Several Christmases ago, my sister-in-law Cymbria handed me a jewelry box-sized gift. Now, Cym is one of the most stylin’ women I know, with way-cool color streaks in her glorious red hair and a fondness of leopard print-y accessories. I could hardly wait to see what handmade, bohemian earrings she’d dug up for me.
Inside the box was a tiny, grey plastic goat – the kind that comes free in cereal boxes.
“Uh, thanks, Cym. Just what I’ve always wanted.”
“Read the card.”
Turns out, Cym had bought a dairy goat for an African child in my name through World Vision. According to their website (http://www.worldvision.org), the goat provides a family with fresh milk, cheese and added income when they sell offspring, and any extra food at the market. It’s World Vision’s best-value, best-selling gift every year.
There’s a price range for everyone in World Vision’s on-line gift catalog. For under $20 you can buy someone, somewhere, a soccer ball, blanket or drought-resistant seeds. $935 buys a prosthetic limb. For the high-rollers out there, $25,800 buys a health care clinic that serves up to 25,000 villagers, and $30,000 supports a World Vision leader’s work for a year with at-risk, inner city kids, right here in the US of A. Point-and-click shopping has never been so easy.
Now, if your great-uncle wouldn’t appreciate a treadle pump for a Zambian farm family or a stove for a Romanian school bought in his name, consider buying holiday gifts from non-profit organizations where the proceeds support their programs. Save the Children, UNICEF, The Hunger Site – they and dozens of other non-profits have on-line gift catalogs where the gifts are made by artisans throughout the world and the profits support business development and financial independence in developing countries.
So this Christmas I’ve asked for Madonna’s new CD, Home Depot gift cards, a beachfront condo in Maui (gotcha!) and a small herd of farm animals for struggling families throughout the globe. I really hope Santa comes through with that last one. It’s the one present that never gets returned.
Happy holidays to each of you. Get out and give back.
Jane Hess is a free-lance writer and life coach. You can send your comments to getoutandgiveback@hotmail.com
