Gifts that Last Beyond their Novelty

Every gift list has people on it who already seem to have everything. The challenge at the holidays is giving memorable gifts.

So this year, we’re challenging you to get creative — to think outside the box and outside the department store.

Gifts from ChildFund International’s Gifts of Love and Hope catalog not only provide your friends and family with the excitement of being remembered in a special way, they also provide for the world’s deprived, excluded and vulnerable children and families.

Instead of a pair of diamond earrings for your significant other, give a pair of goats to a family in Ethiopia, providing milk and meat for their children. Or, how about a pair of turkeys for a family in Mozambique for under $100?

A solar lantern may seem an unusual gift, but your friends will love knowing that this gift in their honor will protect children from eye strain in India as they study at night. For teenagers who are always asking for wheels, why not share with them how giving a mountain bike to a youth in Zambia or a bicycle for a teen in Sri Lanka will change a life?

“When a child has a long distance to go to school, an $80 bicycle can mean the difference between attending school or just not being able to get there,” says Anne Goddard, president and CEO of ChildFund.

For the builders in your family and those friends who love making things with their hands, give a gift of carpentry, masonry or painting tools in their name. They’re sure to appreciate that these gifts offer economic independence to youth in Guinea.

And for that person who absolutely has everything, consider an honorary gift of a water buffalo for a family in Indonesia to help ease the work of farming. Equally valuable is an eco-friendly stove for a family in Honduras that helps preserve forestry and allows families to cook quicker.

ChildFund’s Gifts of Love and Hope catalog allows you to buy individual gifts for children and families who need it most, while checking off your own gift list. View our catalog here and purchase a gift that will change a life.