drawn to those charity gifts in the range that give women and girls the opportunities so often denied to them in the developing world.
Research shows that although it is men who hold most leadership positions, it is women who drive the engine of change on a micro-economic level. Women spend 90% of their income on their families compared to men who spend less than 40%. By giving more assistance to women and educating girls, governments and aid organisations are improving the socio-economic circumstances of entire communities and therefore, it makes sense to donate my hard earned dollars and yours, to programs which provide women with the opportunity to improve the standard of living for their families.
For just $14 you can help a Sri Lankan woman to Start a Small Business in a country ravaged by natural disasters and civil war. Micro-finance in the form of a small loan can help a woman to establish a profitable business that will not only provide for her family but contribute to her community and the country as a whole because as we all know, a strong small business sector is the backbone of any sustainable economy.
For just $25 you can provide Safe Refuge for Women experiencing domestic violence in Papua New Guinea and educate them about their rights. For $40 you can also help these women by supporting Literacy Classes for women in Papua New Guinea so they can participate in education and the workforce.
Although women rarely die in childbirth in this country anymore, according to the World Health Organisation 1500 women die everyday from pregnancy or childbirth related complications. By providing Midwife Essentials such as training and equipment for midwife volunteers in Laos, Oxfam are tackling the issues of maternal and infant mortality head on in Laotian villages where women have no access to hospitals or medical staff. Alternatively, you may like to consider a tax-deductible gift of $55 for community training and support for women in Cambodia so they keep their babies healthy after they are born.
It’s not something we like to think about but many Indigenous communities in Australia are living in conditions comparable to those in the developing world. For $50 you can help support services for Aboriginal Women in rural Australia> or for just $18 you can help support the Fitzroy Stars — a Melbourne-based Aboriginal sporting club which is promoting health and fitness for Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders through their netball team.
Last but certainly not least, the most popular Oxfam Unwrapped Gifts of a goat, duck, piglet or chicken, help to provide families in Laos and Mozambique with a livelihood.
Whether it’s farm animals, agricultural products, supporting health or education projects, helping people survive during natural disasters, or encouraging the growth of fairtrade, charity gifts is the one Christmas gift you and the recipient can feel good about this year.