Media Release
7 November

Don’t go near the mall this Christmas!
ChildFund offers gift solutions that will make a real difference

The New Zealand branch of international aid agency ChildFund is challenging Kiwis to think outside the square this Christmas with the launch of a gift catalogue offering a selection of practical gifts that will directly benefit needy children and their families in developing nations around the world.

The ‘Gifts That Grow’ catalogue offers Kiwis the chance to buy truly meaningful gifts on behalf of their friends and family such as livestock, medicine, and education items. As little as $15 buys a hoe to help a Ugandan farmer, $22 buys school equipment for a child in East Timor, while $100 buys a sewing machine to help an Indian family generate income.

National Director Paul Brown says, “This is a great way to express the true spirit of Christmas. Friends and family get the satisfaction of knowing that the gift you have given them is making a real difference to the lives of children and families in need. Nothing could be more appropriate at Christmas time.”

“Many of the gifts selected for the catalogue will keep on giving well after the holiday season is over. For instance the gift of 10 baby chickens for a family in Sri Lanka ($25) will not only provide them with eggs to eat and sell at the market, it will also produce more chickens offering the family a chance to improve their self sufficiency.”

Gifts options have been included to suit every budget:

Animals
One sheep for a farmer in Uganda $45
One goat for a family in Indondesia $90
One dairy cow for a family in Ethiopia $1,100

Education
15 packs of colouring pencils for a school in Uganda $35
Scholarship for an Ethiopian girl to attend school for one year $220
Teacher’s salary for a rural Sri Lankan school for one year $660

Health & Nutrition
Hygiene kit for a child in Thailand or Uganda $22
Malaria medication for five pre-school children in The Gambia $55
Hand-pump water well to provide clean water for a community in India $1,100

Income generation
Vegetable garden starter kit for a family in Honduras $22
Employment training and tools for an unemployed youth in East Timor $220

Emergency relief
High nutrition biscuits for up to 30 Sri Lankan children $44
Bag of Unimix formula for malnourished children in Kenya $110

Doing your Christmas shopping through the ChildFund ‘Gifts That Grow’ catalogue is easy. Simply fill out the order form, telephone 0800 223 111 or go online at www.childfund.org.nz/catalogue. Once you have purchased a gift, you will receive a voucher for each item to put under the Christmas tree. Each voucher details exactly how the item selected will benefit a child, family or community, so that your friends and family will understand how the gift you’ve given them is making a real difference to the lives of those in need.

Please allow 14 days following purchase to receive the vouchers and remember that all gifts purchased from the ‘Gifts That Grow’ catalogue are tax deductible.

ENDS

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