For those of you struggling of what to buy the friend who has everything or the long distance relative that you just have no idea what they would like, why not consider an Oxfam unwrapped charity gift?
Oxfam have various gifts suitable for everyone but three that have really caught my eye include a Pile of poo, a Goat and Life saving soap. All of them are available as e-cards that can be personalised so they are perfect as last minute gifts.
- Around the world, one in eight people go to bed hungry every night despite there being enough food in the world for everyone.
- Oxfam supports small scale farmers around the world to grow enough food to feed themselves.
- Last year 500,000 people benefited from support to improve their crops, their goods or their services due to Oxfam’s work.
A Goat is a fab gift, £25 (currently on offer at £12.50). Sourced locally and fully vaccinated, they’re fit, healthy and ready to supply a family with milk to drink and sell. As well as creating crop-boosting manure. This gift also includes business training, meaning a family is more likely to get the best possible price for what their goat produces. When their goat has kids, they can go on to help another family or be sold to raise money for essentials.
- Last year, Oxfam provided livestock to farming families in places around the world from Honduras to Somaliland.
- Oxfam often provide two goats which allow breeding. Beneficiaries can then build, and grow a herd of their own.
Life saving soap, £5. A simple bar of soap not only helps keep people clean, but it can reduce the incidence of life threatening conditions like diarrhoea. And when combined with hygiene training (which is particularly for children), your gift can be even more effective, as children spread the word about good hygiene back at home.
- Oxfam are recognised as leading experts in making sure people can access clean water to drink and have decent sanitation in times of crisis.
- Simple solutions – like providing soap – can save and change lives in an emergency.
- Every day 1,400 children die due to diarrhoea. But handwashing with soap can reduce the incidence of diarrhoea by almost half.*
- Through Oxfam’s work last year 1.25 million people benefited from improved sanitation facilities, like hand-washing facilities, greatly reducing the spread of disease.
- In addition 3.15 million people who had been affected by emergencies benefited from health promotion activities, such as training for children about washing their hands.
*Source: Fewtrell et al 2005.The Lancet Infectious Diseases,Vol. 5, Issue 1: 42-52.
**Photos in order, Credit to, Tom Greenwood, Rachel Walsh, Sam Tarling