Saturday, October 29, 2005

send them a herd of goats this Christmas



I just had to do a little piece on this Christian Aid catalogue, which is so wacky and unusual. It's an amazing collection of gift ideas, for Christmas or all-year round. There's a twist though - the gifts go to the people who need them, rather than to your friends and relatives, who will receive a Christian Aid gift card instead, with a picture to show exactly what has been bought on their behalf and how it will benefit some of the poorest people in the world.

For £30, you can buy a can of worms for Bolivian farmers to improve the soil. For only £24, a community tapstand of clean water can be installed to help prevent disease. £7 buys a vital stethoscope for Cambodian health workers and £11 provides a mosquito net for children at risk from malaria. More expensive gift ideas include: £55 for a latrine; a herd of goats to be 'revolved' from family to family for only £60; £150 to train a midwife; £370 to provide a Peruvian community with a rural library of 1000 books; earthquake-proof housing for £1,200, providing much-needed shelter for those left homeless.

You can get hold of a Present Aid catalogue by calling 0845 3300 500 during office hours. Alternatively, you can visit the Present Aid website by clicking here, and download their catalogue online.

As soon as I saw this, I knew it was a fantastic and unusual idea, so I hope that by passing it on, other people will do the same as me and send aid instead of the usual soap and socks this year.

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