Australians are being urged to give goodwill gifts – not fill rubbish tips – in the lead-up to Christmas.
The average Australian forks out $500-$650* in festive gifts, but it’s estimated up to $630 million worth of them are turfed in the trash, gather dust on a shelf or are auctioned online.
If even a fraction of the seasonal splurge was transformed into CAREGifts, an online registry of life-changing presents, it would make a phenomenal difference to families living in poverty.
“Last year, compassionate Australians spent more than $600,000 on CAREGifts. This is enough to send 8,300 girls in developing countries to school for a year or provide 10,400 families with clean drinking water,” CARE Australia Chief Executive Sally Moyle said.
“CARE’s poverty-fighting work continues throughout the year, but we rely on the incredible generosity of Australians in the lead-up to Christmas to ensure we can reach as many communities in need as possible.
“This year, we hope many Australians will again make the choice to give a Christmas gift which really does change lives. It is an amazing thing to do.”
The range of CAREGifts available at different price points makes them an ideal option for any budget.
Just $15 can buy a family a chicken, giving them eggs to eat or sell as an income, while $665 can provide a pond for a community so families have enough water to grow crops and vegetables.
CAREGifts also solve the dilemma of what to give the person who has everything: why not offer them the chance to save or enrich a life by paying for a child to get immunised ($25) or covering the cost of sending a girl to school ($75).
Scratching your head over what to buy a colleague for a Kris Kringle? CAREGifts easily solve the perennial conundrum – as little as $10 can buy school books for a child.
For confused kids unsure of what to buy their parents or grandparents, a goat is a gift that keeps on giving ($45), while a piglet ($42) is another perfect present.
