Christmas Gifts That Keep On Giving: Charity gift ideas

"Water Aid" is probably my own personal favourite charity gift. We take clean water for granted but for millions of people, it is a luxury. Water Aid works to provide safe drinking water, sanitation and educational aid to people all over the world. Gifts vary from providing a water tap to a whole water system so you can spend as much or as little as you like.
for example: £60.00 buys a handpump.
OR
£15 will pay a sanitation mason to build a toilet.
OR
£15 could buy training for a sanitation mason. This gift teaches a member of the village how to create latrine platforms so this gift keeps on giving.
One of my friends is still bragging about his toilet from last year!

There are many projects available and many testimonials to read on their website.

"How it works - The REAL must-have gifts"
World Vision is one of the leading lights in alternative Christmas gift giving. World wide, they work to fight against poverty, hunger and injustice for everyone. Every gift bought really does make a difference no matter how small if might seem to us.
You can be confident in these charity gifts, each have been requested by the communities who receive them with many planned projects but also with emergency aid.

The charity says, "It's our intention that the gift bought will be what they receive. In the unlikely event that we don't get enough gifts to make a project viable we'll reallocate the money towards other Must Have gifts and projects. The same applies if we receive too many gifts, we won't overwhelm a project with more than they need. Any surplus funds will fund extra projects to work towards our goal that every child should have life in all its fullness."

What your gift includes
The individual gift plus a gift card and explanation for the person you are giving it to. This can either take the form of a physcial card or an e-card.

Read more on their website

"Alternative Christmas Gift: Save Trees at Christmas"
What could be greener than a tree? No not a Christmas tree but the gift of a growing tree in the tropics. Some people use this to off-set their carbon footprint over the holiday season and it is a great way to teach the kids about conservation.

£25 or more is donated to the World Land Trust and it is dedicated in someone's name. They receive ad WLT gift pack plus a Certificate and information on the work being done to secure acres of forest. All donations are used to secure real land for wildlife in target areas."

"Do you want to change lives this Christmas? The SOS Alternative Gifts give you the opportunity to give a present that will change lives."

These alternative gifts provide a family with education and health care. Or they might add an orphaned or abandoned child, at th SOS Children's Village Basse in Gambia. This village has only 12 family houses that provide homes for about 100 children. For orphaned and abandoned children they offer a new house MOM and a family life they may never have known before. Your gift will also help with educational services.

The numbered examples shown below will give an idea of the impact your gift will make:

19) £7 could provide a child's school fees and materials for one month
20) £15 could pay for one month's transport to the SOS School for a child living in the local community
21) £25 could provide food and clean water for one month for a child living in the SOS Children's Village
22) £200 could cover medical costs for all the children and staff living at the SOS Children's Village Basse for one month

"Sending a charity gift at Christmas"
Once you pick which charity gift to give, you are sent a Gift Card and details of how the gift will be used. Details of how to give a gift is on their website.If you are a tax payer you may be eligible to include Gift Aid as part of your donation.

We also have a selection of Christmas cards, gifts and stationary available to help support orphaned and abandoned children. Our Christmas Appeal also lets you send a gift of child sponsorship to a loved one or colleague."

"Alternative Christmas Market Organization"

This Alternative Christmas Market website is a form of alternative gift giving that has a symbolic value to the gift recipient and benefits a meaningful cause at the same time.

Alternative Christmas Market creates an opportunity for others to give gifts of food, shelter, medicine, water, education or so much more for needy people in your honor.

If this form of giving has struck a positive chord with you, perhaps you would like to pass this idea on, to honor a friend or relative of yours who is blessed, so they can benefit those in great need at the same time?

Examples of alternative gift giving:

$10 buys a hearty breakfast for five children at Iglesa Camino Vido, Mexico.

$50 supplies one month of HIV medication at Tumutumu, Kenya.

$53 buys one "wheelchair kit" providing new freedom for the handicapped in Ecuador.